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

匹兹堡组织工程计划（PTEI）为期10周的REU现场计划将为本科生提供结构组织工程（TE）的潜在生物和工程原理的基本理解。PTEI REU将让学生接触到现实世界的问题和解决方案，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，本科生积极参与开发有益于社会的实际解决方案，并初步了解如何应用他们的知识。本科生将由教师、研究生和博士后学员指导。为了增加学生的研究经验，学院举办了一系列活动，包括研讨会和工作坊，向学生介绍和介绍教育科技的“热门话题”，以及学术界和工业界的就业机会。参与者还将参加一个短期课程，以解决工程技术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。为学生计划了一些文化和社会活动，这将有助于培养群体体验。在REU课程结束时，学生将被要求对他/她的研究项目进行3-5分钟的口头概述，准备并提交摘要，并展示研究海报。最后，REU参与者将获得项目完成证书。建议的活动有何更广泛的影响？这个REU项目的主要目标是增加对缺乏服务和代表性的少数民族的接触，包括来自两年制社区学院和非研究型四年制机构的学生，以及返回现役的美国退伍军人，他们在结构组织工程方面进行协作，跨学科研究。研究成果将在最后的海报会议、专业会议和由本科生作为共同作者和/或因其贡献而获奖的出版物上发表。

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.