Over the last decade, many graduate programs in biochemistry have experienced a decline in the number of applicants with backgrounds in which the quantitative aspects of sciences are stressed, which is typical of the physical sciences. In order to address this problem, we propose to create a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Vermont. The immediate objective is to introduce qualified undergraduates with a physical sciences background to biomedical research questions and techniques under the direction of 11 faculty with a diverse array of research interests, including protein-protein interactions in the blood coagulation cascade, metalloprotein biochemistry, protein crystallography, protein-nucleic acid interactions, and structure and function of protein complexes. The trainees will be selected on the basis of their previous coursework and undergraduate sponsor's recommendations from an ensemble of colleges and universities in the Northeast where we have successfully recruited in the past.
The aims of the training program are to 1) recruit, train, and mentor 6-10 promising undergraduates through sponsored independent research in the laboratories of NIH-funded training faculty; 2) augment the independent research experience with lectures, seminars, and workshops to build foundation knowledge and stimulate critical thinking; and 3) evaluate the program through a four step process involving: a) assessment of incoming student qualifications; b) assessment of student progress and reaction in situ; c) summative assessment at the conclusion of the program; and d) follow-up assessment to determine the impact of the experience on the participant's careers. By providing a positive training experience for physical science undergraduates in a highly focused context, we anticipate that the SURE program will both increase the pool of potential applicants to the University of Vermont's biomedical graduate programs, as well as the pool of potential applicants nationwide.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Education Projects (R25)
Project #
5R25GM062491-03
Application #
6636569
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZGM1-BRT-0 (SE))
Program Officer
Zlotnik, Hinda
Project Start
2001-03-01
Project End
2005-02-28
Budget Start
2003-03-01
Budget End
2004-02-29
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$70,258
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Vermont & St Agric College
Department
Biochemistry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
066811191
City
Burlington
State
VT
Country
United States
Zip Code
05405
Bovee, Michael L; Pierce, Melissa A; Francklyn, Christopher S (2003) Induced fit and kinetic mechanism of adenylation catalyzed by Escherichia coli threonyl-tRNA synthetase. Biochemistry 42:15102-13