REU Site: A Summer Research Experience in Structural and Computational Biology and Biophysics

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site award to Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, IN, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2023- 2025. 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 participate in career and professional development events and workshops to prepare them for careers within the structural biology field in academia, industry, and government. Students will learn how research is conducted, the ethical and responsible conduct of research, how to disseminate their results to a general audience, and will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of the program will be performed using the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. This REU program is designed to establish a framework that integrates research projects aimed at studying the structure and function of macromolecules with in-depth workshops designed to provide theoretical and practical training in contemporary structural biology techniques and biophysical methods. Students will gain training in methods such as computational biology, X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and cryo-electron microscopy. Each trainee will leave the program with a solid foundation and understanding of the various structural biology methods regardless of the expertise within their host lab. These discovery-driven studies provide the molecular blueprint for the atomic structures of biomolecules which fuels subsequent hypothesis-based research. Projects included in this proposal focus on the structure and function of membrane protein machineries involved in signaling and nutrient import, viral enzymes, cancer-related proteins, CRISPR-Cas machinery, transporter proteins, and whole viruses. This REU program is hosted by the Department of Biological Sciences. Students that are in their sophomore or junior year are encouraged to apply. Applications will be reviewed using a rubric that values academics, creativity, hard-work, perseverance, and diversity. More information about the program and the application process are available by visiting http://scbb.bio.purdue.edu/reu.html, or by contacting the PI (Nicholas Noinaj at nnoinaj@purdue.edu) or the administrative assistant (Becky Harding at rharding@purdue.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.