MSFP: Undergraduate 'collaborate from home' research in macromolecular structure and function.

Abstract

When the COVID-19 crisis shut down most undergraduate research opportunities, we developed an online, remote, computer-based Research Experiences for Undergraduates on the topic of Macromolecular Structure and Function that was funded by the USA National Science Foundation. The REU provided a mentored research experience and training in professional skills to assist the participants in pursuing a degree and future career in STEM. This fully virtual project involved faculty at four geographically-distributed institutions specializing in diverse but complementary approaches to study macromolecular structure and function. Importantly, its online “collaborate-from-home” format made it accessible to students during the pandemic to participate fully in the research, professional development, and other activities of the program. This project can also serve as an example for future remote, online projects that would especially be helpful for students who might not have access to these kinds of programs at their universities, might not be able to travel to a university for a summer program, have physical challenges that make it difficult for them to work at a lab bench, or students whose research opportunities are limited due to political unrest. We think our experiences with our MSFP REU program would provide helpful information for members of the BPS to set up similar programs to serve additional students.