REU Site: Research by Undergraduates using Molecular Biology Applications (RUMBA)

San Jose State University Foundation, San Jose CA

Investigators

Abstract

An award has been made to San José State University that will provide research training for 10 weeks for 10 students, for the summers of 2010-2012. The REU program, called Research by Undergraduates using Molecular Biology Applications (RUMBA), will focus its efforts on increasing the number of underrepresented minority students doing biological research in the Silicon Valley. The REU focuses on utilizing molecular biology tools in biological research. Faculty members with expertise in the areas of genetics, molecular evolution, molecular environmental microbiology, cell & molecular biology, and forensics will mentor students. Regardless of the research laboratory placement, RUMBA students will comprise a cohort with shared thematic training experiences. The cohort experiences will consist of: (1) molecular biology techniques training, (2) a bi-weekly formal group research meeting, (3) an ethics seminar, and (4) a culminating research symposium. Students will be recruited from San José State University and other undergraduate institutions with high enrollment of underrepresented minority students. Priority will be given to students of underrepresented groups as defined by NSF (African American, Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islander). Students will be selected based on GPA, completion of the first year university biology and chemistry core course sequence, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. Student applicants will be interviewed by RUMBA faculty before a decision is made. A common web-based assessment instrument will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. San José State University (SJSU), the oldest public university in the state of California, is located in downtown San José and in the heart of Silicon Valley. Students interested in participating in the RUMBA should contact Dr. Julio G. Soto, Professor, Biological Sciences Department, jsoto3@email.sjsu.edu. Application forms and deadlines can be found at: http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/Biology/RUMBA/RUMBA.html.