REU Site: Mechanobiology at VCU

弗吉尼亚联邦大学(VCU)工程学院的这个机械生物学REU站点每年将吸引不同的本科生和教职员工参与与机械生物学相关领域的生物医学工程研究项目。机械生物学是生物学和工程学交界处的一个新兴领域，主要研究细胞和组织的物理力和机械特性的变化如何对发育、生理和疾病做出贡献。机械生物学领域是一个迅速发展的研究领域，需要一套独特的跨学科技能。在这个REU项目中的个人项目将集中在获得与细胞力学、药物输送中的机械生物学、肺部力学和整形外科再生医学相关的跨学科技能。此外，学员还将学习基本的科学方法、统计技能、研究道德和合作生物医学研究实验室的工作原理。这个为期10周的夏季REU网站为参与者提供了3个目标。第一个目标是增加对机械生物学研究的参与。第二个目标是提供机会，在工程学和生命科学的交界处加强科学素养和交流。第三个目标是为机械生物学或相关领域的研究生学习或研究职业做准备。学生将掌握机械生物学的尖端研究技能，包括微制桩阵列、机械转导途径分析、基于FRET的力传感、细胞-材料相互作用和机械使能药物输送。学生参与者还将参加当地的外展活动，以提高K-12学生和教师的工程知识。在每周的会议上，学生们将学习研究技术，参加期刊俱乐部，并听取机械生物学专家的演讲。每个暑假结束时，学生们将参加一个研究研讨会，并起草摘要，在全国工程学会议上展示他们的工作。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This REU site in Mechanobiology at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering will annually engage a diverse cohort of undergraduate students and faculty members in biomedical engineering research projects in areas related to mechanobiology. Mechanobiology is an emerging field at the interface of biology and engineering that focuses on how physical forces and changes in the mechanical properties of cells and tissues contribute to development, physiology, and disease. The field of mechanobiology is a rapidly expanding research area that requires a unique set of interdisciplinary skills. The individual projects in this REU program will be focused on gaining interdisciplinary skills related to cell mechanics, mechanobiology in drug delivery, pulmonary mechanics, and orthopedic regenerative medicine. Furthermore, trainees will learn the basic scientific method, statistics skills, research ethics, and the workings of collaborative biomedical research laboratories. This 10 week summer REU site has 3 goals for the participants. The first goal is to increase participation in mechanobiology research. The second goal is to provide opportunities to enhance scientific literacy and communication at the interface of engineering and life sciences. The third goal is to prepare trainees for graduate study or research careers in mechanobiology or related fields. The students will be equipped with cutting-edge research skills in mechanobiology including microfabricated post arrays, mechanotransduction pathway analysis, FRET-based force sensing, cell-material interactions, and mechanically enabled drug delivery. Student participants will also participate in a local outreach activity that enhances engineering knowledge of K-12 students and teachers. At weekly meetings, students will learn about research techniques, participate in journal clubs, and hear talks from experts in mechanobiology. At the end of each summer, students will participate in a research symposium and draft abstracts to present their work at a national engineering meeting.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.