REU Site: Engineering Across Cell Types

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Supported by the National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC), this three-year REU Site program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst will enable 9 undergraduate students to conduct research in cellular engineering, an exciting new frontier of engineering and applied biology. Nature has remarkable capabilities to engineer new processes, make products and transform materials from one form to another. Cellular organisms display such a wide range of features that essentially any trait can be engineered into an appropriate host. Nearly four decades ago, molecular biology enabled a quantum leap for medicine with the production of human insulin in bacteria. Scientists and engineers are now on the cusp of being able to engineer organisms to pump out fuel using plant matter as a feedstock, clean up toxic pollutants from soil, water and air, produce large quantities of anticancer drugs, and even transform human cells into useful tissues. In the past decade, novel tools have been developed and discoveries made across cell types (e.g., bacteria, yeast, mammalian, plant) to facilitate cellular engineering; however, there has been limited crosstalk amongst the varied scientific communities, highlighting the relevance of this REU Program: Engineering Across Cell Types (EnACT): Exploring the Scientific and Physical Interfaces Amongst Cells. Traditional research and curricula at the engineering/life sciences interface do not typically include discussion of the similarities and differences amongst cell types, and therefore students are not provided with a complete perspective on the tools available for engineering cells. For example, most undergraduate courses in biochemistry and bioengineering emphasize microbial systems because of their widespread study and use. However, many recent advances are in higher eukaryotes, which are considerably more complicated due to differences in cell biology such as compartmentalization, organelle-specific gene expression and redundancy of pathways. REU students will get a chance to work with researchers using different cell systems (e.g., bacteria, yeast, animal, and plant) to illustrate adaptation and application of both research approaches and fundamental knowledge across cell types. Faculty research areas include protein engineering, metabolic engineering, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and systems biology.Understanding cellular function across cell types and manipulating cells/tissues to perform in a particular manner is the basis for many ventures in the biomedical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Participants will engage in cellular engineering research that addresses grand challenges in pharmaceutical sciences, medical technology, bioenergy and the environment. Specific objectives of the EnACT (Engineering Across Cell Types) REU are to: (1) encourage and inspire students to pursue graduate studies in cellular engineering; (2) create a diverse pool of student researchers by focusing on recruitment of underrepresented populations, including deaf and hard-of-hearing students, students at non-research intensive universities, and students in earlier stages of their academic careers; (3) train students to transition from dependent to independent researchers through collaborative research and near-peer mentoring activities; (4) enable students to communicate effectively across disciplines; and (5) provide students with strategies for professional success. In addition to interdisciplinary research projects, REU participants will be involved in Research Supergroups involving students and faculty from two research laboratories, a Professional Seminar; a Pathways to Research Impact Seminar, and a student poster session. Recruitment efforts will target undergraduates at all stages majoring in chemical engineering, bioengineering, chemistry, biology, and biochemistry. The PI will collaborate with the NSF-sponsored, UMA-led Northeast AGEP and LSAMP alliances to enhance the recruitment of underrepresented minority students, Springfield Technical Community College to recruit students enrolled in associate degree programs, and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf to recruit deaf and hearing-impaired students. The EnACT REU will engage students in cross-disciplinary research at the interface of engineering/physical sciences and life sciences and encourage them to pursue advanced degrees and careers in bioengineering and related fields, creating a technologically advanced, forward thinking, interdisciplinary minded workforce.