REU Site: Integrated Bioengineering Research, Career Development, and Outreach Experiences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

这个更新的REU网站每年将为伍斯特理工学院的10名本科生提供研究经验。将招收来自传统上在工程领域代表性不足的群体和研究机会有限的机构的多样化学生，以增加获得高质量研究机会和工程导师的机会。学生将在实验室工作，处理生物工程各个方面的项目。他们将参加“新兵训练营”式的基本技术技能培训，并寻求职业发展机会。学生将透过发展“生物工程的故事”及为中学女生举办的实践活动，扩大对生物工程的认识。这种综合体验不仅可以通过一个研究项目指导不同的本科生群体，还可以提高他们的社会意识和能力，为工程职业提供广泛的选择。为了发展一支多元化、包容性和全球参与的工程劳动力队伍，我们必须让学生在他们教育生涯的早期阶段参与进来，否则他们可能没有研究机会。对于REU站点更新，参与者将进行生物工程研究。建议项目的目标是：1)让30名来自工程领域代表性不足人群（如弱势背景、少数族裔、女性）的本科生参与生物工程研究，引导他们独立解决开放式问题；2)帮助学生培养工程设计的社会意识、专业技能和信心；3)促进REU参与者、指导教师之间的高质量指导体验。以及在REU项目期间之外的研究生导师。学生将从生物工程技术训练“新兵训练营”开始，随后是每周关于研究、沟通、伦理、指导、研究生院以及社会导向工程设计和创新的研讨会，这些将帮助学生获得专业技能和个人信心，这对学生在研究中取得成功至关重要。REU的参与者将制作“生物工程中的故事”视频和实践活动，并广泛传播给中学生。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This renewal REU site will provide research experiences for ten undergraduate students per year at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. A diverse cohort of students from groups traditionally underrepresented in engineering and from institutions with limited research opportunities will be recruited to increase access to high-quality research opportunities and mentors in engineering. Students will work in laboratories tackling projects in various aspects of bioengineering. They will engage in a “Boot Camp”-style training for foundational technical skills and pursue professional development opportunities. Students will contribute to broadening awareness of bioengineering by developing “Stories in Bioengineering” and hands-on activities for middle-school age girls. The integrated experience will not only guide a diverse cohort of undergraduate students through a research project, but will also raise their social awareness and capacity to see broad options for engineering careers.To develop a diverse, inclusive, and globally engaged engineering workforce, we must engage students at early stages of their educational careers who might not otherwise have a research opportunity. For this REU site renewal, participants will perform research in bioengineering. The objectives of the proposed project are to: 1) engage thirty undergraduate students from populations underrepresented in engineering (e.g., disadvantaged backgrounds, underrepresented minorities, women) in bioengineering research wherein they are guided towards independence in solving open-ended problems, 2) aid students in developing their societal awareness in engineering design and their professional skills and confidence, and 3) facilitate high-quality mentored experiences between the REU participants, faculty advisors, and graduate student mentors that extends beyond the duration of the REU program. Students will begin with a bioengineering techniques training “Boot Camp”, followed by weekly workshops addressing research, communication, ethics, mentoring, and graduate school as well as socially directed engineering design and innovation will help the students’ gain professional skills and personal confidence, critical for the students’ success in research. The REU participants will develop “Stories in Bioengineering” videos and hands-on activities for middle-school age girls with broad public dissemination.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.