Continuing funding is requested to support 8 predoctoral trainees of the Chemistry/Biology Training Program, for the next five-years. The Training Program consists of 27 faculty members from four participating graduate units: Organic Division of the Chemistry Department, Biological Division of the Chemistry Department, Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the College of Pharmacy, and the Ohio State Biochemistry Program (OSBP). The participating faculty members from OSBP are affiliated with many departments and colleges. The research projects of the participating faculty cover four broad areas: Area 1: Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry; Area 2: Biomolecular Mechanisms and Engineering; Area 3: Structural Biology; and Area 4: Molecular and Cell Biology. The Chemistry/ Biology Training Program is not a separate graduate program. Instead, students will be recruited into the four participating graduate programs and receive training at the chemistry/biology interface. Key elements of the training include monthly luncheon seminars, annual symposia, regular seminars, and the requirement to cover both chemistry and biology disciplines in lab rotations, course work, general exam proposals, and dissertation research. The Executive Committee will evaluate the progress of trainees annually for reappointment. Trainees will attend workshops on Responsible Conduct of Research. Strong effort will be devoted to recruiting and retention of underrepresented minority students and students of disabilities and disadvantaged backgrounds. During the past 9 years, 47 trainees have participated or are still participating in the program; many of the trainees have also been supported by fellowships from the university or other funding agencies. Eighteen trainees have successfully completed the training program and subsequently moved onto permanent positions in academe, government, industry or postdoctoral positions.
The boundary between chemistry and biology has become increasingly blurred. As we strive to understand the biological systems on more fundamental levels, the principles and tools in chemistry become ever more important in biological research. On the other hand, for chemists to have an impact on the biological field, he/she must be armed with a good knowledge of the biological 'system'. The long-term goal of this program is to train students to be ready for such revolutions in fields at the chemistry/biology interface. Our program will continue to produce chemists especially synthetic chemists with significant training in biology, biologists with a greatly enhanced chemistry background (relative to their peers), and chemical biologists who have in-depth training in both areas.
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