The National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS), in partnership with the PA Science DMZ, is inviting faculty mentors to propose projects for the NCEMS Remote Research Experience with Pennsylvania Partners, tentatively referred to as NRRE-P2.

The program provides undergraduate students with paid, remote research experiences during the academic year and, when available, during the summer. Projects should apply data science, computational methods, or advanced research computing to questions in molecular, cellular, or computational biology.

Program Overview

NRRE-P2 brings together three project participants:

• A faculty research mentor, who may participate as a paid or volunteer mentor
• A paid undergraduate student researcher
• A volunteer information technology mentor

Remote collaboration among participants is permitted and encouraged. Projects are intended to connect scientific domain expertise, undergraduate research training, computing expertise, and research infrastructure support.

Preference will be given to projects involving one faculty principal investigator, one undergraduate student, and one IT mentor. Faculty interested in proposing a collaborative or combined project involving multiple investigators or students should contact the PA Science DMZ leadership before submitting an application.

Research Areas

Proposed projects should primarily focus on the use of data science in one or more of the following areas:

• Molecular biology
• Cellular biology
• Computational biology
• Bioinformatics
• Biological data analysis
• Research computing and cyberinfrastructure for the biological sciences

Projects should provide a meaningful undergraduate research experience and include clearly defined research objectives, student responsibilities, expected outcomes, and mentoring activities.

Project Periods

Projects may be completed over one or two semesters. Potential project periods include:

• September through December
• January through March
• June through August
• June through December
• September through March

Exact project dates and application deadlines will be announced for each program cycle.

Project Funding

One-semester projects may receive up to $3,000:

• $2,000 for the faculty research mentor
• $1,000 for the undergraduate student

Two-semester projects may receive up to $6,000:

• $2,000 per semester for the faculty research mentor
• $1,000 per semester for the undergraduate student

Projects may also request up to $500 in travel support. A travel justification must be included in the project application.

Allowable travel expenses may include:

• Conference registration
• Transportation
• Lodging
• Other approved expenses associated with presenting research completed through the NRRE-P2 program

Travel support is intended primarily for projects accepted for presentation at a regional or national conference.

NCEMS will also provide approved computing resources and data-storage support for participating projects.

Payment Schedule

Funding will be distributed following the completion of required project milestones.

For a one-semester project, the $3,000 award will be distributed at the end of the project after all required deliverables have been completed.

For a two-semester project, the award will be distributed in two $3,000 payments:

• One payment at the end of the first semester
• One payment at the conclusion of the project

Payments are contingent upon satisfactory participation and completion of required reports, presentations, and project milestones.

Project Expectations

Each participating team will be expected to:

• Establish a regular meeting schedule for the faculty mentor, student, and IT mentor
• Meet at least once every two weeks, when possible
• Participate in a program kickoff presentation
• Submit an interim or midpoint project update
• Submit a final project report
• Participate in a closeout presentation through the PA Science DMZ Seminar Series
• Acknowledge NCEMS and the PA Science DMZ in resulting presentations, publications, posters, or other research products

Selected high-performing projects may be invited to present their work at the NCEMS Annual Meeting, typically held in April.

Faculty Project Submission Process

The PA Science DMZ will promote the NRRE-P2 opportunity to faculty and students at affiliated institutions.

Faculty research mentors must submit proposed projects through the PA Science DMZ Student Project Portal:

https://pasciencedmz.connectci.org/

Project proposals should be submitted by the deadline announced for the applicable program cycle, generally approximately one month before the anticipated project start date.

Following submission:

1. The PA Science DMZ leadership team will review each proposal for completeness, feasibility, and program alignment.
2. Applicants may be contacted to provide clarification or revise elements of the proposal.
3. The NCEMS team will conduct a peer review of eligible proposals.
4. NCEMS will make final project award selections.
5. Selected projects will be posted on the PA Science DMZ Student Project Portal for undergraduate recruitment.

Student Application and Selection

Undergraduate students will apply to posted projects through the PA Science DMZ Student Project Portal by the announced student application deadline.

Program staff will work to pair students with selected projects and IT mentors. The matching process will seek to create teams that collectively include:

• Biological or scientific domain expertise
• Data science or computing expertise
• Research infrastructure expertise
• A diversity of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives

Faculty mentors will interview prospective students before a final match is confirmed to ensure that the student’s interests, availability, skills, and professional goals align with the project.

Eligibility

Faculty mentors must be affiliated with an eligible participating institution or organization associated with the PA Science DMZ.

Undergraduate applicants must be enrolled at an eligible institution during the applicable project period.

Additional eligibility requirements, including any citizenship, residency, employment authorization, or visa-related restrictions associated with student or faculty payments, will be provided before applications open.

Submit a Project

Faculty interested in mentoring an undergraduate researcher should submit a project through the PA Science DMZ Student Project Portal:

https://pasciencedmz.connectci.org/

Questions about project eligibility, collaborative proposals, funding, or the application process may be directed to ncems@psu.edu.