Rutgers University–New Brunswick students will have even more opportunities to participate in trailblazing research, thanks to a program being developed by the Office of the Chancellor. Known as the Platforms for Education and Research Cores (PERC) initiative, the program is designed to create an entirely new cadre of student researchers at the university. Jean Baum, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, led the creation of the program during her term as vice provost for life sciences research and partnerships.
Baum did so in collaboration with the Life Sciences Alliance Provost Strategic Task Force, the alliance’s Executive Steering Committee and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, led by Senior Vice Provost for Research Denise Hien.
In a program under development and expected to be introduced within the next year, participating undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students would be mentored by faculty and staff scientists at some of the more than three dozen research core facilities managed by the university and individual faculty members, where advanced devices, such as a cryo-electron microscope to be installed later this year, and supercomputers will allow the exploration of everything from the inner workings of cells to hidden patterns in gargantuan data sets.
Participating students would earn both academic credits and certifications in specified high-technology skills. “The PERC initiative creates an innovative dimension of research opportunities that will place students squarely at the center of advanced learning environments,” Rutgers–New Brunswick Chancellor Francine Conway said. “They will emerge academically enriched and certified with skills that will give them an enormous edge when applying for jobs or graduate school.” To read the full story.