Training

NIH RePORTER · NIH · P41 · $190,878 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract The Center's core training initiative is the well-established and highly-successful hands-on workshop on com- putational biophysics. A typical five-day workshop program includes morning conceptual lectures, followed by afternoon computer laboratory sessions, during which participants interact directly with Center personnel to com- plete guided tutorials describing the application of Center software. At least three hands-on workshops are offered by the Center per annum, aiming to host around 25 participants each. Notably, in 2015, the Center completed its 40th workshop, having now provided training in computational biophysics to over 1,500 participants since workshops were first offered in 2003. During the past funding cycle, more than 600 researchers attended workshops hosted by the Center, and the catalogue of workshop training material was augmented with 406 new pages of tutorials. Workshop participants consistently report positive feedback on post-event evaluations, indicating the effectiveness of the Center's hands-on workshop approach. Going forward, the Center aims to maintain the success of its hands-on workshop program, focusing on educat- ing the non-specialist and experimentalist, while also expanding the range of training options offered. In particular, the Center will introduce two training innovations, namely QwikMD, a tool to simplify basic NAMD usage and eliminate barriers to new-user learning, and the Lattice Microbes (LM) stand-alone solution, an all-in-one plat- form to facilitate easy installation and interactive training with LM. Further, the Center will extend its training resources to cover a broader range of user expertise, from beginner to advanced users and developers. Accordingly, a number of new tutorials and training videos will be developed and updated to feature the QwikMD and LM stand-alone solution interfaces, as well as describe application of Center software to advanced simulation topics and emerging visualization paradigms. To ensure that hands-on workshop training opportunities are accessible to the largest number of researchers possible, the Center will strive to reduce cost barriers to attendance by leveraging video conferencing technology and coordinating workshops with other community events, such as highly-attended national conferences.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10163201
Project number
5P41GM104601-32
Recipient
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Principal Investigator
Klaus Schulten
Activity code
P41
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2021
Award amount
$190,878
Award type
5
Project period
1997-08-01 → 2022-09-27