Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Chemical Engineering Using the Colorado Bioprocessing Center

科罗拉多州立大学文森特·G·默菲生物技术是一个在过去十年中迅速发展的领域。随着生物技术产品的确定和有效性的验证，对具有生物处理专业知识的化学工程师的需求将会越来越大。科罗拉多州在科罗拉多州立大学建立了科罗拉多生物处理中心(CBC)，作为学术和工业研究和开发的资源。CBC在实验室和中试规模上都拥有全系列的生物处理设备，用于发酵、细胞培养和产品回收研究。化学和生物资源工程系的一群技术娴熟的教员与CBC的工作人员在基础和应用研究项目上密切合作。这项提案要求提供资金，以更新一个以CBC独特研究环境为重点的REU网站。被选中参加该项目的学生将首先参加由CBE教员举办的关于生化工程基础的一系列讲座。在此之后，他们将亲身体验CBC的流程和分析设备，并在CBE教师顾问和CBC教职员工的指导和支持下开发和执行重点研究项目，学生将在每周座谈会和总结研讨会上与其他参与者分享他们的经验。目标是让学生在本科生和研究生阶段接触到各种生物处理研究机会，为生物处理研究和开发的职业生涯做准备。该方案最初的三年成功地为少数族裔学生(2名)、女性(10名)和8名来自研究项目有限的较小学校的学生提供了研究机会。代表16所大学的22名学生中的14名)参加了该计划，他们要么在研究生院就读，要么现在在研究实验室工作。

9820545Colorado State UniversityVincent G. MurphyBiotechnology is a field that has grown rapidly in the past decade. As biotechnology products are identified and their efficacy verified, there will be an increasing need for chemical engineers with expertise in bioprocessing. Colorado has established the Colorado Bioprocessing Center (CBC) at Colorado State University as a resource for both academic and industrial research and development. The CBC has a full spectrum of bioprocess equipment at both bench and pilot scales for fermentation, cell culture and product recovery research. A skilled group of faculty in the Department of Chemical and Bioresource Engineering CBE) works closely with the CBC staff on both basic and appliedresearch projects. This proposal requests funds for renewing a REU site focused around the unique research environment of the CBC. Students selected for participation in the program would first participate in a series of lectures conducted by CBE faculty on the fundamentals of biochemical engineering. This would be followed by hands-on experience with the process and analytical equipment in the CBC and the development and execution of a focused research project with the guidance and support of a CBE faculty advisor and the CBC staff Students would share their experiences with fellow participants at weekly colloquia and a concluding symposium. The goal is to expose the students to a variety of bioprocessing research opportunities at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in preparation for a career in bioprocessing research and development. The initial three years of the program were successful in providing research opportunities to minority students (two), women (ten), and to eight students from smaller schools with limited research programs. Fourteen of the 22 students representing 16 universities) who participated in the program are either in or committed to attending graduate school or now work in research laboratories.