REU Site: Exploring Engineered Cells

这个为期三年的REU网站计划在马萨诸塞州阿默斯特大学将从事9名本科生的研究项目，涉及细胞工程的应用，在制药生产，蛋白质设计和生物能源的挑战。 了解细胞功能并操纵细胞/组织以特定方式执行是生物医学，生物技术和制药行业许多企业的基础。 本REU网站计划的具体目标是：1）鼓励和激励学生，包括妇女，少数民族，聋人和听力受损的学生追求细胞工程的研究生学习;（2）培养学生从依赖到独立的研究人员过渡; 3）使学生能够跨学科有效地沟通;以及4）通过专业发展研讨会为学生提供专业成功的策略。除了研究项目，该REU参与者将参与研究集群会议与学生和教师的较大群体;一个专业发展研讨会，涵盖职业道路，道德，在工作场所的多样性，确定导师，跨学科沟通，团队建设和发展的合议关系;研究研讨会由教师和研究生;以及一个年终学生海报展示会。提议的活动有哪些广泛的影响？招聘工作将针对化学工程、生物工程、化学、生物和生物化学专业的学生。 PI将利用NSF资助的东北研究生教育联盟和教授（NEAGEP）和东北路易斯斯托克斯少数民族参与联盟（LSAMP），这两个联盟都由马萨诸塞州校园大学领导，以加强对代表性不足的少数民族学生的招聘。 此外，首席研究员将与罗切斯特理工学院的国家聋人技术研究所（NTID）合作，以增加聋人和听力受损学生在REU计划中的参与。

This three year REU Site program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will engage 9 undergraduate students in research projects that involve applications of cellular engineering to challenges in pharmaceutical production, protein design, and bioenergy. Understanding cellular function and manipulating cells/tissues to perform in a particular manner is the basis of many ventures in biomedical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Specific objectives of this REU Site program are to: 1) encourage and motivate students to pursue graduate studies in cellular engineering, including women, minority, and deaf and hearing impaired students; (2) train students to transition from dependent to independent researchers; 3) enable students to communicate effectively across disciplines; and 4) provide students with strategies for professional success through a Professional Development Seminar. In addition to the research projects, the REU participants will be involved in research cluster meetings with larger groups of students and faculty; a Professional Development Seminar covering career paths, ethics, diversity in the workplace, identifying mentors, interdisciplinary communication, team-building, and development of collegial relationships; research seminars by faculty and graduate students; and an end of year student poster session.What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?Recruitment efforts will target students majoring in chemical engineering, bioengineering, chemistry, biology and biochemistry. The PI will leverage the NSF-funded Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NEAGEP) and the Northeast Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), both led by the University of Massachusetts campus, to enhance the recruitment of underrepresented minority students. In addition, the Principal Investigator will collaborate with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology to increase participation of deaf and hearing impaired students in this REU program.