REU Site: Interdisciplinary Research Opportunities in Biophysics

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This award supports a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site in Biophysics at the University of Michigan (UM). The site will support seven students for ten weeks of summer research each year. The site will provide incoming students with an interdisciplinary research experience at the intersection of physics, chemistry, mathematics and the life sciences. The Biophysics Program at UM is one of few standalone biophysics programs in the US, created to foster multidisciplinary research and provide interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate education. Biophysics is a very diverse field that spans and integrates experimental and theoretical work that is customarily assigned to mathematical, physical, chemical, biological or engineering sciences. Because of this wide scope of possible research experiences within Biophysics, some students may not realize the intellectual diversity of Biophysics. The site has developed an activity plan that focuses primarily on the research experience, but at the same time provides students with a condensed overview of sub-disciplines so that the student can experience the breath of this interdisciplinary discipline. The core component of the program consists of research experiences where the students will participate in innovative scientific exploration with researchers and labs that match their interest. This core will be augmented by weekly research seminars and workshops to expose them to other relevant research topics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.