Robert Poage - US grants

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Training our country's students for a career in biomedical research has become an important issue in recent years. Advances in scientific knowledge and information technology are increasing at an incredible rate, while America's educational systems report a decline in the capabilities of our students in science and mathematics. Especially troubling is the lack of ethnic, racial and socioeconomic diversity among our research workforce. Inequities in student access to quality science education programs have been touted as one possible cause. To address these problems, new paradigms and pedagogical devices must be developed that will increase students' learning abilities and empower them with an ingrained desire to learn. "Hands-on" teaching is one approach that has been shown to motivate students by taking advantage of the innate curiosity of younger learners. This concept may be fittingly applied to undergraduate science education. For many students, exposure to "real world" demonstrations in the classroom and experimental work in the laboratory illuminates the basic concepts of science more effectively than lecturing or reading alone. Mentored laboratory experiences allow students to observe the scientific method in action and to gain a sense of how a scientist overcomes the daily obstacles of a research project. Such experiences also develop problem-solving skills and the ability to integrate knowledge from diverse areas of study. To be successful in a research setting, students must learn to interact with problems in a reflective way that allows them to incorporate unexpected results and devise new problem-solving strategies. The UNCP-RISE proposes a coordinated approach that incorporates both peer-led supplemental instruction in "core" courses in biology and chemistry and undergraduate research training. The goals for the UNCP-RISE proposal are to 1) increase the number of minority students engaged in undergraduate research, 2) increase the number of successful graduate school applications, 3) reduce the number of underrepresented minority students who fail to perform adequately in "core" curriculum courses, and 4) develop an atmosphere conducive to undergraduate research that will enhance successful intramural and extramural collaboration. UNCP-RISE proposes developmental activities that take full advantage of our existing physical, intellectual and human resources to create a program that will place UNCP graduates among the most confident, competent and experienced candidates for careers in biomedical research. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Training students to enter the biomedical/behavioral sciences research workforce continues to be a critical endeavor. Though advances in scientific knowledge and information technology are increasing at an incredible rate, America's educational systems reflect declining capabilities of students in the STEM disciplines. Especially troubling is the lack of ethnic, racial and socioeconomic diversity among our research workforce. Inequities in student exposure and access to quality science education programs have been touted as one possible cause. To address these problems and instill in students a desire to explore, experiment, and learn, there have to be creative practices and innovative methodologies in place. Inquiry based teaching and immersion in active learning have shown to motivate students and improve their learning abilities. Today, technological advances offer several venues for students to gather knowledge outside of a classroom setting. Exposure to class demonstrations and laboratory immersion are very effective for grasping basic concepts. Mentored laboratory experiences allow students to witness science in action as they work with researchers to solve a problem through methodical analysis. Such participation empowers students to take ownership of their learning;integrate knowledge from diverse areas of study;and solve problems in a reflective way, allowing them to incorporate unexpected results and devise new problem-solving strategies. UNCP-RISE in its initial funding cycle had in place strategies to enable students to overcome academic hurdles, have meaningful research experiences, and prepare them for graduate study. In over three years, RISE has made considerable progress in changing the climate for research;increasing research opportunities for both the students and faculty;and increased conference attendance and presentation by students. A coordinated approach for accomplishing Cycle Two goals will incorporate both peer-led supplemental instruction in core science courses and undergraduate research training. Program goals are to 1) increase the number of minority students engaged in undergraduate research;2) increase the number of successful graduate school applications and matriculations from UNCP graduates in Biology and Chemistry/Physics;3) reduce the number of underrepresented minority students who fail to perform adequately in core curriculum courses;4) expand UNCP's existing undergraduate research environment to enhance successful intramural and extramural collaboration;and 5) increase year-to-year retention of RISE Fellows by early identification of problem areas in Fellows'academic progress and compliance with program expectations. UNCP-RISE utilizes its existing physical and intellectual resources to effectively prepare UNCP graduates to be confident, competent and experienced candidates to enter and succeed in biomedical research careers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The targeted audience of the RISE program is underrepresented minority undergraduate students matriculating at UNCP. The stated goals are to promote undergraduate research;to support excellence in academics;and to promote a campus wide atmosphere conducive to research in the biomedical or behavioral sciences. The organization of this project and the programmatic activities therein will help train these promising students to enter and succeed in graduate programs and to become active, productive scientists in biomedical research careers.

Project Summary Training students to enter the biomedical/behavioral sciences research workforce continues to be a critical endeavor. Although advances in scientific knowledge and information technology are increasing at an incredible rate, the lack of ethnic, racial and socioeconomic diversity among our research workforce remains problematic. Inequities in student exposure and access to quality science education programs have been touted as one possible cause. To address these problems and to instill in students a desire to explore, experiment, and learn, UNCP RISE will support 16 undergraduate RISE Fellows at UNCP annually as part of a comprehensive training program which aims to give these students the skills and experience needed to gain admission to and to thrive within biomedical graduate training programs. The goals of the UNCP RISE Program are to: 1) Increase the number of successful graduate school applications and matriculations by under-represented minority (UR) UNCP graduates in Biology and Chemistry & Physics or related fields, 2) Increase the number of minority students engaged in meaningful, rigorous undergraduate research, and 3) Provide Fellows with the tools they need to be BRAVE graduate students. These goals are to be achieved by providing academic support and training with workshops (e.g., critical thinking, metacognition, test taking, graduate school application), by programs such as supplemental instruction (SI) and structured learning assistance (SLA), by providing additional training to help them gain admission to biomedical research programs, by helping them clearly define their goals using an Individual Development Plan (IDP), and by educating both the RISE Fellows and the community at large about careers in biomedical research through outreach service-learning activities with local schools. RISE also aims to support and expand the existing undergraduate research environment at UNCP by financially supporting intramural and extramural research experiences with faculty mentors and allowing RISE Fellows to attend and present their research at local, regional and national conferences. Finally, we aspire to prepare the RISE Fellows for the challenges they will encounter in graduate school and in their future careers as biomedical researchers by helping them build skills related to reading and writing scientific literature in journal clubs and other activities, growing their potential as team members and leaders in a peer mentoring program and providing workshops aimed at helping them build their professional networks and learning to give and receive constructive criticism in a professional setting. As a result of these activities we expect that least 90% of the RISE Fellows will graduate with a BS degree in biology, chemistry or physics and at least 75% of RISE Fellows will have entered a biomedical research graduate program within 3 years after graduation. We expect to provide all of the RISE Fellows with the opportunity to conduct outreach activities with local schools, participate in career options workshops, experience conducting intramural research with a faculty mentor during the academic year, attend a national conference, and participate in a scientific journal club and workshops aimed at building their interpersonal skills. In addition, we aim to provide the opportunity for at least 80% of the RISE Fellows to present at a national conference and at least 75% of the RISE Fellows to conduct extramural research. UNCP-RISE will utilize its existing physical and intellectual resources to effectively prepare UNCP graduates to be confident, competent and experienced candidates to enter and succeed in biomedical research careers.

Nerve cells communicate with each other using travelling electrical pulses called action potentials. These pulses arrive at the end of nerve cells (at structures specialized for chemical communication with neighboring nerve cells called synapses or terminals), where they can trigger electrical pulses in neighboring nerve cells. Despite the fact that these communication events are crucial to everything that the nervous system does, and can be compromised by neural diseases, we know surprisingly little about what shapes the effectiveness of these electrical pulses at synapses, and how diseases change this process. This project uses nerves that cause muscles to contract as a model, and combines physiology and pharmacology measurements in nerve terminals with microscopy to determine the density and distribution of functionally-important proteins. These details are used to development a new computer modeling approach that uses structural and functional information to produce detailed models of electrical pulse generation. The new data and models that project produces will advance basic scientific knowledge about synapse function, and enhance our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie neural disease. The proposed work will also have a broad impact on K-12 education, undergraduate teaching and training, graduate and post-graduate training, community outreach, and science training at under-represented minority institutions.

The presynaptic events that control transmitter release at synapses are incompletely understood, particularly with respect to the role of various ion channels positioned with transmitter release sites (active zones). We hypothesize that the structure-function relationships between active zone ion channels regulates the presynaptic action potential waveform within healthy synapses, and that this relationship is disrupted in disease states. We will approach these issues using a collaborative team of investigators from four universities using an approach broken into four aims: (1) voltage imaging to characterize the shape of the presynaptic action potential, including the effects in disease model synapses, (2) patch clamp measurements of the effects of action potential waveforms on ionic currents, (3) characterization of the density and distribution of presynaptic ion channels in motor nerve terminals using super-resolution imaging, and (4) using a combination of data from prior studies with those collected here, we will develop a novel modeling approach that combines modeling ion channel activation and ion flux in a realistic nerve terminal environment with a voltage simulator that predicts the effects of these ion fluxes on the shape of presynaptic action potentials. The proposed studies will advance basic science issues related to presynaptic function and also enhance understanding of the mechanisms that underlie neuromuscular diseases. Our proposed work will also have a broad impact on K-12 education, undergraduate teaching and training, graduate and postgraduate training, community outreach, training at under-represented minority institutions, and fundamental knowledge about synaptic function.

This grant was cofunded by the Cellular Dynamics and Function Cluster in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, and the Division of Emerging Frontiers in the Directorate for Biological Science.

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.