This award provides funds to the Graduate School at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) to establish a Research Experiences for Undergraduates SITE. Ten college undergraduates selected from a nationwide pool of hundreds of applicants will be exposed to a research atmosphere through their participation in a 10 week summer career development program. Participants will be selected by a committee composed of faculty from each basic science department. Students will be matched with volunteer faculty mentors and become functioning members of their laboratories. The unifying focus of the REU Site will be cellular signal transduction. BCM has an outstanding reputation in this area of fundamental biological research involving a number of basic science departments including Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Neuroscience. The projects that will be offered will involve subjects and techniques that will be appropriate for students with a diversity of interests, backgrounds, and levels of experience. The faculty of BCM have already gained experience in designing undergraduate research projects and interacting with college students through participation in a 3 year pilot program. The laboratory oriented aspect of the program will be supplemented by students' participation in research discussions, seminars, career development activities and social/cultural activities sponsored through the SMART Program by the Graduate School. NSF sponsored participants will have the benefit of interacting with other undergraduates form throughout the nation who will be supported by other sources and of entering an established career development program that effectively promotes interest in science and prepares undergraduates to enter research oriented careers.
