An award has been made to Western Michigan University that will provide a research experience in environmental signal transduction for 10 undergraduate students for 10 weeks, during the summers of 2010-2012. The award is supported by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) in the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) and the Division of Chemistry (CHE) in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS). The program focuses on fostering the development of undergraduate students in the life sciences by providing a cooperative learning environment that instills in the student how interdisciplinary approaches can be used to facilitate cutting edge research. Over 20 participating faculty from the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry engage the students in basic and applied approaches to understanding the signaling mechanisms by which biological molecules or chemical agents initiate action within cells, tissues, organisms or systems. Interactions within the group lead to new, innovative ways of studying signal transduction at different levels of organization - from molecular biology to ecology to systems biology - that have broad applications in agriculture, health and the environment. In addition, students attend workshops and seminars on a variety of topics such as responsible conduct in research, use of scientific literature, career opportunities in industry and academia, and the graduate school application process. Students are recruited through campus visits as well as through traditional and electronic material and are selected primarily based on academic record, and potential for outstanding contribution to research. Information about the program will be assessed by various means, including use of an REU common assessment tool. More information is available by visiting www.wmich.edu/nsf-ru , or by contacting the PI (Dr. Susan Stapleton at susan.stapleton@wmich.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. John Spitsbergen at john.spitsbergen@wmich.edu).
