REU Site: A Multidisciplinary Research Experience in Engineered Bioactive Interfaces and Devices

该项目更广泛的意义：该项目的总体目标是为工程生物活性界面和设备领域的大二，大三和大四学生提供新的多学科研究和教育经验。 工程生物活性界面和设备的研究重点是与生物系统相互作用并促进所需反应的架构的新设计。 这些先进的架构具有许多应用，包括组织工程、传感系统和药物递送。 学生将从各个本科学科，包括工程，生物，化学，物理和数学招募。 肯塔基州大学周围有许多地区性的学院和大学，这些学院和大学在这些地区没有研究生课程。 在这些机构的招聘将鼓励学生，否则可能不会追求更高的学位。 此外，该计划的招聘将集中在没有研究生课程的国家机构。 将作出特别努力，吸引妇女和少数民族参加这一方案，办法是在少数民族机构招聘人员，并在全国少数民族和妇女组织会议上宣传这一方案，如女工程师协会和全国黑人工程师协会。 被录取的学生将与目前从事合作，跨学科研究的教师和研究生密切合作。拟议的REU计划建立在这些成功的合作基础上，并将其与其他教育组成部分，如研讨会，讲习班和其他技术和社会活动相结合。 学生将接触到跨学科研究的兴奋，并通过该计划的结束将有什么是参与研究生研究的优秀知识。项目描述：工程生物活性界面领域的重点是与生物系统相互作用并促进预期反应的架构的新颖设计。 在生物系统中工作的研究人员和那些创造新的工程合成架构的研究人员之间进行这种跨学科互动的必要性早已被认识到。 这些先进的架构具有从组织工程到传感系统到药物递送的众多应用。 这些系统的成功开发不仅取决于通过纳米技术、自组装和混合系统开发新型合成结构的专业知识，还取决于这些界面与细胞和蛋白质等生物系统的相互作用。 作为REU计划的一部分，本科生将有机会了解构成该领域研究基础的三个跨学科研究主题。 这些领域包括1）“新型生物活性结构”，2）“界面处的细胞/蛋白质相互作用”和3）“集成到设备中”。 学生将与教师和研究生密切合作，他们目前正在从事这三个主题的跨学科合作研究，进一步支持高度多学科的团队研究方法。 该REU计划不仅将为学生提供真正的跨学科指导和研究培训，而且还将激发学生对博士学位的兴趣。通过研讨会，实地考察和与研究生和教师的互动，在科学和工程的职业生涯，并将通过参与研究和演示无论是在内部和科学会议发展学生的独立性和信心。鸣谢：对本计划的支持是由美国国家科学基金会的工程教育和中心的司提供。

BROADER SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT:The overall objective of this project is to provide a novel multidisciplinary research and education experience for rising sophomore, junior and senior undergraduates in the area of Engineered Bioactive Interfaces and Devices. Research in Engineered Bioactive Interfaces and Devices focuses on the novel design of architectures that interact with biological systems and promote a desired response. These advanced architectures have numerous applications including tissue engineering, sensing systems, and drug delivery. Students will be recruited from various undergraduate disciplines including engineering, biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Surrounding the University of Kentucky are numerous regional colleges and universities that have no graduate programs in these areas. Recruitment at these institutions will encourage students that may not otherwise pursue an advanced degree. In addition, recruitment for the program will focus on national institutions that do not have graduate programs. Special efforts will be made to attract women and minorities to this program by recruiting at minority institutions and publicizing the program at national meetings of minority and women organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers. Students accepted into the program will work closely with faculty and graduate students who are currently engaged in collaborative, cross-disciplinary research. The proposed REU program builds on these successful collaborations and integrates them with other educational components, such as seminars, workshops, and other technical and social activities. The students will be exposed to the excitement of interdisciplinary research and by the end of the program will have an excellent knowledge of what is involved in graduate research. PROJECT DESCRIPTION:The area of Engineered Bioactive Interfaces focuses on the novel design of architectures that interact with biological systems and promote a desired response. The need for this cross-disciplinary interaction between investigators working in biological systems and those creating novel engineered synthetic architectures has long been recognized. These advanced architectures have numerous applications ranging from tissue engineering to sensing systems to drug delivery. Successful development of these systems will depend on expertise not only in developing novel synthetic architectures through nanotechnology, self-assembly and hybrid systems but also on the interactions of these interfaces with biological systems such as cells and proteins. As part of the REU program, the undergraduate students will have the opportunity to learn about three cross-disciplinary research themes that form the foundation of the research in this area. These areas include 1) "Novel Bioactive Architectures", 2) "Cell/Protein Interactions at Interfaces", and 3) "Integration into Devices". The students will work closely with faculty and graduate students who are currently engaged in collaborative, cross-disciplinary research across these three themes further supporting a highly multidisciplinary team research approach. This REU Program will not only provide the students with true interdisciplinary mentoring and research training but will also stimulate the students' interests in Ph.D. careers in science and engineering through seminars, field trips and interactions with both graduate students and faculty, and will develop the students independence and confidence through participation in research and presentations both in house and at scientific meetings. Acknowledgements: Support for this Program is provided by the National Science Foundation's Division of Engineering Education and Centers.