Education and Outreach Core

ABSTRACT – EDUCATION AND OUTREACH CORE The scientific goal of our CSBC U54 MIT/DFCI Center for Systems Biology in Glioblastoma is to change the current paradigm in GBM research by bringing new tools and algorithms to improve analysis of the tumor- microenvironment interface, providing ultra-deep systems level molecular characterization at the transcript, protein, phosphoprotein, and metabolite levels while maintaining cell-type specific resolution, with the ultimate aim of developing improved therapeutic strategies for this devastating tumor. Using this theme as a platform, we will engage systems biologists, computational biologists, cancer biologists, and clinicians at all levels of training to cultivate improved cross-disciplinary fluency. Ultimately, these efforts will have an enduring impact on the field by educating future scientists and oncologists and by fostering lasting trans-disciplinary collaborations between established scientists. We will maximize the education and outreach impact of the center through a multi-tiered strategy to promote experiential training and communication across a range of educational and career levels: High school and undergraduate students: We will tap into and expand existing internship and research opportunity programs at several of our sites to engage both teachers and students in the exciting trans- disciplinary studies being performed in the MIT/DFCI CSBC. The central goal for these activities is to enthuse participants about potential STEM careers and provide real-world experiences in different facets of cancer systems biology. Graduate student and post-doctoral training: We will establish a cross-training program that will provide funding for visiting scientists within the MIT/DFCI CSBC or within the larger CSBC network. The vision of this program is to enable cross-disciplinary training, allowing researchers to learn new technologies, be exposed to different ways of thinking about problems, and to gain insight into clinical translation. By providing support for weeks-to-months of interaction time for multiple visiting scientists per year, this program should provide solid experiential training and immersion in the corresponding field. Annual symposia and visiting faculty series: An annual conference hosted by the MIT/DFCI CSBC will rotate among the sites involved in our center. A key goal of these conferences is to establish collaborative interdisciplinary opportunities with our CSBC and within the larger CSBC network. Targeted selection of speakers will maximize the potential for complementary collaborations with the host institution and across the CSBC network. A similar strategy will be employed in developing a rotating visiting faculty seminar series. Web-site and public engagement: To broadcast all of these opportunities and to educate the public with regard to the systems biology of the brain tumor – microenvironment interface, we will establish a center website. This website will also serve as the hub for accessing data, publications, and computational models generated by our CSBC.