REU Site: Integrated Bioengineering Research, Education, and Outreach Experiences for Females and Underrepresented Minorities at WPI

建议：0754996 PI姓名：Billiar，克里斯汀伍斯特理工学院为期三年的REU网站计划将每年夏天吸引八名本科生参加生物工程领域的研究经验。 该计划的一个独特之处是，本科生将在为期两周的生物发现计划中成为中学生的导师。 REU计划的目标是：1）为生物工程参与者提供有意义的研究经验; 2）促进学生在工程职业生涯重要领域的个人和专业发展; 3）为中学生提供一对一的指导实验室经验，他们可以识别积极的角色。将提供生物工程不同领域的研究项目，包括组织工程，生物材料，生物力学，微生物感染和生物传感。 教师导师将来自生物医学工程（BME）和化学工程（ChE）的部门。 此外，本科生参与者将参与每周一次的研讨会和讲习班，主题包括指导技能，科学道德，平衡工作和家庭生活，如何选择研究生院等。生物工程，化学，生物医学，电气和计算机工程的本科生将从机构中招募，特别是那些缺乏研究生研究项目的学校。 首席调查员将特别重视征聘妇女和任职人数不足群体的成员。通过参与生物发现计划，本科生将获得支持下一代年轻科学家和工程师的愿望，并获得在工程工作场所高度重视的指导和团队合作技能。 同样，将鼓励中学生继续学习数学和科学。

Proposal: 0754996PI Name: Billiar, KristenThis three-year REU Site program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute will engage eight undergraduate students each summer in research experiences focused in the area of Bioengineering. A unique feature of the program is that the undergraduate students will participate in outreach by becoming mentors to middle school students during a two-week Bio-Discovery Program. The objectives of the REU program are to provide: 1) meaningful research experiences for the participants in bioengineering; 2) to facilitate personal and professional development of the students in areas important for careers in engineering; and 3) to provide middle school students with one-on-one mentored laboratory experiences with positive roles that they can identify with. Research projects in diverse areas of bioengineering will be offered including tissue engineering, biomaterials, biomechanics, microbial infections, and bio-sensing. Faculty mentors will come from the departments of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and Chemical Engineering (ChE). In addition, undergraduate participants will be involved in weekly seminars and workshops on topics including mentoring skills, ethics in science, balancing work and family life, how to choose a graduate school, etc.Undergraduates from Bioengineering, Chemical, Biomedical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering will be recruited from institutions, especially from those schools that lack graduate research programs. The Principal Investigator will place special emphasis on the recruitment of women and members of underrepresented groups. Through participation in the Bio-Discovery Program, undergraduate students will gain a desire to support the next generation of young scientists and engineers, and gain mentoring and team work skills which are highly valued in the engineering workplace. Likewise, middle school students will be encouraged to remain in math and science.