REU Site: Exploring Aerospace Research at the Intersection of Mechanics, Materials Science, and Aerospace Physiology

随着人类迈向太空的下一个前沿，对航天材料、空间生物学和生理学的研究对于了解航天和太空探索可能如何影响力学、空间生物学和人类健康至关重要。位于佛罗里达州代托纳海滩的恩布里里德尔航空大学(ERAU)将举办一个面向本科生的研究体验(REU)网站，内容是实验和计算多学科航空航天研究，重点是力学、材料科学和航空航天生理学，邀请10名本科生参加为期10周的暑期项目。这些学生将获得与航空航天、机械、材料和环境工程的各个领域直接相关的材料合成、涂层、取样表征、计算机建模以及空间微生物学和航空航天生理学方面的经验。REU参与者将在同行评议的期刊上发表他们的发现和/或在专业会议上发言，从而广泛传播在本科生研究项目中创造的新知识。此外，研讨会将使学生接触到研究生院的各个方面(申请、奖学金、演讲技巧、科学写作)和职业生活。招生工作将吸引来自代表性不足的学生和来自研究设施有限的大学的少数群体。最后，参与者将有机会通过安布里-里德尔的STEM夏令营吸引K-12学生，并激励下一代年轻人考虑在科学和工程领域从事职业。相信理论和实践；REU网站对困难问题的实验和数学建模感兴趣，同时建立真实系统，在现实生活中展示这些解决方案。REU-研究项目围绕三个主要轴组织：(1)热应用；(2)空间生物监测；(3)生物仿生。本科生的研究项目有助于对航空航天科学、材料科学、航空航天生理学以及空间热管理、生物启发的等级结构和空间健康(例如微重力和空间辐射的影响)等主题的基本理解。这些项目侧重于扩大空间探索的两个主要想法：(1)需要支持人类空间旅行和延长逗留的技术，以及(2)需要调查空间旅行对身体的影响。研究项目的一些例子包括制造用于航空航天应用的灵活、可伸展和自我修复的平台，研究暴露在空间辐射中的细胞内活性氧物种，或使用皮肤上的柔性晶体管进行生物标志物传感。该网站将通过定期与他们的导师举行金鹰会议来启动指导关系的建立。学生将直接进行研究，从文献回顾开始，进行实验和/或计算工作，收集和分析数据，并展示他们的结果。本科生项目具有短期可实现的里程碑，同时有助于实现长期的科学目标和技术应用。在项目结束时，学生将在ERAU的夏季本科生研究研讨会上展示他们的研究成果。项目评估将与卓越学习和教学中心合作进行，以分析研究经验对学生结果的影响。该奖项反映了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。

As humankind reaches for the stars to journey to the next frontier in space, research on aerospace materials, space biology, and physiology are crucial for understanding how mechanics, space biology, and human health may be affected by spaceflight and space exploration. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), Daytona Beach, Florida, will host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site in experimental and computational multidisciplinary aerospace research, focusing on mechanics, materials science, and aerospace physiology by inviting ten undergraduate students for a 10-week summer program. The students will gain experience in materials synthesis, coating, sampling characterization, computer modeling directly related to various fields of aerospace, mechanical, materials, and environmental engineering, as well as space microbiology and aerospace physiology. The REU participants will publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals and/or present at professional meetings leading to broad dissemination of new knowledge created in the undergraduate research projects. Moreover, seminars will expose the students to various aspects of graduate school (applications, scholarships, presentation skills, scientific writing) and professional life. Recruitment efforts will attract students from underrepresented and minority groups from universities with limited research facilities. Finally, participants will have a chance to engage K-12 students through STEM summer camps at Embry-Riddle and inspire the next generation of young people to consider a career in science and engineering. Believing in both theory and practice; the REU site is interested in experimental as well as mathematical modeling of difficult problems while at the same time building real systems for demonstrating those solutions in real-life situations.The REU-research projects are organized around three main axes: (1) thermal applications; (2) biomonitoring in space; and (3) biomimetics. The undergraduate research projects contribute to the fundamental understanding of aerospace sciences, materials science, aerospace physiology, and topics including space thermal management, bioinspired hierarchical structures, and space health (e.g., effects of microgravity and space radiation). The projects are focused on two main ideas for expanded space exploration: (1) the need for technology supporting human space travel and extended stays, and (2) the need to investigate the effects of space travel on the body. Some examples of research projects include the fabrication of a flexible, stretchable, and self-healable platform for aerospace applications, a study of intracellular reactive oxygen species when exposed to space radiation, or biomarker sensing using flexible transistors on skin. The site will initiate the establishment of a mentoring relationship by conducting regular Golden Eagle Meetings with their mentors. Students will directly conduct research starting with literature review, conducting experiments and/or computational work, gathering and analyzing data, and presenting their results. The undergraduate student projects have short-term achievable milestones while simultaneously contributing to longer-term scientific goals and technological applications. At the completion of the program, students will present their research findings at a summer undergraduate research symposium at ERAU. The program assessment will be performed in collaboration with the center of learning and teaching excellence to analyze the effect of the research experience on student outcomes.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.