Overview
Bioinformatics
is now recognized as an important branch of science and some leading
universities have already started the undergraduate programs in this
field. However, until bioinformatics undergraduate programs become as
common as biology or computer science programs, which is still
several years away, there will remain a disconnect between students
who have interest in working in this area but are unable to find
research opportunities, and researchers who have various research
problems that need to be solved but have difficulty in finding
motivated students to work on them.
Even in universities that
have bioinformatics programs, the focus is often on classroom
education rather than cutting-edge research. In our HHMI-supported
Undergraduate Proteogenomics Research Consortium,
we demonstrated that undergraduate students, when motivated and
provided with resources and guidance, are capable of doing
world-class research and even of laying the foundations of a new
research area (comparative proteogenomics). While the consortium was
limited UCSD students (see UCSD and HHMI press releases),
the UBER-Grid project will take the consortium to next level,
inviting students and researchers from all over the world to
participate in bioinformatics research. Currently, a research
connection between a student and a researcher who are not from the
same university is rare, and often dependent on word of mouth and
serendipity. The consortium will provide a systematic approach to
bridge this gap via E-Research Grid and via UBER-Grid Annual Meeting
in San Diego in Summer 2009 (travel fellowship are available through
HHMI Professor Award).
Participants
The
UBER-Grid will provide an interface between two communities:
(A)
Students: Undergraduate students all over the globe who want
to participate in bioinformatics research, but don't have adequate
resources and guidance locally. The students may be at various stages
of their programs, from freshman to seniors, and may have expertise
in different fields such as biology, computer science, or
mathematics. We will also welcome first year graduate students to
join this program to form joint teams with undergraduates. We welcome
both students specializing in bioinformatics and students without
previous background in bioinformatics/biology (although some projects
require bioinformatics/biology background). All students need to
have basic programming skills.
(B) Researchers: These can
include professors, postgraduate and senior graduate students who
have interesting project ideas and data to give to the undergraduates
and to guide them in the collaborative E-Research framework.
An
important aspect of UBER-Grid is that these students and researchers
may not necessarily belong to the same academic institution or even
the same country.
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The UBER-Grid Approach to Bioinformatics Research
UBER-Grid
will provide a web-based platform to bridge the students and the
researchers. A researcher could provide detailed description of the
projects along with required datasets and post the minimum
qualifications needed to undertake the project. At the same time, any
student across the globe can see the list of projects and if a
project matches their interest and qualifications, they can request
to work on it. The researchers and students will be able to
communicate with each other, and get started on the project. The
students will then work on the project remotely, and get guidance
from their mentors through email, discussion board,
videoconferencing, or other communication means available. If there
are multiple students interested in working on the same project, the
researcher can either help the students to form a team and work
together, or suggest other interesting project to some students. In
some cases, the researchers and students may also choose to have
parallel teams working on the same project. .
We will require
that each project listed on UBER-Grid is clearly defined in its
goals, includes sufficient background information, and has all
datasets needed to undertake the study. The students will also be
required to post regular updates on their research to get feedback
from their mentors and other participants.
The UBER-Grid
website will include a Discussion Forum as a common place for all
students and researchers to freely interact with each other as a
community. As a supplement to the email-communications that students
will have with researchers on their specific projects, the Discussion
Forum will provide a place for asking more general questions related
to bioinformatics, which are likely to be beneficial to many members
of the community. The Forum will be informal where everyone could ask
or answer a question, as well as post interesting lessons from their
research projects.
While ensuring the successful completion of
projects remotely will be the biggest challenge faced by this
program, we believe that some discipline from researchers in
describing the projects and from students in providing the project
updates can make this challenging task successful.
UBER-Grid Annual Meeting
UBER-Grid
will organize an yearly event in San Diego that will invite active
Consortium members (students and mentors) to meet each other in
person. The event will feature:
- Research presentations by the students on their projects
- Invited talks by leading bioinformatics scientists from different universities
- Panel discussions on various bioinformatics related subjects
- An information session on career options in bioinformatics
- Social events to promote informal interactions
Travel
support and fellowships to attend the UBER-Grid Annual Meeting are
available via HHMI Professor Award Program. More information to be
posted later. |
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