REU Site: Scripps' Structure and Function Summer Institute

The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site award to the Scripps Research Institute, located in La Jolla, CA, supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during each of the summers of 2018-2020. This program integrates cutting-edge research with professional skills development and cohort building activities. Student research focuses on the structure and function of macromolecules (e.g., defining proteins in innate and acquired immune systems, developing databases cataloguing the molecular components of the cell, integrating computational methods with biophysical techniques to determine protein structure, developing chemical tools to probe biological questions, and exploring brain function). In addition to lab research, students will participate in a bootcamp at the beginning of the program and attend weekly professional development workshops on topics such as ethics and responsible conduct of research, and scientific seminars where they will read current scientific articles, discuss the rationale behind the experiments, analyze the work critically, and engage in scientific discourse with their peers. The program will culminate with each student presenting a poster during campus-wide poster presentations. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities and/or from underrepresented populations, will be trained in the program. Several factors will be considered for participant selection, including academic record, letters of reference, student interest in obtaining an advanced career in science, and diversity. Given the importance of undergraduate research experience in graduate studies, this program will provide students with critical opportunities to improve research and communication skills and prepare to pursue careers in research. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences or as peer-reviewed publications. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of this training program. Students will be tracked after the program 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 https://education.scripps.edu/undergraduate/careu/index.html, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Dawn Eastmond at eduprgm@scripps.edu) and the co-PI (Dr. Philip Dawson at eduprgm@scripps.edu). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.