Training in Biotechnology: Emphasis in Protein Chemistry - Enter the text here that is the new abstract information for your application. This section must be no longer than 30 lines of text. The mission of the Protein Biotechnology Training Program (BTP) at Washington State University (WSU) is to create research opportunities and access to research-related careers by helping PhD trainees attain essential experiences, skills, and knowledge in protein research and biotechnology creation, and by promoting research-informed graduate education that fosters doctoral completion. Our objectives are shaped by recommendations from the National Academy’s 2018 report on Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century, from NIGMS’s T32 objectives, and from 34 years of BTP program experience. Our program connects participants from five world-class graduate programs in four WSU colleges that share interests in protein-focused chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, and molecular biology. This multi-department model creates an environment where a 40–45 trainee cohort gains experience with transdisciplinary collaboration to generate technologies and solve problems. Our emphasis on biotechnology creation and industry engagement is conducive to trainee-centered, project-based learning that builds skills that are applicable to a wide range of biomedical careers in private, public, and academic settings. Our twelve core program components include didactic instruction in biotech commercialization and rigorous research practice, a self-directed 2–3 month mentored internship with a biotech company, a monthly professional development forum for trainees, a research-informed mentorship training forum for faculty, connections with a biotech industry group, and a trainee-centered annual symposium. Our activities help trainees attain career awareness and develop operational and professional skills that complement technical achievements through increasingly self-directed mentored research. Commitment to mentorship, mentorship training, and building safe, ethical, and rigorous research environments are criteria for selection of our 41 faculty trainers. In this application we show that our program has continuously evolved activities, mentoring, and evaluation to better serve trainees, including our 120+ doctoral graduates. We shape graduate and mentored research training at WSU with innovative implementation of mentorship training, multidimensional evaluation, and project-centered course designs. Every NIH-funded position is matched with a unit-funded position (including associated tuition and fees, travel funds, annual symposium support, and commitments for bridging funds and assistance with childcare expenses). With no other predoctoral T32 program at WSU and being in a region that lacks other biotechnology training opportunities, we are well positioned to deliver value to trainees, our institution, the region, and country.
