DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A unique ten-week program is proposed for 10 students per summer for five years. The novel aspect of this research experience is to build off the successful joint computational and experimental NIH supported projects at Duquesne. The summer research program will be comprised of a computational workshop in which the students will be trained to use state-of-the- art software and hardware to solve biomedical problems. The remaining nine weeks will find the students in an experimental research laboratory working on a research project that incorporates computations. For example a student will be working in a medicinal chemists laboratory synthesizing new compounds that have been suggested based on docking calculations they had performed. Since all summer research projects will have theoretical and experimental components, the students will be expected to develop their student-professor communication skills with both the experimental and theoretical mentors. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The relevance of this project to public health is in the training of future biomedical scientists. This project will provide an opportunity to undergraduate students from PUI and HBCU institutions that do not have strong undergraduate research program, especially in biomedical sciences, to participate in biomedical research.

The relevance of this project to public health is in the training of future biomedical scientists. This project will provide an opportunity to undergraduate students from PUI and HBCU institutions that do not have strong undergraduate research program, especially in biomedical sciences, to participate in biomedical research.