Project Summary (2000-2005)

The Training Core is working in the setting of two primary existing training programs. The first is an NICHD Training Program in "Endocrine Mechanisms in Vertebrate Reproduction," within the Department of Biology at Boston University, and the second is a large NSF-sponsored Integrated Graduate Research and Training (IGERT) program in Bioinformatics, a joint effort based in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Biology, Mathematics, Computer Science and Chemistry. Several other training programs within the Department of Biology also serve as resources. The Core explicitly responds to the need to provide students of the biomedical sciences opportunities to learn about non-biomedical areas of study, and vice-versa. Five projects (comprising three biomedical and two non-biomedical projects) have significant requirements for molecular modeling of enzyme and steroid receptor sites for xenobiotics. Thus, there is a major need for integration of computational components into the training of the predoctoral student cohort within the BU SBRP and in the biological and environmental health fields in general. Candidates are selected from successful recruits to the existing highly competitive training programs. Each student has dual mentors, one in the engineering (computational) sciences, one in experimental (laboratory) sciences. Interdisciplinary coursework, seminars, and participation in the Outreach Core for the community are required.