Integrative biological science and training are the focus of four new NSF institutes

From understanding the multifaceted transmission of disease to deciphering how living organisms adapt to harsh conditions, answering big questions in biology requires interdisciplinary research and scientists engaging and partnering with those from other fields of study.

The NSF has made four related awards totaling more than $38 million over five years. The grants will support the creation of four Biology Integration Institutes that will engage in integrative science.

The institute representing the NSF EPSCoR jurisdictions is:

• IISAGE — Discovering the Mechanisms and Evolution of Aging Differences Between Females and Males — will investigate the range of mechanisms and processes that impact differences in aging in sexes of the same organism. Led by a team at the University of ALABAMA at Birmingham, the institute will also include a Research Experiences for Undergraduates program and a citizen science project that will engage K-12 students in after-school programs.