REU Site: A Multidisciplinary Research Experience in Engineered Bioactive Interfaces and Devices

该项目更广泛的意义：该项目的总体目标是为工程生物活性接口和设备领域的二年级、三年级和四年级本科生提供一种新的多学科研究和教育体验。工程化生物活动接口和设备的研究重点是与生物系统相互作用并促进所需响应的新型建筑设计。这些先进的体系结构有许多应用，包括组织工程、传感系统和药物输送。学生将从不同的本科学科招生，包括工程、生物、化学、物理和数学。肯塔基大学周围是许多没有在这些地区开设研究生课程的地区性学院和大学。这些机构的招生将鼓励那些原本可能无法攻读高级学位的学生。此外，该项目的招聘将集中在没有研究生课程的国家机构。将特别努力吸引妇女和少数族裔参加这一方案，在少数族裔机构招聘，并在少数族裔和妇女组织的全国会议上宣传该方案，如妇女工程师协会和全国黑人工程师协会。被该项目录取的学生将与目前从事合作、跨学科研究的教职员工和研究生密切合作。拟议的REU计划建立在这些成功合作的基础上，并将其与其他教育组成部分相结合，如研讨会、研讨会和其他技术和社会活动。学生将接触到跨学科研究的兴奋，在项目结束时，他们将对研究生研究涉及的内容有很好的了解。项目描述：工程化生物活动界面领域专注于与生物系统相互作用并促进所需响应的建筑的新颖设计。在生物系统中工作的研究人员和那些创造新型工程合成建筑的研究人员之间的这种跨学科互动的必要性早已被认识到。这些先进的体系结构有许多应用，从组织工程到传感系统再到药物输送。这些系统的成功开发不仅取决于通过纳米技术、自组装和混合系统开发新型合成体系的专业知识，而且还取决于这些界面与细胞和蛋白质等生物系统的相互作用。作为REU项目的一部分，本科生将有机会了解三个跨学科的研究主题，这三个主题构成了该领域研究的基础。这些领域包括1)“新型生物活性结构”，2)“细胞/蛋白质界面相互作用”，以及3)“集成到设备中”。这些学生将与目前在这三个主题上从事协作、跨学科研究的教师和研究生密切合作，进一步支持高度多学科的团队研究方法。该REU项目不仅将为学生提供真正的跨学科指导和研究培训，还将通过研讨会、实地考察以及与研究生和教职员工的互动，激发学生对科学和工程博士职业的兴趣，并通过参与内部和科学会议的研究和演讲，培养学生的独立性和自信心。致谢：该计划由国家科学基金会工程教育和中心部门提供支持。

BROADER SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT:The overall objective of this project is to provide a novel multidisciplinary research and education experience for rising sophomore, junior and senior undergraduates in the area of Engineered Bioactive Interfaces and Devices. Research in Engineered Bioactive Interfaces and Devices focuses on the novel design of architectures that interact with biological systems and promote a desired response. These advanced architectures have numerous applications including tissue engineering, sensing systems, and drug delivery. Students will be recruited from various undergraduate disciplines including engineering, biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Surrounding the University of Kentucky are numerous regional colleges and universities that have no graduate programs in these areas. Recruitment at these institutions will encourage students that may not otherwise pursue an advanced degree. In addition, recruitment for the program will focus on national institutions that do not have graduate programs. Special efforts will be made to attract women and minorities to this program by recruiting at minority institutions and publicizing the program at national meetings of minority and women organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers. Students accepted into the program will work closely with faculty and graduate students who are currently engaged in collaborative, cross-disciplinary research. The proposed REU program builds on these successful collaborations and integrates them with other educational components, such as seminars, workshops, and other technical and social activities. The students will be exposed to the excitement of interdisciplinary research and by the end of the program will have an excellent knowledge of what is involved in graduate research. PROJECT DESCRIPTION:The area of Engineered Bioactive Interfaces focuses on the novel design of architectures that interact with biological systems and promote a desired response. The need for this cross-disciplinary interaction between investigators working in biological systems and those creating novel engineered synthetic architectures has long been recognized. These advanced architectures have numerous applications ranging from tissue engineering to sensing systems to drug delivery. Successful development of these systems will depend on expertise not only in developing novel synthetic architectures through nanotechnology, self-assembly and hybrid systems but also on the interactions of these interfaces with biological systems such as cells and proteins. As part of the REU program, the undergraduate students will have the opportunity to learn about three cross-disciplinary research themes that form the foundation of the research in this area. These areas include 1) "Novel Bioactive Architectures", 2) "Cell/Protein Interactions at Interfaces", and 3) "Integration into Devices". The students will work closely with faculty and graduate students who are currently engaged in collaborative, cross-disciplinary research across these three themes further supporting a highly multidisciplinary team research approach. This REU Program will not only provide the students with true interdisciplinary mentoring and research training but will also stimulate the students' interests in Ph.D. careers in science and engineering through seminars, field trips and interactions with both graduate students and faculty, and will develop the students independence and confidence through participation in research and presentations both in house and at scientific meetings. Acknowledgements: Support for this Program is provided by the National Science Foundation's Division of Engineering Education and Centers.