BRITE REU

The BRITE REU at BU Bioinformatics (Bioinformatics Research and Interdisciplinary Training Experience) focuses on computational and mathematical fundamentals of bioinformatics analysis through research projects in a broad range of topics, including gene regulatory networks, metabolic networks, analysis of microbial communities, synthetic biology, enzyme structure and function, machine learning methods for cancer subtype classification, and sequence analysis algorithms for identifying genetic variation.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Each student is assigned a Bioinformatics faculty mentor and a graduate student mentor. Training topics include programming workshops on Python, R, SQL, linux command line tools, git version control, machine learning, and data visualization; scientific communication skills, including creating a poster and presenting a talk; scientific ethics and responsible conduct of research; and applying to graduate school. Participants also attend bioinformatics research and career opportunities talks and enjoy a variety of social activities with bioinformatics graduate students, including tours of Boston, museum visits, evening barbecues, and casual lunches on campus.

Projects for Summer 2023 have not yet been finalized, but will be similar to those listed for 2022 at the REU FACULTY PROJECTS (link to the left).

MORE INFORMATION

Start date: June 5th

Number of Weeks: 10

Weekly Stipend: $730 (includes supplement for food)

Housing: apartment-style dorm on campus provided by BU Bioinformatics

Also included: BU fitRec membership

Travel: round trip airfare to Boston for out-of-state students

All students receive travel funds to present a scientific poster at ABRCMS national undergraduate research conference.

TO APPLY

Please follow the instructions on the application page.  The application portal will open on December 1, 2022.  Application review will start mid-January 2023 and decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Questions please contact: johannas@bu.edu

ELIGIBILITY

NSF REU participants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions and rising juniors or seniors enrolled in a degree program (part-time or full-time) leading to a baccalaureate or associate degree. Applicants should have an interest in Biological research and some quantitative training in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a closely related field. Women, minorities, students with disabilities, veterans, and those in schools with limited research opportunities are STRONGLY encouraged to apply.

The BRITE REU is sponsored by the Bioinformatics Program at BU and the National Science Foundation NSF-REU Program to increase access to graduate programs for underrepresented minority students, with the ultimate goal of increasing diversity at the STEM professoriate level.