REU Site: Program in Nanotechnology for Biology and Bioengineering

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This REU Site award to Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, MD, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2015- 2017. This award is supported by the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO/DBI) and the Division of Engineering Education and Centers in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG/EEC). The proposed REU will provide undergraduate students with challenging research experience in the rapidly growing area of nanobiotechnology, a discipline at the interface of biology, chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering. Students work on interdisciplinary projects and interact with researchers from several academic departments ? Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Chemistry. Example projects include the development of safe carriers for in vivo gene transfer, engineering skeletal muscles, molecular mechanics of cell shape change, 3D printing of microvessels, and others. In addition to research, students participate in orientation, ethics and safety training, graduate school preparation, resume building, and a poster presentation at the end of the program. Students with limited opportunities for research at their home institution and those from underrepresented groups will be recruited to the program. Students will be selected based on academic record, letters of recommendation, and their statement of purpose. It is anticipated that over 3 summers, a total of 30 students will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at regional and national conferences. Upon completing the program, REU students will have a greater understanding of the development and applications of nanotechnology in biology, a solid grounding in research methodologies in these areas, and a deeper appreciation for the contributions that improved technology in these areas can make to people's lives. Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by visiting http://inbt.jhu.edu/education/undergraduate/reu/, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Wirtz at wirtz@jhu.edu), the co-PI (Dr. Herrera-Alonso at herrera@jhu.edu).