REU Site: Integrative Cell and Molecular Biology

This REU Site award to the Department of Biological Sciences at University of Notre Dame, located in South Bend, 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. The program focuses on providing participants a comprehensive introduction to scientific research. It will give students experience in generating and analyzing their own research results as well as effectively reporting scientific information. It will also educate them on the important issues of professionalism, ethical conduct, collaboration, and other skills needed to succeed in the scientific arena. The recruitment of underrepresented minority students, and students without access to research will be a high priority to increase the diversity of students pursuing research careers. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool. The NSF ETAP system will be used to register participants (https://www.nsfetap.gov/). Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. The program “Integrative Cell and Molecular Biology" will provide students with independent research projects within an interdisciplinary research community. Program mentors are drawn from varied disciplines, including genetics, cell biology, physiology, neuroscience, evolution, ecology and biochemistry. Components of the program include formulating research proposals, presenting results at a symposium, writing a research paper and attending weekly seminars and interactive workshops on topics like integrative research, research ethics, the publication process and scientific writing. Students will be selected based on academic record, the quality of the personal statement/cover letter, recommendation letters, a sincere desire to pursue a research career, and potential for outstanding research in cell/molecular biology. More information about the program is available by visiting https://www3.nd.edu/~biosreu/ , or by contacting the PI (Dr. Xuemin Lu at xlu1@nd.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Michelle Whaley at Michelle.A.Whaley.3@nd.edu). This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program. 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.