REU Site: Program in Nanotechnology for Biology and Bioengineering

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This REU Site award to Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, Maryland, will support training for 14 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2023-2025. The REU program will provide undergraduate students with a challenging research experience in the rapidly growing area of nanobiotechnology, a discipline at the interface of biology, chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering. Some of the student research projects include self-assembly of DNA nanotubes, development of methods to study cell shape and adhesion, self-assembly of pi-conjugated peptides into optoelectronic materials, and biophysics of membrane proteins. In addition to research, the REU program includes oral presentations, poster presentations, scientific seminars, journal club, communication seminars, field trips to industry/government partners, and multiple social activities to build a strong cohort experience. Students are required to complete a Responsible Conduct of Research training and lab safety training before starting research. Underrepresented minorities, students from institutions with limited research opportunities, first generation students, students from families with a low to moderate income, and students with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Students are selected by an admissions committee of faculty reviewers. Selected students will be required to register in the NSF Education and Training Application system (ETAP). It is anticipated that a total of 42 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. The overall objective of this program is to provide REU students with a truly unique educational experience, with the research experience at the core, while at the same time serving as an ideal foundation for future graduate research. A common web-based assessment tool, SALG URSSA, used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting https://inbt.jhu.edu/education/undergraduate/nanobio-reu/, or by contacting the Director of Academic Programs, Sulaiman Jenkins (sjenki48@jhu.edu).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.