REU Site: University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

EEC-0647918 Eric H. Chudler This award for an REU site at the University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials (UWEB) will expose undergraduate students to cutting-edge research at the biology and engineering interface in a team setting that stresses the value of interdisciplinary approaches to engineering problems such as biomaterial development. Each undergraduate will be a member of a collaborative team with a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow mentor and a faculty member as they undertake a research project. The team will focus on a UWEB project that is as a good example of interdisciplinary engineering research and one that has ties to industry research interests. To enhance the research experience the students will be required to:1)participate in a weekly communications course and journal club that deals with both oral presentation and writing skills, 2) write a journal style report of their research for publication; and 3) deliver an oral and poster presentation of their summer research in a mini-symposium session. Emphasis will be placed on recruiting students from underrepresented groups using established recruiting contacts at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and predominately minority institutions. Participants will gain valuable knowledge in an area of research that has significant and growing global impact on the quality of life (e.g. heart valves, hip joints, pacemakers, dental implants, drainage shunts, intraocular lenses, and heart-assist devices.