REU Site: Enhancing Knowledge Integration Through Undergraduate Research -- Particle-based Functional Materials for Energy, Sustainability, and Biomedicine

这项计划感谢国家科学基金会工程教育和中心分部的支持，资助号为EEC-1359308。技术摘要：虽然NSF资助本科生研究经历的理由很大程度上是因为相信这是“吸引学生进入并留住他们进入科学和工程领域的最有效途径之一”，但同样重要的因素是需要“为他们在这些领域的职业生涯做好准备”。匹兹堡大学在研究和教学方面都培养了强烈的教育重点--促进学生参与知识整合的能力。这是及时的，因为最近的技术进步改变了美国工程培训的格局，促使学生避免简单地掌握一个不同的领域，而是更多地专注于两项或两项以上技术的交叉。在生物技术/生物医学、纳米技术和能源领域尤其如此，未来的挑战要求研究科学家和工程师接受各种新兴技术的培训，并能够无缝地跨越这些看似不同的技术领域之间的边界。这是通过将REU网站的传统研究与量身定做的研讨会系列、(产品)翻译练习和创新的交叉培训实习相结合来实现的。研讨会的主题包括：产品创新、颗粒生产--无机和有机、显微技术、悬浮/流变学测量、颗粒模拟、信息素养、伦理、沟通技能。项目评估既包括对与项目目标相关的各种目标的评估，也包括对参与项目的学生的总体评估。在监测参与的学生时，将跟踪来自代表性不足群体的学生比例(即性别、种族)，并将其与学习工程学的学生的总体比例进行比较。为了应对该项目更大、更全面的成功，将通过继续建立LinkedIn.com社区来跟踪参与该项目并进入研究生项目或劳动力的学生数量。最后，除了上面概述的直接统计测量和同行跟踪之外，将使用包括调查、概念图和流程图开发在内的全面评估计划来执行对计划实现其目标的程度的定性和定量测量。非技术总结：当今的进步不是孤立地发生的，而是发生在两种或更多技术的交叉点上。在生物医学、可持续发展和能源领域尤其如此。这项面向本科生的研究经验(REU)项目侧重于颗粒基功能材料(PFM)。本研究的重点是研究具有特定功能的颗粒材料，无论是由于其离散的性质，还是由于颗粒对宏观结构的影响。这些系统包括：材料自我修复、治疗药物的受控输送、“智能”催化和颗粒分离，仅举几例。这一计划的前提是，未来成功的工程师需要能够无缝地穿越这些看似不同的技术领域之间的边界。为了使参与项目的学生能够成为在不断变化的经济中所必需的“灵活的思考者”，PFM-REU项目明确侧重于提高学生的知识整合技能以及从事产品创新的能力，同时建立他们在特定领域的知识基础。该项目将在三年中每年培养12名本科生研究员。这些学生将主要从本科院校和代表性不足的群体中招收。

This program acknowledges the support of Division of Engineering Education and Centers of the National Science Foundation, under grant number EEC-1359308.TECHNICAL SUMMARY:While the NSF's rationale for funding research experiences for undergraduates largely lies in the belief that it is "one of the most effective avenues for attracting students to and retaining them in science and engineering", an equally important factor is a need to "prepare them for careers in these fields". The University of Pittsburgh, has fostered a strong educational focus both in research and in teaching - on facilitating a student's ability to engage in knowledge integration. This is timely as recent technological advances have altered the landscape of engineering training in the US, prompting students to eschew simply mastering one distinct area and instead focus more at the intersections of two or more technologies. This is especially true in the area of biotechnology/biomedicine, nanotechnology, and energy, where future challenges necessitate that research scientists and engineers be trained in a diverse range of emerging technologies and are able to seamlessly traverse the boundary between these seemingly disparate technology areas. This is accomplished by combining the traditional research of an REU site with a tailored workshop series, a (product) translation exercise, and an innovating cross-training internship. Workshop topics include: product innovation, particle production - inorganic and organic, microscopy techniques, suspension/rheology measurements, particle-based simulation, information literacy, ethics, communication skills. Project evaluation consists of both assessment of the various goals associated with the project objective as well as an overall evaluation of the students who have participated in the program. In monitoring the students who participate, the proportion of students from underrepresented groups will be tracked (i.e. gender, ethnicity) and compared to the overall proportion of students studying engineering. To address the larger, overall success of the project, tracking of the number of students who participate in the program and matriculate into either a graduate program or the workforce will be performed via continuing to build a LinkedIn.com community. Finally, in addition to the direct statistical measures and fellow tracking outlined above, qualitative and quantitative measures of the degree to which the program attains its goals will be performed using a comprehensive assessment plan that includes, surveys, concept mapping, and process map development.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:Today's advances don't happen in isolation, but instead occur at the intersections of two or more technologies. This is especially true in biomedicine, sustainability, and energy. This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program focuses on Particle-based Functional Materials (PFM). This research focus is studying particulate materials that fulfill a specific function, either because of their discrete nature or due to the influence of particles on macroscopic structure. Such systems include: material self-healing, controlled delivery of therapeutics, "smart" catalysis, and particle separations, to name a few. This program is based on the premise that the successful engineer of the future will need to be able to seamlessly traverse the boundary between these seemingly disparate technology areas. In order to equip the participating students to become the "nimble thinkers" necessary in the changing economy, the PFM-REU program explicitly focuses on enhancing students' knowledge integration skills as well as their ability to engage in product innovation, while building their base of knowledge in a specific area. This program will educate 12 undergraduate research fellows in each of its three years. These students will be recruited from primarily undergraduate institutions and students from under-represented groups.