REU Site: Networking Basic Research for Biological Discovery

Health Research Incorporated/New York State Department Of Health, Menands NY

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site Award to the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, located in Albany, NY, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2014-2016. The primary objective of this program is to provide cutting-edge research experiences by networking undergraduate students with each other and with their mentors to gain insight into how modern scientific research is conducted. The Wadsworth Center provides outstanding basic research and graduate education programs paralleling public health activities. Mentors have diverse research interests in molecular genetics, cell biology, structural and computational biology, and the environmental sciences. Applicants will be recruited nationally and students from all majors are eligible to apply. Students can join either a traditional, single-mentored research project, or a collaborative project in which two students are networked to tackle a common research problem. The research program will be supplemented by weekly seminars given by visiting scientists and Wadsworth faculty. In addition, the Wadsworth Site will provide students with a strong background in the ethical conduct of research, career planning, the modern history of science, and a unique perspective on how research is translated to public policy. Candidates will be selected based on personal essay, two letters of recommendation, research interests, and academic performance. Students with limited research opportunities at their home institution and those from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. All research activities are pursued within a close-knit environment that will provide an uniquely enriching research training opportunity. During the final week, students will present their research at a symposium that will be video-cast throughout Wadsworth and recorded to improve communication skills. Students will also be encouraged to present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Program evaluation will be facilitated by using the Bio REU common assessment survey and the SURE survey. Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic e-mail sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by contacting reu@health.ny.gov.