Proposal number: 1612289
This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2016, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Tara Mastro is "Reorganization of postsynaptic signaling complexes by dynamic competition for protein binding domains." The host institution for this fellowship is California Institute of Technology, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Mary B. Kennedy.
This research advances our understanding of how new neural circuits that underlie learning and memory are established in the brain. Specifically, the Fellow is quantitatively describing newly discovered competitive protein interactions that underlie learning and memory. This research is producing a detailed understanding of the systems that regulate synaptic transmission, and is advancing knowledge of brain function and dysfunction on a molecular and biochemical level. Furthermore, the research has implications for disease because recent approaches to treat several neurological disorders have drawn on what is currently known about the mechanisms of learning and memory and the process by which synapses are changed to form new circuits.
The Fellow is gaining expert knowledge in neuroscience, specifically in the molecular mechanisms that underlie learning and memory. Specific training activities include mastering technical laboratory skills involving neuronal cell culture and biochemistry, and developing expertise in written and verbal scientific communication. The Fellow is actively broadening the participation of under-represented groups in biology by forming support networks to aide in the retention of disabled people in the sciences, including individuals who have had a disability over their entire lifetime as well as those who have experienced onset disabilities. In addition, the Fellow is engaged in outreach to high school students from under-represented groups, thereby promoting the importance of diversity among individuals who are in the earliest stages of considering STEM careers.
