REU Site: Enabling Analysis and Design of Complex Biological Systems through Data Science

Tufts University, Medford MA

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site award to Tufts University, located in Medford, MA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2017- 2019. This project is supported by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) in the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), the Division of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (ACI) in the Directorate of Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), and the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG). This REU Site will develop data science approaches to analyze and design complex biological systems. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, faculty mentors are drawn from multiple departments across life sciences, engineering, and computing sciences, including Chemical and Biological Engineering, Microbiology, Electrical and Computer engineering, and Computer Science. Research projects deal with the collection, analysis, and modeling of biological data sets to understand or design a system of interest, ranging from microbial communities to bioreactors. The research activities are supported through workshops providing a hands-on introduction to modern data analysis, modeling, and visualization tools. Students will be provided training in responsible conduct of research and ethics through seminars and group discussions led by faculty mentors. Participants will be recruited nationally among rising juniors and seniors majoring in an engineering or life science discipline. Applicants will be selected by a faculty committee of the PI and Co-PI, workshop leaders, and mentors. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. The students will learn about different STEM learning styles of K-12 students, and be presented opportunities to engage in K-12 outreach. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting http://engineering.tufts.edu/research/reu.htm, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Kyongbum Lee at kyongbum.lee@tufts.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Daniel Ryder at daniel.ryder@tufts.edu)