RAPID: REU Site: A Virtual Research Experience in Macromolecular Structure and Function

The COVID pandemic has caused closures of REU Sites in summer 2020. The situation continues this summer 2021 with some REU programs already posting cancellations. This RAPID proposal will mitigate the inadequate number of available opportunities for students. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), located in Chicago, Illinois, will support the training of seven students for eight weeks during the summer of 2021. Research will be conducted online with faculty located in Chicago, Evanston (IL), and Dallas (TX). The students, who are from groups under-represented in science or from schools with limited research opportunities, will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. This program provides vital training, mentoring, and professional skills development to enable and encourage talented students to continue in degrees and careers in science, which is vital for the future of US science and the economy. Students will participate in full-time mentored research projects using state-of-the-art computer-based methods to advance our understanding of the structure and function of DNA, proteins and other macromolecules. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths.

The scientific theme of the program is Macromolecular Structure and Function. Faculty mentors come from UIC Departments of Biology, Physics, and Bioengineering, the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Collegiate Division, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Green Center for Systems Biology, and the Northwestern University Molecular Biosciences Department. The computer-based projects include elucidating protein functional sites, conformational changes involved in aggregation, cellular targeting signals, and mechanisms of nutrient uptake. Program components include professional skills training in ethical issues, responsible conduct of research, diversity and inclusion, science careers, and oral and written scientific communication. Participants will present their accomplishments at a Research Symposium. More information is available by visiting /bios.uic.edu/profiles/jeffery-constance-j/, or by contacting the PI (Prof. Jeffery, cjeffery@uic.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.