REU Site: Advancing Human Health from Nano to Network

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The past decades have produced enormous advancements in biological sciences that have increased the understanding of the human body and led to a host of new research opportunities, ranging from drug design and the development of next-generation medical implants to facilitating remote medical care. Students from a range of engineering disciplines are primed to meet the challenges presented by these new research opportunities and can apply their diverse knowledge, experiences and skills to improve an array of human health concerns. The REU Site: "Advancing Human Health: From Nano to Network" at the University of Rochester will provide intensive research experiences for underrepresented minority and women engineering students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges, Hispanic-serving Institutions, and non research-intensive institutions. The aim is to provide beneficial mentoring to these students, to help retain and encourage them to pursue such research in future graduate programs and industry careers.The focus of the Site is the substantive and meaningful involvement of underrepresented minority and women undergraduate students in high-level research. As a nurturing tier-1 research institution, the University of Rochester (UR) will provide exemplary undergraduate research experiences to students who are particularly underrepresented in the STEM fields. The REU Site program will help students develop a personal investigative learning style, practice and learn appropriate research methods and ethics, and develop strong oral and written communication skills. The primary focus will be full-time hands-on scientific research as a member of an established research team. Participants will complete an independent research project in one of the following areas: 1) biomaterials, 2) medical optics for breast cancer, 3) biomedical ultrasound tissue engineering, 4) auditory engineering, 5) dental biomechanics, 6) polymers for biomedical applications, 7) biosensors, 8) robots for rehabilitation, and 9) optics for medical applications. Each student will have a specific research problem, a faculty adviser, and a professional adviser in the UR Kearns Center. The program will include: high level research opportunities for students historically underrepresented in engineering (at least 75% of the participants); extensive professional development opportunities; career development and a demystification of the graduate school process; and a range of networking and mentoring opportunities. The students will also be exposed to other research areas through a series of oral presentations and engagement in a poster session.