A grant awarded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to Binghamton University will create a new research program for science students. The program will give undergraduates a chance to gain research experience by working across disciplines.
The $1.4 million grant will be distributed over four years to the Interdisciplinary Research Program, headed by Anna Tan-Wilson, distinguished teaching professor of biological sciences.
Participants majoring in the life sciences will be paired with peers majoring in physical science, engineering and computer science to solve questions in biological issues.
The exact topics which the students will be learning about and researching have not yet been decided, said Tan-Wilson, although they will all be related to life sciences.
HHMI awarded the grant to 50 research universities in the U.S., including BU, out of 197 that applied.
The program will begin in summer 2011 and run for a full year. The projects will be overseen by faculty and graduate students.
‘Students get not only experience with research, but experience with communication. They will experience where the industry is going. We’ll have different people working together to solve a problem,’ Tan-Wilson said.
According to Tan-Wilson, the experience will be a great career builder as students learn to collaborate with their peers, similar to other industries.
Undergraduate participants are required to work full time during the summer for nine weeks and will receive a stipend of $4,000. Program partakers will be expected to continue their research in the fall and spring semesters for credit as an honors thesis or independent study.
Interdisciplinary research is important to addressing complex problems that are currently unsolved, said Dean of the Graduate School Nancy Stamp.
Students majoring in life sciences, physical sciences, computer science or engineering are urged to apply. The program coordinators will accept 30 applicants.
Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA or higher, must study one of the disciplines listed above and must be a rising sophomore, junior or senior.
‘A faculty steering committee (two from biology, one from chemistry, one from bioengineering and one from computer science) will review the project proposals,’ Stamp said. ‘We will support as many proposals as fit the guidelines, and we expect to support 10 to 15 research teams per year.’
More information on the program is available on the Facebook group ‘Interdisciplinary Research Program,’ where students can check for project topics and set up direct communication with program directors. Applications and guidelines are set up online at bingweb.binghamton.edu/~biochem/hhmi/indexhhmi.htm. The deadline to apply will be in mid-February. Applications may be sent as an attachment to annatan@binghamton.edu.