This REU Site award to the University of California LA, located in Los Angeles, CA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2019 - 2021. This REU in Computational Biosciences will provide full-time immersion training in computational data analysis of genomes and computational modeling of how genes are interacting. Hands-on workshops in a computer laboratory will teach students the latest cutting-edge research tools in sequencing data analysis, systems biology, and molecular and cellular networks. Students will then apply these in research experiences in UCLA laboratories and catalyze collaborations with home institution mentors. Students will become part of a scientific community and engage in journal clubs, research meetings and workshops, and professional development sessions. At the end of the summer, students will present a poster on their research, write a final paper and have an opportunity to present their work at a national conference. Students apply online and upload a personal statement, a curriculum vitae, transcripts, two letters of recommendation and a contributions-to-diversity statement. The PIs and mentors will prioritize students who demonstrate interest in quantitative and computational biosciences.
There is a critical need for a larger and more diverse pool of students in the field of computational biosciences. The proposed NSF REU will train ten students a year, including students who would not otherwise have opportunities in computational biosciences. Students will gain tangible and important skills in computational biosciences, engage in a research problem, join a community of scholars, and present their results in a poster session. Many will also present their work at national scientific conferences.
A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available at https://qcb.ucla.edu/undergraduateresearch, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Hilary Coller at hcoller@ucla.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Alexander Hoffmann at ahoffmann@g.ucla.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.
