Highlight

IGERT Trainees at UC Irvine complete the 2011 LifeChips IGERT Bootcamp

IGERT Advisor, Phil Collins, teaching during the 2011 IGERT LifeChips BootCamp

Projects:

Institution:

University of California at Irvine

Primary Strategic Goal:

Learning: Build the Nation's research capability through critical investments in advanced instrumentation, facilities, cyber infrastructure, and experimental tools.

Secondary Strategic Goal:

Discovery: Foster research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge, emphasizing areas of greatest opportunity and potential benefit and establishing the Nation as a global leader in fundamental transformational science and engineering.

Achievement/Results

Trainees from the NSF-funded LifeChips IGERT at UC Irvine completed the 2011 IGERT LifeChips Bootcamp on September 9, 2011. Program directors, Dr. G.P. Li and Dr. Mark Bachman, hosted the fellows during this two week event. The LifeChips IGERT Bootcamp is designed to provide trainees with practical interdisciplinary research skills through hands on training. Training sessions are taught by LifeChips faculty from Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and Biology. The first week of training included focused instruction in technology and life science methods such as microfabrication, flow cytometry, and confocal microscopy. Fellows also received training in additive manufacturing which includes stereo lithography, laser cutting/engraving, CNC matching, thermoforming, 3D printing, silicone mold making, and carbon composite demonstrations. Week one concluded with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) training at the California Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) research institute. During week two of bootcamp, each trainee hosted a tour of their lab and provided peer training to students outside their discipline. Peer training topics included electro-formation of giant liposomes, immunocytochemistry, miniprep, use of RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry, modeling the avian chemical compass, oscillations in ion current due to precipitations, device characterization, and carbon nanotube synthesis.

Address Goals

The IGERT LifeChips Bootcamp training increases the knowledge, critical thinking skills, and interdisciplinary mindset of LifeChips trainees through intense cross-disciplinary training. By receiving quality interdisciplinary training, trainees are able to move beyond this program and become skilled leaders in science and industry. As leaders they will advance knowledge in a variety of fields though their multidisciplinary approaches.

Posted:

December 18, 2012