Biomolecular Science and Engineering Training Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

About This Grant

Project Summary/Abstract The broad field of biomolecular science and engineering has dramatically advanced in recent years to accommodate increased interactions of engineers and life scientists, resulting in the rapid growth of synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, stem cell biotechnology, data-driven therapeutics discovery. In these areas, engineering principles are used to understand, design, manipulate, and apply biological molecules in a wide range of contexts. Bridging biological sciences and engineering, therefore, represents a core training need and serves as the premise of the NIGMS Biotechnology T32 Training Program. The Biomolecular Science and Engineering Training Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is dedicated to the education of a broad pool of predoctoral students spanning the life sciences and engineering to address the Nation’s biomedical research agenda. The program’s mission is to provide an integrated and multidisciplinary platform to train predoctoral students at the interface of biology, chemistry and engineering, focusing on the quantitative linkages that define this interface and prepare trainees for careers in biotechnology. We purposefully defined a broad boundary for biomolecular science and engineering, which includes enabling disciplines such as Synthetic Biology & Biomanufacturing, Regenerative Engineering & Biotherapeutics, and Computational Biology & Biocomplexity with common biomolecular knowledge and skillsets (biocatalysis, bioseparations, biomaterials synthesis, etc.). Biomolecular science and engineering operate at the subcellular level, yet with applications over a wide range of length and time scales. For this reason, expanded Training Programs are needed to expose incoming generations of students to this multidisciplinary field through the direct interaction of engineers and life scientists. Our Biomolecular Science and Engineering Training Program increases interactions among students from four departments through didactic, research, and industrial components. The program’s overarching objective is to provide the trainees with a keen understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of research, how it depends on fundamental underpinnings in both science and engineering, how it leads to innovative new scientific advances and technologies, and how basic science and engineering research can lead to new discoveries and commercial products that benefit society. Furthermore the overall training program has been designed with additional key program objectives to provide each trainee with a strong foundation in rigorous experimental design emphasizing rigor and reproducibility; conduct ethical, responsible and productive pre-doctoral research with integrity and appropriate time-to-degree; work effectively in teams with colleagues from different backgrounds, communicate effectively with other researchers but also with the public; and to gain broad knowledge, professional skills and experiences for careers in biomedical research.