REU Site: Multidisciplinary Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Structural Tissue Engineering

匹兹堡组织工程倡议(PTEI)为期10周的REU现场课程将为本科生提供对结构组织工程(TE)基本生物学和工程学原理的基本了解。PTEI REU将使学生接触到现实世界的问题和解决方案应用程序，提高学生从教育中获得的满意度，并激励他们继续从事探索性项目。通过在高度跨学科的研究环境中作为团队成员工作，本科生变得积极地开发对社会有益的实用解决方案，让他们初步了解如何应用他们的知识。本科生将由教师、研究生和博士后培训人员指导。为了加强研究经验，我们还举办了各种活动，如研讨会和工作坊，旨在向学生介绍和告知TE的“热门话题”以及学术界和工业界的就业机会。学员还将参加一个短期课程，讨论TE的跨学科性质，以及标准本科工程和科学课程中未涉及的问题。为学生计划了几项文化和社交活动，这将有助于促进队列经验。在REU项目结束时，学生将被要求对他/她的研究项目做一个3-5分钟的口头概述，准备并提交一份摘要，并提交一份研究海报。最后，REU参与者将获得项目完成证书。拟议活动的更广泛影响是什么？该REU项目的主要目标是增加服务不足和代表性不足的少数群体的接触，包括来自两年制社区学院和非研究型4年制机构的学生，以及正在重返现役的美国退伍军人，他们将在结构组织工程领域进行协作、跨学科研究。研究成果将通过在最终海报会议、专业会议和与本科生作为合著者的出版物和/或他们的贡献被记入帐上的陈述来传播。

The Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) 10-week REU site program will provide undergraduate students a fundamental understanding of underlying biological and engineering principles of structural tissue engineering (TE). The PTEI REU will expose students to real-world problems and solutions applications increase the satisfaction students get from their education, and stimulate them to continue working on exploratory projects. By working as a team member in a highly interdisciplinary research environment, undergraduate students become active in developing practical solutions beneficial to society, providing an initial glance at how they might apply their knowledge. Undergraduate students will be mentored by faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral trainees.To enhance the research experience, a variety of activities have been incorporated, i.e. seminars and workshops designed to introduce students to and inform them about "hot topics" in TE and career opportunities in academia and industry. Participants will also take a short course to address the interdisciplinary nature of TE and issues not addressed in standard undergraduate engineering and science curriculum. Several cultural and social activities are planned for students which will help foster the cohort experience. At the end of the REU program students will be required to give a 3-5 minute oral overview of his/her research project, prepare and submit an abstract, and present a research poster. Finally, REU participants will receive a program completion certificate.What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?The primary goal of this REU program is to enhance the exposure of underserved and underrepresented minorities, to include students from two-year community colleges, and non-research based 4-year institutions, and U.S. Veterans who are returning to active duty to collaborative, interdisciplinary research in structural tissue engineering. Research outcomes will be disseminated by presentations at the final poster session, professional meetings, and publications with undergraduates as co-authors and/or credited for their contributions.