This REU Site award to Mercy College, located in Dobbs Ferry, NY, is a joint effort between Mercy College Department of Natural Sciences and the Department of Neuroscience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The REU site supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2020-2022. The research, housing and program-related activities are conducted at the Department of Neuroscience at Albert Einstein, New York, NY. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents attending an undergraduate program. Students from minority serving institutions and community colleges are encouraged to apply. A goal of the program is to provide training in scientific research in a state-of-the-art research center to students underrepresented in STEM to promote diversity in academia and other institutions of higher education. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool used to assess Biology REU programs. Students will be tracked after the program to determine their career paths.
The intellectual focus and theme of the REU Site is neuroscience, focusing on the understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying brain development and function at the molecular, cellular and systems level. Accepted students will select a laboratory of their interest within the Department of Neuroscience and will conduct an intensive hands-on research at this state-of-the-art research center. The laboratories focus on a wide range of research areas and experimental approaches, including cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, neurophysiology, bioinformatics, neural development and plasticity, and neuroimaging. Students will work with a scientific mentor at Albert Einstein to carry out their research and with a mentor from Mercy College, who will coordinate extracurricular activities including seminars, mentoring on graduate education in academia and careers in industry, and responsible and ethical scientific research conduct. Albert Einstein will provide housing to the students. In addition, students will also be provided with stipends and meals. More information about the program is available by visiting http://REU.mercy.edu, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Juan Bruses at jbruses@mercy.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Jose Pena jose.pena@einstein.yu.edu).
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
