A Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Sites award has been made to The University of Pittsburgh to provide research training for 10 weeks for 10 students, during the summers of 2013-2016. This Training and Experimentation in Computational Biology (TECBio) REU program has the overarching theme of "multiscale modeling, simulation, and systems-level analyses for biological discovery". TECBio students can expect a challenging and fulfilling research experience that will prepare them for a successful career in graduate school. Rising Juniors and Seniors from all facets of the life, physical, and computer sciences and engineering, and particularly those students from small school and/or underrepresented backgrounds, are encouraged to apply. TECBio students will select from a pool of 38 diverse research mentors, whose work cover areas that include bioinformatics, bioimage analysis, computational drug discovery, computational structural biology, and systems biology. In addition to performing cutting-edge research, TECBio students will participate in a weekly journal club, attend research and career seminars organized specifically for the program, take part in an ethics forum that will instruct them in the responsible conduct of research, present their work at a Pittsburgh-wide annual research symposium, tour research facilities such as the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, and experience the various social and cultural activities available in Pittsburgh - America's most livable city. TECBio students will also play an active role in enhancing the TECBio program and will have several opportunities, including the common assessment tool available to BIO-funded REU PIs to give their feedback. Following the completion of the program, TECBio alumni will receive continued mentoring by the program directors and mentors, who will maintain contact with students to help them establish and maintain success in their nascent careers. Additional information can be found at www.tecbioreu.pitt.edu, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Joseph C. Ayoob at jayoob@pitt.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Chakra Chennubhotla at chakracs@pitt.edu).
The site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.
