REU Site: Discoveries in Bioimaging

该项目的更广泛的意义：在伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校（UIUC）的REU网站“生物成像的发现”将提供一个国家的最先进的，跨学科的研究环境，在生物成像，以激励和培养本科生从代表性不足的人口在工程，以鼓励他们过渡到研究生学位课程。在整个教育过程中，视觉是一种强有力的手段，可以清楚地传达复杂的思想，激发好奇心和兴趣。 同样，生物和医学科学的研究也总是需要细胞、组织和器官的清晰图像，以发现生命机制，并检测和理解疾病的复杂病理过程。生物科学，发现和生物成像之间的统一联系将是新REU网站的鼓舞人心的核心。 谁参加这个REU计划的学生将获得一个亲密的熟悉如何生物学发现直接从成像产生，并获得先进的技能在国家的最先进的成像技术和跨学科研究，他们可以随身携带到研究生院。 他们将接触到生物成像技术和应用的广阔领域，同时专注于生物学和医学科学前沿的特定项目。 此外，通过实施文献支持的指导和培训战略，该计划将直接解决管道泄漏，为代表性不足的群体过渡到工程研究生学位课程。 那些选择不攻读研究生课程的人仍然会获得丰富的技术技能，专业精神和职业准备。 我们的计划的属性，无论是那些是成功的，或可能无效的，将不断评估和完善，和调查结果将通过在教育期刊上的出版物向公众传播。项目描述：在工程教育和中心的NSF部门的支持下，REU网站将致力于通过生物成像研究的夏季经验激励和培训STEM领域的本科生。我们的目标是创建一个连贯的跨学科计划，以生物学和医学科学的可视化为中心，在所有尺度上，学生建立一个榜样，导师和同龄人的网络，以支持和鼓励他们过渡到研究生院。在各种STEM学科完成大一，大二和大三的本科生将被招募，特别是针对女性和代表性不足的少数民族，特别是那些在少数民族服务机构和研究机会有限的小型学院。此外，积极性高的社区学院学生谁是途中4年制学院和大学，将包括在内。学生将开始这个为期10周的暑期课程，为期5天的“生物成像训练营”，通过讲座，演示，实验室活动和图尔斯参观，结合社会介绍，提供生物学，成像和显微镜的基础知识。在接下来的九周内，学生将在成像和生物可视化方面进行深入的研究项目，由一名教师和研究生密切指导，并得到经验丰富的UIUC本科生的帮助。所有的研究项目，从使用荧光显微镜成像单分子到跟踪活动物皮肤中的细胞动力学，将有三个基本要素：（1）成像和/或显微镜，（2）针对生物或医学科学的应用，以及（3）分析或计算组件。学生将通过每两周一次的社交活动与他们的同龄人分享经验，参加研究研讨会和专业发展会议，并与校园内其他雷乌斯的参与者互动，以扩大他们的网络。夏季的成就将在提交摘要生物医学工程学会（BMES）年度秋季会议，在那里他们将在秋季重新召集继续教育和职业丰富的机会达到高潮。

BROADER SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT:The REU site "Discoveries in Bioimaging" at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will provide a state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary research environment in bioimaging to inspire and train undergraduates from under-represented demographics in engineering to encourage their transition to graduate degree programs. Throughout the educational process, visuals are a powerful means to clearly convey complex ideas and to stimulate curiosity and interest. Likewise, investigations in the biological and medical sciences invariably require clear pictures of cells, tissues, and organs to discover mechanisms of life and to detect and understand the complex pathological processes of disease. The unifying link between bioscience, discovery, and bioimaging will be the inspirational centerpiece for the new REU site. Students who take part in this REU program will gain an intimate familiarity with how biological discoveries directly arise from imaging, and gain an advanced skillset in state-of-the-art imaging technologies and interdisciplinary research that they can carry with them to graduate school. They will be exposed to the vast breadth of bioimaging techniques and applications while simultaneously focusing on a specific project at the forefront of biology and medical science. Furthermore by implementing literature-supported mentorship and training strategies, this program will directly address pipeline leaks for the transition of under-represented groups to engineering graduate degree programs. Those who choose to not pursue graduate studies will still be enriched with technical skills, professionalism, and career-readiness. The attributes of our program, both those that are successful, or perhaps ineffective, will be constantly assessed and refined, and findings will be disseminated to the public through publications in educational journals.PROJECT DESCRIPTION:With the support from the NSF Division of Engineering Education and Centers, the REU Site will be dedicated to inspiring and training undergraduates in STEM fields through a summer experience in bioimaging research. The goal is to create a coherent interdisciplinary program centered on the visualization of biology and medical science at all scales in which students develop a network of role models, mentors, and peers to support and encourage their transition to graduate school. Undergraduates finishing their freshman, sophomore, and junior years in a variety of STEM disciplines will be recruited with special efforts directed toward females and under-represented minorities, especially those at minority-serving institutions and small colleges with limited research opportunities. In addition, highly motivated community college students who are en route to 4-year colleges and universities, will be included. Students will begin this 10-week summer program with a 5-day "Bioimaging Bootcamp" to provide foundational knowledge in biology, imaging, and microscopy through lectures, demonstrations, lab activities, and tours, in conjunction with social introductions. Over the next nine weeks, students will engage in intensive research projects in imaging and biological visualization, closely mentored by a faculty member and graduate student, with assistance from an experienced UIUC undergraduate. All research projects, ranging from imaging single molecules using fluorescence microscopy to tracking cell dynamics in the skin of live animals, will have three essential elements: (1) imaging and/or microscopy, (2) an application directed toward biological or medical sciences, and (3) an analytical or computational component. Students will share experiences with their cohort through biweekly social activities, attend research seminars and professional development sessions, and interact with participants in other REUs on campus to expand their network. Summer achievements will culminate in the submission of an abstract to the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Fall Meeting, where they will reconvene in the fall for continued education and career-enriching opportunities.