Temporal Biology Training Program

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Timing plays a critical role in biology.From precisely sequenced "once-in-a-lifetime" developmental events to neural,endocrine and motor oscillations, biological systems have evolved a capacity tointernally time myriad physiological processes and behaviors. Taking advantageof recent technical advances in Internet-based real-time video communications,the proposed Temporal Biology Training Program will join the investigativetalent of three research institutions, the University of Virginia, NorthwesternUniversity and the Morehouse School of Medicine, in a multi-disciplinary groupdrawn from biology, endocrinology, biomathematics, chemistry, physics andengineering to provide novel graduate and undergraduate training in thetemporal aspects of biological organization and function. Within the proposedtraining program, students will develop an appreciation for the role oftemporal organization within biological systems. At the core of the proposedtraining program is the goal of increasing diversity within biomedical academicdisciplines by providing an exceptional multi-institutional trainingopportunity focused on an increasingly important area of contemporaryneuroscience. The two-stage program consisting of undergraduate summer researchexperience and graduate study will assist in developing the pipeline that willultimately result in increased participation of minority populations at alllevels of biomedical academic or industrial careers.