REU Site: Exploring the Limits of Life - Understanding Biofilms in Extreme Environments

REU 网站：探索生命的极限 - 了解极端环境中的生物膜

• 批准号: 2349256
• 负责人: Brent Peyton
• 金额: $ 47.73万
• 依托单位: Montana State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-04-01 至 2027-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2349256&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Site; Exploring; Limits; Life

The three-year renewal REU Site: Exploring the Limits of Life- Understanding Biofilms in Extreme Environments is hosted by Montana State University’s (MSU) centers of excellence, the Thermal Biology Institute (TBI) and the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE). The REU Site supports 10 students each year. Participants will explore the limits of life in extreme environments and through team-orientated learning and guided research, helping students study the physical, chemical, and biological underpinnings of biofilm-forming microorganisms in extreme environments. The goals of the REU program are to 1) increase the participation of students who are members of underrepresented groups and students from institutions with limited research opportunities in innovative science and engineering research; 2) empower more undergraduates to pursue advanced degrees in engineering, microbiology, and related disciplines; and 3) strengthen and encourage the persistence of students in STEM through novel research and professional development. Participants will also learn how to communicate scientific findings in written and oral formats. Creating a community of learners/researchers is at the forefront of this REU Site, with students participating in academic and social events, including professional development seminars, weekly workshops, a local science and technology meeting, outings to experience life in Montana, and immersion in the extreme biofilms of Yellowstone National Park via a three-day sampling trip.The three-year renewal REU Site: Exploring the Limits of Life- Understanding Biofilms in Extreme Environments is hosted by Montana State University’s (MSU) centers of excellence, the Thermal Biology Institute (TBI) and the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE). The REU Site supports 10 students each year, and participants will work on an extreme biofilm research project under the guidance of faculty experts. As part of their research, program participants help a) understand and predict the observable characteristics of biofilms in extreme environments, b) examine biofilm activities in targeted built environments, and c) screen extremophilic biofilms for novel degradation, valorization, and/or living functional materials use. Students are involved in all phases of their research project, from formulating a research work plan and understanding research methods to gathering and interpreting data. Program assessment will leverage the online SALG URSSA evaluation tool and student interviews, with longitudinal tracking surveys used after the program to gauge the degree to which our REU experience has had a lasting effect in retaining students in science and engineering. Participants will also learn how to communicate scientific findings in written and oral formats. Creating a community of learners/researchers is at the forefront of this REU Site, with students participating in academic and social events, including professional development seminars, weekly workshops, a local science and technology meeting, outings to experience life in Montana, and immersion in the extreme biofilms of Yellowstone National Park via a three-day sampling trip.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.

为期三年的更新 REU 网站：探索生命的极限 - 了解极端环境中的生物膜由蒙大拿州立大学 (MSU) 卓越中心、热生物学研究所 (TBI) 和生物膜工程中心 (CBE) 主办。站点每年支持 10 名学生，参与者将通过团队导向的学习和指导研究来探索极端环境中的生命极限，帮助学生研究极端环境中的物理、化学和生物基础。 REU 项目的目标是 1) 增加代表性不足群体的学生和来自创新科学和工程研究机会有限的机构的学生的参与；2) 使更多的本科生能够参与；攻读工程、微生物学和相关学科的高级学位；3) 通过新颖的研究和专业发展加强和鼓励学生坚持不懈地学习如何以书面和口头形式交流科学发现。学习者/研究人员处于该 REU 站点的最前沿，学生们参加学术和社交活动，包括专业发展研讨会、每周研讨会、当地科技会议、外出体验蒙大拿州的生活以及沉浸在蒙大拿州的极端生物膜中。通过为期三天的采样之旅参观黄石国家公园。为期三年的更新 REU 站点：探索生命的极限 - 了解极端环境中的生物膜由蒙大拿州立大学 (MSU) 卓越中心、热能中心主办生物研究所 (TBI) 和生物膜工程中心 (CBE) 每年支持 10 名学生，参与者将在教师专家的指导下开展极端生物膜研究项目，作为研究的一部分，项目参与者将提供帮助。 a) 了解并预测极端环境中生物膜的可观察特征，b) 检查目标建筑环境中的生物膜活动，以及 c) 筛选极端生物膜的新型降解、增值和/或生活功能材料的使用。他们的研究项目的所有阶段，从制定研究工作计划和了解研究方法到收集和解释数据，项目评估将利用在线 SALG URSSA 评估工具和学生访谈，并在项目结束后使用纵向跟踪调查来衡量程度。我们的 REU 经验对保留科学和工程专业的学生产生了持久的影响，参与者还将学习如何以书面和口头形式交流科学发现，这是 REU 网站的首要任务。参加学术和社交活动，包括专业发展研讨会、每周研讨会、当地科技会议、外出体验蒙大拿州生活，以及通过为期三天的采样之旅沉浸在黄石国家公园的极端生物膜中。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被视为值得通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。