REU Site: Summer Undergraduate Research Experience in Molecular Biosciences

This REU Site award to The University of North Carolina located in Chapel Hill, NC, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2016 - 2018.

The REU Program in Molecular Biosciences at UNC-Chapel Hill provides students the opportunity to carry out independent research projects under the guidance of faculty mentors in biochemistry, microbiology, cell biology, genetics, and structural biology. Students work side-by-side with graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty who serve as role models and mentors. Participants discover how modern biological research is formulated, carried out, and reported in an environment that stresses collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. Students acquire skills critical to success in research and teaching careers and to gain entry to competitive graduate programs. Making informed career choices is a major theme of the Program; participants hear about careers and lifestyles in forums with scientists inside and outside of academia and with current graduate students and post-doctoral fellows at UNC. The journal club and seminar program expose students to emerging areas of research and provide insight into the scientific method. The program culminates with all students presenting their work at an annual Summer Research Symposium.

It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Preference is given to students with little prior independent research experience, however all talented undergraduates with a genuine desire to pursue a career in biological research and teaching are encouraged to apply. First generation college students and students from groups under-represented in the sciences are strongly encouraged to apply.

A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine student career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. Program information and application instructions are available at http://www.med.unc.edu/oge/stad/sure . For questions contact the PI (Dr. Tom Kawula at kawula@med.unc.edu).