REU Site: Interactive Biomaterials

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This three year REU Site program at Syracuse University will engage undergraduate students in research focused in the area of interactive biomaterials. The objectives of this REU Site program are to: (1) train students in leading edge research techniques through independent biomaterials research projects in a multidisciplinary, collaborative, and open laboratory environment; (2) to provide multifaceted mentoring opportunities and network building experiences that ultimately increase the likelihood that participants will pursue graduate education in their chosen discipline; and (3) to train students to be effective communicators of their research to their peers and the scientific community. These goals will be accomplished through participation in independent, interactive biomaterials research projects in faculty laboratories, one-on-one mentoring from faculty advisors and graduate student coaches, an innovative career mentoring program, interactive laboratory tours with REU student-led demonstrations, student research presentations, team building activities, and social events. This program aims to engage undergraduate students in meaningful and stimulating research, educational and social experiences as a means of increasing their enthusiasm and preparation for future graduate level study and careers in biomaterials science and engineering. The research projects available to students in the REU program will advance fundamental scientific knowledge in the areas of shape memory polymers, stimulus-responsive polymers, drug delivery, control of bacterial biofilms, cell-biomaterial interactions, electrochemistry of metallic biomaterials, tissue engineering, and molecular modeling of interactive biomaterials.The REU Site program will broaden the participation of students from institutions with limited research opportunities, women, and underrepresented minorities in meaningful undergraduate research, strengthened by the Hampton Roads HBCU Cluster Partnership. A signature element of the proposed REU site is a career mentoring initiative, focused on both industrial and academic career paths at the PhD level, which emphasizes the importance and benefits of graduate education in STEM disciplines. The best practices of this REU site will be broadly disseminated via the web and educational publications, with an aim to produce models for replication at future REU sites.