IGERT: Bio-Applications of Membrane Science and Technology

该IGERT项目围绕三个相互关联的多学科主题展开：药学、生物传感器和膜科学的生物医学应用。膜是受控药物释放、医疗器械和仿生学不可或缺的一部分。这一IGERT计划的学术价值在于，它解决了北美膜学会确定的将经典膜科学与生物应用相结合的重大挑战。该IGERT利用了辛辛那提大学(UC)的几个机会：(1)工程、医学和制药学院位于同一校区；(2)加州大学是唯一的NSF膜中心所在地；(3)建立了NSF膜科学REU计划；(4)国家资助的Bio/Start技术孵化器在校园内；以及(5)行业实习计划已经确立。目标包括发展跨学科研究生培训计划，吸引制药和生物医药行业的参与，并促进收入来源，以确保自我维持的运营。培训计划包括9门必修课程和3门课程，重点放在实习计划中的制药、生物传感器或生物医学方面。一系列必要的实验室轮换旨在促进跨学科意识。京都工业大学、澳大利亚国立大学和特温特大学有可能获得国际技术/文化经验。这一IGERT计划的更广泛影响是，它将为关键新兴研究领域的跨学科培训提供一个论坛，为NSF膜中心的生物应用提供一个新的研究方向，创建一个整合膜的经典和生物应用的正式结构，促进加州大学新的生物医学工程系的发展，促进有效的大学/行业互动，鼓励形成跨学科研究团队，产生将改善医疗保健和生活质量的研究成果，IGERT是一个NSF范围的项目，旨在应对培养美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战，这些科学家和工程师具有跨学科背景、所选学科的深厚知识，以及满足未来职业需求所需的技术、专业和个人技能。该项目旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训新模式，在超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，催化研究生教育的文化变革。在该计划的第六个年头，由NSF支持的共同跨越科学和工程领域的项目将被授予机构奖项。

This IGERT program is focused around three interrelated multi-disciplinary themes: pharmaceutical, biosensor, and biomedical applications of membrane science. Membranes are integral to controlled drug release, medical devices, and biomimetics. The intellectual merit of this IGERT program is that it addresses a major challenge identified by the North American Membrane Society to integrate classical membrane science with bio-applications. This IGERT capitalizes on several opportunities at the University of Cincinnati (UC): (1) the Colleges of Engineering, Medicine and Pharmacy are on the same campus; (2) UC is a site of the only NSF Membrane Center; (3) an NSF REU Program in membrane science is established; (4) the State-funded Bio/Start technology incubator is on campus; and (5) an industry-internship program is well-established.The goals include developing an interdisciplinary graduate training program, attracting pharmaceutical and biomedical industry participation, and facilitating a revenue stream to insure self-sustaining operation. The training program involves nine required courses and three courses focused within the pharmaceutical, biosensor, or biomedical track in the traineeship program. A series of required lab rotations is designed to facilitate cross-disciplinary awareness. An international technical/cultural experience is possible with Kyoto Technical University, the Australian National University and the University of Twente. The broader impacts of this IGERT program are that it will provide a forum for interdisciplinary training in a critical emerging research area, stimulate a new research direction in bio-applications for the NSF Membrane Center, create a formalized structure that integrates classical and bio-applications of membranes, catalyze the growth of the new Biomedical Engineering Department at UC, facilitate effective university/industry interaction, encourage the formation of interdisciplinary research teams, lead to research results that will improve health care and the quality of life, and generate patentable intellectual property and industry funding to sustain this IGERT program.IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In this sixth year of the program, awards are being made to institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF.