REU Site: Materials and Systems Biology Research in Biotechnology and Biomedicine

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This three year REU Site program at Texas A&M University (TAMU) will engage undergraduate students in research focused on chemical engineering approaches to materials science and systems biology research in biotechnology and biomedicine. The objectives of the program are to: 1) Annually recruit ten undergraduates from off-campus with an emphasis on recruitment of students from underrepresented groups; 2) Open new research opportunities to students who have had little or no previous research experience, providing insights into research methodologies, self-discipline, team integration, reporting and exchanging new knowledge; 3) Provide information on benefits of attending graduate school, the application process, and encourage students to attend graduate school in chemical engineering; 4) Enable interactions of the REU students with visiting undergraduate researchers from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Columbia who participate in existing departmental programs; 5) Provide community building opportunities among REU students, TAMU graduate students, visiting international undergraduate researchers, and faculty mentors; and 6) Provide opportunities for REU students to present and publish with faculty mentors.The REU students will participate in developing the next generation of products and processes based on biological molecules and organisms. Recruitment efforts will be targeted to those individuals who may not normally have such an opportunity, particularly women, underrepresented minorities, and first-generation college students, which will make a significant contribution toward enhancing the diversity of the research and education infrastructure at Texas A&M University and toward increasing the production of African American and Hispanic engineers and scientists. This project creates a model program for diverse populations that addresses the exposure to research by undergraduates as well as awareness of the pathway to graduate school. This site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.