C7. Project Summary/Abstract
The mission of the Protein Biotechnology Training Program (BTP) at Washington State University (WSU) is to
expand access to research opportunities and 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 and inclusive research ecosystems. 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 in training environments that cultivate diversity, equity and inclusion.
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 inclusive 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. If funded, we will continue a long-held practice of matching every NIH-
funded position 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.