REU Site: Biological Data Science for Community College Students: Transition to Academic and Research Independence

This REU Site award to James Madison University, located in Harrisonburg, VA, will support the training of 10 undergraduate students in a 10-week program during each of 2021-2023 summers. It is anticipated that a total of 30 rising second year students, primarily from community colleges, schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program.

Student research, the cornerstone of the program, will address various aspects of biology and biochemistry. Students will learn how to design experiments, conduct research, and analyze data. The program will facilitate the students’ transition to independence through research experiences that will support the progression of community college students into STEM programs at four-year institutions and foster their subsequent academic and research success.

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.

Students will conduct research on diverse topics in biology and biochemistry, including visual and movement neuroscience, protein structure, biological education, snake ecology, molecular genetics, cell migration, marine ecology and auditory communication in birds. All projects will require the students to apply data tools to interpret the results. Training in bioinformatics, data analytics, R programming, image analysis and data visualization is included in the program.

In addition to data science training, students will also participate in workshops on effective applications to four-year institutions, careers in Biology and Biochemistry, diversity and inclusion, and scientific presentations. At the end of the program, students will present their research findings to their peers, and many will present their work at scientific conferences.

Included in the program are educational trips and cohort-building activities. Participants will be selected by the Principal Investigator and potential faculty mentors based on an online application. More information about the program is available by visiting http://www.jmu.edu/biology/reu, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Corey Cleland at [email protected]) or the co-PI (Dr. Bisi Velayudhan at [email protected]).

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.