REU Site: Discoveries in Bioimaging

该项目的广泛意义：伊利诺伊大学香槟分校(UIUC)的REU网站“生物成像中的发现”将提供一个最先进的、跨学科的生物成像研究环境，以激励和培训工程专业人口统计学不足的本科生，鼓励他们过渡到研究生学位课程。在整个教育过程中，视觉是清晰传达复杂思想、激发好奇心和兴趣的有力手段。同样，在生物和医学科学的研究中，总是需要细胞、组织和器官的清晰图像，以发现生命机制，检测和了解疾病的复杂病理过程。生物科学、发现和生物成像之间的统一联系将成为REU新网站的鼓舞人心的中心。参加这个REU项目的学生将深入了解生物发现是如何直接从成像中产生的，并获得最先进的成像技术和跨学科研究的高级技能，他们可以将这些技能带到研究生院。他们将接触到广泛的生物成像技术和应用，同时专注于生物学和医学科学前沿的一个特定项目。此外，通过实施文献支持的指导和培训战略，该计划将直接解决代表不足的群体向工程学研究生学位课程过渡的管道泄漏问题。那些选择不攻读研究生的人仍将获得丰富的技术技能、专业性和职业准备。我们计划的属性，无论是成功的，还是无效的，都将被不断评估和改进，结果将通过教育期刊上的出版物向公众传播。项目描述：在NSF工程教育和中心部门的支持下，REU网站将致力于通过夏季生物成像研究经验来激励和培训STEM领域的本科生。我们的目标是创建一个连贯的跨学科项目，以所有规模的生物学和医学科学的可视化为中心，在其中学生建立一个由榜样、导师和同行组成的网络，以支持和鼓励他们过渡到研究生院。在各种STEM学科完成一年级、二年级和大三学业的本科生将被特别招收，面向女性和代表性不足的少数群体，特别是那些在少数群体服务机构和研究机会有限的小型学院的学生。此外，积极进取的社区学院学生将被包括在四年制学院和大学的道路上。学生们将以为期5天的“生物成像训练营”开始这个为期10周的暑期计划，通过讲座、演示、实验室活动和参观，结合社会介绍，提供生物学、成像和显微镜方面的基础知识。在接下来的九周里，学生们将在一名教员和研究生的密切指导下，在一名经验丰富的UIUC本科生的帮助下，从事成像和生物可视化方面的密集研究项目。所有的研究项目，从使用荧光显微镜对单分子成像到跟踪活动物皮肤中的细胞动力学，都将有三个基本要素：(1)成像和/或显微镜，(2)针对生物或医学科学的应用，以及(3)分析或计算部分。学生将通过每两周一次的社交活动与同龄人分享经验，参加研究研讨会和专业发展会议，并在校园内与其他REU的参与者互动，以扩大他们的网络。夏季成果的最终结果将是向生物医学工程学会(BMES)秋季年会提交一份摘要，他们将在秋季再次聚会，寻求继续教育和丰富职业生涯的机会。

BROADER SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT:The REU site "Discoveries in Bioimaging" at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will provide a state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary research environment in bioimaging to inspire and train undergraduates from under-represented demographics in engineering to encourage their transition to graduate degree programs. Throughout the educational process, visuals are a powerful means to clearly convey complex ideas and to stimulate curiosity and interest. Likewise, investigations in the biological and medical sciences invariably require clear pictures of cells, tissues, and organs to discover mechanisms of life and to detect and understand the complex pathological processes of disease. The unifying link between bioscience, discovery, and bioimaging will be the inspirational centerpiece for the new REU site. Students who take part in this REU program will gain an intimate familiarity with how biological discoveries directly arise from imaging, and gain an advanced skillset in state-of-the-art imaging technologies and interdisciplinary research that they can carry with them to graduate school. They will be exposed to the vast breadth of bioimaging techniques and applications while simultaneously focusing on a specific project at the forefront of biology and medical science. Furthermore by implementing literature-supported mentorship and training strategies, this program will directly address pipeline leaks for the transition of under-represented groups to engineering graduate degree programs. Those who choose to not pursue graduate studies will still be enriched with technical skills, professionalism, and career-readiness. The attributes of our program, both those that are successful, or perhaps ineffective, will be constantly assessed and refined, and findings will be disseminated to the public through publications in educational journals.PROJECT DESCRIPTION:With the support from the NSF Division of Engineering Education and Centers, the REU Site will be dedicated to inspiring and training undergraduates in STEM fields through a summer experience in bioimaging research. The goal is to create a coherent interdisciplinary program centered on the visualization of biology and medical science at all scales in which students develop a network of role models, mentors, and peers to support and encourage their transition to graduate school. Undergraduates finishing their freshman, sophomore, and junior years in a variety of STEM disciplines will be recruited with special efforts directed toward females and under-represented minorities, especially those at minority-serving institutions and small colleges with limited research opportunities. In addition, highly motivated community college students who are en route to 4-year colleges and universities, will be included. Students will begin this 10-week summer program with a 5-day "Bioimaging Bootcamp" to provide foundational knowledge in biology, imaging, and microscopy through lectures, demonstrations, lab activities, and tours, in conjunction with social introductions. Over the next nine weeks, students will engage in intensive research projects in imaging and biological visualization, closely mentored by a faculty member and graduate student, with assistance from an experienced UIUC undergraduate. All research projects, ranging from imaging single molecules using fluorescence microscopy to tracking cell dynamics in the skin of live animals, will have three essential elements: (1) imaging and/or microscopy, (2) an application directed toward biological or medical sciences, and (3) an analytical or computational component. Students will share experiences with their cohort through biweekly social activities, attend research seminars and professional development sessions, and interact with participants in other REUs on campus to expand their network. Summer achievements will culminate in the submission of an abstract to the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Fall Meeting, where they will reconvene in the fall for continued education and career-enriching opportunities.