REU Site in Micro/Nano-Structured Materials, Therapeutics, and Devices

奥本大学的REU项目为期三年，本质上是跨学科的，重点是微纳米材料科学与技术。具体的主题将包括材料的合成和表征，微/纳米粒子的形成过程，薄膜的纳米力学，碳纳米管，无机纳米棒，MEMS，纳米粒子系统和微膜药物输送，纳米纤维纱线和织物，纳米粒子薄膜等。该项目涉及来自不同院系的14位教师导师，包括化学工程、化学、机械与材料工程、聚合物与纤维工程、制药和生物系统工程。REU的参与者将与研究教师导师配对，在他们的实验室中从事专注于微/纳米结构材料、治疗方法和设备的项目。学生将学习诸如文献检索和回顾、研究设计、实验室研究技术、书面和口头陈述以及在团队环境中工作等技能。学生将以小组形式参加每周一次的研讨会和讲习班，使个人的研究经验得到交叉培养，并解决专业发展问题(例如，研究方法，转到学士学位课程，研究生院申请过程中的步骤，技术写作，有效的演讲技巧，专业礼仪培训，科学和工程伦理，专利和商业化。等)拟议项目的更广泛影响包括：1)为来自阿拉巴马州和海湾州四年制大学和社区学院的不同群体的本科生提供跨学科的研究环境，而参与研究活动的机会有限；2)增加研究中女性和代表性不足的少数群体的数量；3)鼓励社区大学学生和兄弟姐妹攻读科技领域的学士学位；4)鼓励在校学生及其兄弟姐妹攻读研究生；5)加强专业发展和职业指导；6)在整个奥本大学培养本科生的研究机会；7)通过本科生科研指导经验促进教师发展。

This three year REU Site program at Auburn University is interdisciplinary in nature and has a strong focus on micro and nano-material science and technology. Specific topics will include materials synthesis and characterization, micro/nano particle formation processes, nanomechanics of thin films, carbon-nanotubes, inorganic nano-rods, MEMS, nanoparticulate systems and micro films for drug delivery, nanofibers yarns and fabrics, nanoparticle thin films, and others. The program involves fourteen faculty mentors from diverse academic departments, including Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Polymer and Fiber Engineering, Pharmacy, and Biosystems Engineering.REU participants will be paired with research faculty mentors to work in their laboratories on projects focused on micro/nano-structured materials, therapeutics, and devices. Students will be introduced to skills such as literature searching and review, research design, laboratory research techniques, written and oral presentation, as well as working in a team environment. Students will participate as a group in weekly seminars and workshops that allow cross cultivation of the individual research experience as well as address professional development (e.g., research methods, transferring to a bachelor degree program, steps in the graduate school application process, technical writing, effective presentation skills, professional etiquette training, ethics in science and engineering, patents and commercialization, etc.)The broader impacts of the proposed project include: 1)providing an interdisciplinary research environment to a diverse group of undergraduate participants from Alabama and Gulf State four-year institutions and community colleges with limited opportunity to engage in research activities; 2)increasing the number of women and underrepresented minorities in research;3)encouraging community college students and siblings to pursue bachelor degrees in science and technology areas;4)encouraging students and siblings at undergraduate institutions to pursue graduate studies;5)enhancing professional development and career guidance;6)fostering undergraduate research opportunities throughout Auburn University; and 7)promoting faculty development through the undergraduate research mentoring experience.