REU Site: Imaging and Molecular Approaches to Biological Problems

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This REU Site award to Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, MD, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2022- 2024. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, how the results are dissemintated, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. This program will provide a vital stepping stone to place disadvantaged students on scientific career paths in both the academic and commercial sectors. Assessment of the program will be facilitated through the online SALG URSSA tool, and students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. This REU site program focuses on the use of molecular and imaging techniques in obtaining important biological information. These techniques include a wide range of fluorescence and light microscopies, transmission electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, single molecule spectroscopy and myriad techniques incorporating high-throughput sequencing. Faculty from the Department of Biology, T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute and the Carnegie Institution Department of Embryology, pursue answers to biological questions at the forefront of their fields. Students are educated through direct involvement in laboratory experimentation that utilizes one or more of the techniques, and learn other projects thru oral and poster presentations by their fellow participants. Students also receive instruction on lab safety training, notebook keeping, responsible conduct in research, verbal and poster communication skills, and GRE preparation. More information about the program is available by visiting https://bio.jhu.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-research/jhu-bioreu/, or by contacting the PI (Dr Vincent J Hilser at hilser@jhu.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.