This award provides funds to continue a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Arizona for another three years. NSF funds will provide stipends for nine students with the University of Arizona providing stipends for an additional ten students. Students will apply to the REU program and once selected by a faculty/student committee, they interview several of the 110 participating faculty sponsors before deciding with whom they wish to work. This matching process insures that students will be working on a problem that is of interest to them and fosters a productive working relationship. Students then pursue their research problems as part of a research group. In addition to students' research, lab meetings and seminars, the program offers an orientation that includes radiation and laboratory safety training and a weekly brown bag lunch where students and faculty discuss issues and careers in biology and biological research. There is an annual Undergraduate Biology Research Conference and an Undergraduate Biology Colloquium Series featuring world renowned biologists. The common thread that unites the program is that students are all involved in independent research on some problem in biology.
