REU Site: Pharmaceutical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University

弗吉尼亚联邦大学(VCU)的REU制药工程站点是由VCU工程学院、VCU药学院和弗吉尼亚州立大学(VSU)共同发起的。这个为期10周的项目每年将吸引10名本科生和大约20名教职员工参与与制药工程相关的研究项目。药物工程REU项目将吸引学生参与合作项目，这些项目有可能改变药物的质量、成本和可获得性，同时提高美国制药和医疗保健行业的全球竞争力。REU网站旨在激励不同的本科生在医药产品的科学和工程领域追求职业生涯，从而满足研究人员、教育工作者、企业家和监管者对能够解决未来健康挑战的多学科劳动力的日益增长的需求。通过与STEM教育和研究机会有限的本科生机构合作，并招募多样化的学生研究团队，我们的目标是增加代表不足的群体对科学和工程的参与。每个学生组将参加由研讨会、研讨会、实地考察和社会活动组成的联合课程，并得到来自VCU、VSU和行业合作伙伴的导师的支持。学生将获得研究、产品创新、科学交流和出版物写作以及团队合作和论文写作的技能。VCU制药工程专业的REU将在三个基本领域进行研究：i)药物材料工程；ii)复杂配方工程；iii)活性药物成分的产生和控制。学生将通过从事支持复杂和新型医药产品开发的研究来获得技能和经验。REU的学生将参与实验工作，并学习制药工程的理论概念，以解决与制药产品设计和开发相关的跨学科挑战。将开展的项目解决了日益增长的以团队为基础的方法来解决与制药工程相关的挑战的需求，包括药物输送、吸入疗法和连续制造、联合化疗和纳米医学等主题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The REU site in Pharmaceutical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)is co-sponsored by the VCU College of Engineering the VCU School of Pharmacy and Virginia State University (VSU). The 10-week program will annually engage 10 undergraduates and approximatley 20 faculty members in research projects in areas related to pharmaceutical engineering. Pharmaceutical Engineering REU projects will engage students in collaborative projects that have the potential to transform the quality, cost, and availability of medications, while enhancing global competitiveness of the US pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. The REU site seeks to inspire a diverse group of undergraduate students to pursue careers in the science and engineering of pharmaceutical products, thus addressing the growing need of a multidisciplinary workforce of researchers, educators, entrepreneurs and regulators capable of solving health challenges of the future. By working with undergraduate institutions with limited STEM education and research opportunities, and recruiting a diverse team of student researchers, we aim to increase participation in science and engineering from underrepresented groups. Each student cohort will participate in a co-curriculum comprised of seminars, workshops, field trips, and social activities with support from mentors from VCU, VSU and industrial partners. Students will gain skills in research, product innovation, scientific communication and publication writing, as well as teamwork, and grant writing.The REU in Pharmaceutical Engineering at VCU will conduct research in three fundamental areas: i) the engineering of pharmaceutical materials; ii) the engineering of complex formulations and iii) the generation and control of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Students will gain skills and experiences by engaging in research that supports the development of complex and novel pharmaceutical products. REU students will be involved both in experimental work and also learn the theoretical concepts of pharmaceutical engineering that address interdisciplinary challenges related to the design and development of pharmaceutical products. The projects that will be undertaken address a growing need for a team-based approach to solving challenges related to pharmaceutical engineering and include topics in drug delivery, inhaled therapeutics, and continuous manufacturing, combination chemotherapy and nanomedicine.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.