REU Site: Engineering Tools for Decision Support in Systems Medicine

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Intellectual MeritThe primary objective of this new three-year REU site program at the University of Pittsburgh is to expose 9 undergraduate students per year to research in the emerging field of systems medicine. Systems medicine problems are characterized by complex interacting systems requiring multidisciplinary knowledge to formulate and solve. The intellectual merit of this REU proposal derives from the emergence of this field and the need for experts with the knowledge and motivation to address constrained real-world problems where mathematical models can provide hypothesis-generating and in validating predictions. Furthermore, systems medicine is underserved by existing REU sites, in comparison to other areas of biomedical research, and this site would expand the existing REU portfolio while educating students who could serve as the next generation of leaders in the field. The necessity of coupling modeling and systems analysis approaches to experimental data; thereby yielding a predictive model upon validation is a prerequisite to solving clinically-relevant systems medicine problems. Through a series of mentored research and teaching experiences, REU students will take the first step on the path to becoming the next generation of experts in the field of systems medicine.Broader ImpactsThe PI will actively recruit underrepresented undergraduates to participate in interdisciplinary research and to advance the abilities of all students in the program with respect to communication, teamwork, and professional skills. Through existing relationships, and the development of new ones with minority, female, or primarily undergraduate institutions, the program will provide a pathway to graduate education for populations that are traditionally underrepresented at the engineering (and STEM) post-graduate level by fostering the ability to independently and collaboratively investigate systems medicine research problems. One path of dissemination is to design simulations for use in K-12 education; through partnering with the CTSI "Mobile Lab" to bring computational experiments to K-12 students in an effort to stimulate the desire of these students to pursue STEM subjects at the baccalaureate level.