EBICS:VITA REU Site

EBICS：VITA REU 网站

• 批准号: 1460995
• 负责人: Manu Platt
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-05-01 至 2019-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1460995&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EBICS; VITA; REU; Site

BROADER SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT:This EBICS (Emergent Behaviors of Integrated Cellular Systems): Virtually Integrated Team Approach (VITA) REU Site seeks to engineer a variety of cell types to work together in functional clusters, or biological machines, that will perform desired tasks. These biological machines have the potential to enhance or even transform our ability to accomplish certain tasks, e.g., detecting and removing unwanted chemical or toxin from a food or drug, monitoring the environment, or mimicking certain aspects of organ function. In addition to the scientific foundational needs addressed by this project, there are U.S. workforce development considerations being addressed, training next generation of U.S. researchers how to communicate and perform multi-disciplinary work, multi-institutional research, and to productively working in collaborative, multi-ethnic, virtual teams, as these formats are progressively being used across all enterprises. To do so, EBICS: VITA REU will immerse scholars into virtual research teams at one of three institutions (Georgia Tech, Univ. of Illinois, or MIT) with an independent project and mentor that contributes to a larger research goal aligned with EBICS grand challenge. Targeted approaches for recruiting cohorts of students traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering disciplines (women, underrepresented minority (URM) students, students with disabilities, and students from schools with limited STEM research opportunities) will occur with a set plan in place having already being initiated.PROJECT DESCRIPTION:This project acknowledges the support from the Division of Engineering Education and Centers to train the next generation U.S. workforce to function successfully in virtual teams that are multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary, and multi-ethnic. EBICS is an NSF Science and Technology Center addressing the grand challenge of engineering clusters of living cells or biological machines that have desired functionalities and perform prescribed tasks. EBICS is also defining quantitative design principles for creating such machines, and for understanding and controlling the flow of information (genetic, biochemical, mechanical, electrical) within and between cells, in a dynamic, multi-scale fashion. This involves integration of concepts from tissue engineering, systems biology, and synthetic biology, as well as established disciplines such as electrical engineering and computer science; mechanical engineering; chemical engineering; biomedical engineering; biology; chemistry. Research and educational activities will incorporate REU scholars into virtual, multi-institutional research Working Groups, with independent projects contributing to a larger research thrust. Video- and tele-conferencing during the research experience will provide committed professional development on presenting in virtual formats. All virtual teams and REU scholars will travel and meet face-to-face at the annual EBICS retreat to interact with their Working Group, as well as other EBICS faculty from Georgia Tech, Univ. of Illinois, and MIT, EBICS graduate and postdoctoral trainees, providing a broader network far beyond that of just being at one institution. This EBICS:VITA REU will also employ a robust evaluation to validate and document the effectiveness of this new multi-site, virtual team REU model using a value-engaged, educative approach that defines high quality STEM educational programming as that which effectively incorporates cutting edge scientific content, strong instructional pedagogy and sensitivity to diversity and equity issues.

该项目的更广泛的意义：这种EBICS（集成的蜂窝系统的紧急行为）：虚拟集成的团队方法（VITA）REU站点旨在设计各种细胞类型，以在功能簇或生物机器中共同工作，以执行所需的任务。这些生物机器有可能增强甚至改变我们完成某些任务的能力，例如，从食物或药物中检测和去除不需要的化学物质或毒素，监测环境或模仿器官功能的某些方面。除了该项目满足的科学基础需求外，还有美国劳动力发展注意事项，培训下一代美国研究人员如何沟通和执行多学科工作，多机构研究，并在所有企业中逐步使用这些格式，以逐步使用协作，多种族的虚拟团队。为此，EBICS：VITA REU将以一个独立的项目和导师的身份将三个机构之一（Georgia Tech，Univ。有针对性的方法是招募科学和工程学科中占代表性不足的学生（妇女，代表性不足的少数群体（URM）学生（URM）学生，残疾学生和来自STEM研究机会有限的学校的学生）将在现场进行设定的计划。多机构，多学科和多种族。 EBICS是一个NSF科学技术中心，应对具有所需功能并执行规定任务的活细胞或生物机器工程簇的巨大挑战。 EBICS还在定义用于创建此类机器的定量设计原理，并以动态的，多规模的方式理解和控制细胞内和细胞之间的信息流（遗传，生化，机械，电气）。这涉及组织工程，系统生物学和合成生物学的概念以及既定学科，例如电气工程和计算机科学；机械工业;化工;生物医学工程；生物学;化学。研究和教育活动将将REU学者纳入虚拟，多机构研究工作组中，独立项目为更大的研究做出了贡献。在研究经验期间的视频和远程会议将提供有关虚拟格式介绍的有力的专业发展。 所有虚拟团队和REU学者将在年度EBICS务虚会上旅行并面对面，与他们的工作组以及佐治亚理工大学的其他EBICS互动。伊利诺伊州和麻省理工学院的Ebics毕业生和博士后学员提供的更广泛的网络远远超出了一个机构。此EBIC：Vita REU还将采用强大的评估来验证和记录这一新的多站点虚拟团​​队REU模型的有效性，该模型使用具有价值的，具有教育性的方法来定义高质量的STEM教育计划，因为这些方法有效地结合了尖锐的科学内容，强大的教学教学和对多样性和公平性问题的敏感性。