REU Site: Interdisciplinary Convergence to Advance the Biotechnological and Bioscience Workforce

University Of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa AL

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa (UA) REU in Biotechnology will train ten undergraduate students per year over three years to carry out interdisciplinary research in biotechnology-related areas. Biotechnology is a rapidly growing industrial sector throughout the United States, with applications in health, energy, and defense. However, there are very few academic programs dedicated solely to teaching undergraduate students biotechnology techniques. In this REU site, an interdisciplinary team of faculty members in biochemistry, biology, and biological engineering has been assembled to mentor students, with a focus on applications and instrumentation commonly found in the biotechnology field. Participating students will gain additional experience through several planned activities, including invited speakers and field trips. These activities will help to build a diverse cohort of students and provide them with the skills necessary to succeed in the biotechnology workforce. This project will develop a new 10-week interdisciplinary REU site at UA with a focus on biotechnology and bioscience research. This REU program will provide students with training in biotechnology-related research areas while helping them develop the skills necessary to excel in the biotechnology workforce. The students will first participate in a biochemistry and instrumentation bootcamp to develop a fundamental understanding of the biotechnology tools and techniques that will benefit them throughout their time in the program. The project will place a heavy emphasis on teaching students many common biotechnology methods and research techniques, which will enable them to succeed in graduate school or the industrial sector. Several opportunities to present their research, both in reports and oral presentations, are designed to improve written and verbal communication skills and enable the students to communicate to peers and the general public. The project will place a strong focus on recruiting students from HBCUs, Hispanic-serving community colleges, and organizations that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. All of these activities will enable this REU to achieve its goal of training the next generation of leaders, researchers, and educators in biotechnology-related disciplines. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). 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.