REU Site: Summer Intensive Research Experiences in Neuroscience (SIREN)

This REU Site award to the University of Michigan, located in Ann Arbor, MI, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2023-2025. Activities are conducted within the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Michigan, the longest standing program of its kind in the United States. 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 gain expertise in the conduct of research while building an array of transferrable professional skills. Participants will present their research in an end-of-summer symposium, and many will present their work at additional scientific conferences. Program activities will be assessed though short feedback surveys throughout the program, and overall impact will be assessed at the conclusion of the summer through the online SALG URSSA tool. The NSF ETAP system will be used to register participants (https://www.nsfetap.gov/). Program alumni will be tracked after the program in order to evaluate their career paths. A hallmark of this REU Site is a focus on interdisciplinary neuroscience. Research opportunities will span several neuroscience subdisciplines including behavioral, cognitive, cell/molecular, developmental, sensory, and computational neuroscience. Projects tend to focus on the basis of neurological development or disease, and utilize a wide range of in silico, in vitro, and in vivo model systems. Journal clubs, presentations, and discussions will intersect these subareas to further explore interdisciplinary approaches to science. Weekly workshops will help develop the transferable skills required for success in long-term research careers; topics include current methods in neuroscience, rigor and reproducibility, research skills, and career planning. In addition, this REU Site includes weekly applied improv coursework and Breakfast & Brains presentations intended to build confidence, creativity, agility, and empathy in public speaking. A holistic review of applicants will include scientific interests together with essays, transcripts, and letters of reference. More information about the program is available by visiting https://neuroscience.med.umich.edu/summer-research-opportunities, or by contacting the PI (Dr. R. Keith Duncan at rkduncan@umich.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Shelly Flagel at sflagel@umich.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.