REU Site: Mechanobiology at VCU

为期三年的REU项目：弗吉尼亚联邦大学（VCU）工程学院的机械生物学是一个为期10周的项目，每年将有10名本科生和教职员工参与生物医学工程研究项目。机械生物学是一门研究机械信号如何转化为化学信号的学科，它是一个迅速发展的研究领域。每天都有新的研究表明，机械信号会影响细胞功能。这些机械信号在理解干细胞分化、胚胎发育、纤维化、心血管疾病、癌症、免疫反应、肺部疾病和许多其他生物过程中起着关键作用。机械生物学领域需要一套独特的跨学科技能。每个项目将重点培养学生获得与细胞力学、药物输送、肺力学和骨科再生医学相关的跨学科技能。此外，参与者将学习科学方法、统计技能、研究伦理以及协作生物医学研究实验室的工作。所有参与者都将为机械生物学或相关领域的研究生学习或研究事业做好更好的准备。一个高度优先事项是招募和参与女性、来自代表性不足群体的学生和来自有限研究机构的学生。为期三年的REU项目：弗吉尼亚联邦大学（VCU）工程学院的机械生物学是一个为期10周的项目，每年将有10名本科生和教职员工参与生物医学工程研究项目。这个REU网站有三个目标：1。增加对机械生物学研究的参与。2. 提供机会，以提高科学素养和沟通，在工程和生命科学的界面。3. 使参与者为机械生物学或相关领域的研究生学习或研究工作做好准备。REU的学生将有机会发展机械生物学方面的前沿研究技能，包括微加工技术、机械转导途径分析、细胞-物质相互作用和机械药物输送。学生们还将参加一项拓展活动，为K-12教师开发和教授新的实践活动，以便他们向K-12学生教授工程原理。在每周的会议上，参与者将学习研究技术，参加期刊俱乐部，并与机械生物学专家建立联系。在每年夏季结束时，学生们将参加一个研究研讨会，并提交摘要，在国家科学会议上展示他们的工作。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The three-year REU site: Mechanobiology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) at the VCU College of Engineering is a 10-week program that will annually engage 10 undergraduates with faculty members in biomedical engineering research projects. Mechanobiology, which is the study of how mechanical signals are translated to chemical signals, is a rapidly expanding field of research. Every day, new studies demonstrate that mechanical signals affect cellular functions. These mechanical signals are critical players in understanding stem cell differentiation, embryonic development, fibrosis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, immune response, lung disease, and many other biological processes. The field of mechanobiology requires a unique set of interdisciplinary skills. Each project will focus students on gaining interdisciplinary skills related to cell mechanics, drug delivery, pulmonary mechanics, and orthopedic regenerative medicine. Furthermore, participants will learn scientific methodology, statistics skills, research ethics, and the workings of collaborative biomedical research laboratories. All participants will become better prepared for graduate study or research careers in mechanobiology or related fields. A high priority is the recruitment and involvement of females, students from underrepresented groups, and students from limited research institutions.The three-year REU site: Mechanobiology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) at the VCU College of Engineering is a 10-week program that will annually engage 10 undergraduates with faculty members in biomedical engineering research projects. This REU site has 3 goals: 1. To increase participation in mechanobiology research. 2. To provide opportunities to enhance scientific literacy and communication at the interface of engineering and life sciences. 3. To prepare participants for graduate study or research careers in mechanobiology or related fields. REU students will have access to developing cutting-edge research skills in mechanobiology including microfabrication techniques, mechanotransduction pathway analysis, cell-material interactions, and mechanically enabled drug delivery. Students will also participate in an outreach activity to develop and teach new hands-on activities to K-12 teachers so they can then teach engineering principles to K-12 students. At weekly meetings, participants will learn about research techniques, participate in journal clubs, and network with experts in mechanobiology. At the end of each summer, students will participate in a research symposium and submit abstracts to present their work at a national scientific meeting.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.