REU Site: Summer Engineering Research Experiences in Diabetes for Undergraduates

Illinois Institute Of Technology, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal: 0852048 PI Name: Eric Brey This renewal REU award for a site focused on diabetes will support ten undergraduates for three years in a ten-week summer research experience at the Illinois Institute of Technology (ITT). The primary goals of this program are to: 1) have students complete challenging diabetes-related engineering projects with research mentors; 2) demonstrate the ability to design experiments, analyze data, and present results that address a hypothesis; 3) expose students to the broader health implications of their research with lectures, outreach, and tours of clinical facilities; and 4) integrate ethics discussion and training into all aspects of the student experience. In order to build positive relationships between students and mentors in this program several social activities have been planned. These include weekly lunches, a student/faculty cookout, trips to sporting events, and performing volunteer work for the American Diabetes Association Day Camp. These experiences will stimulate the interests of undergraduates in engineering research, in general, and specifically emphasize the needs for top-notch researchers in the field of diabetes. More than 18 million people in the United States have diabetes. While a cure does not currently exist, biomedical engineering is providing important inroads to understanding and treating the disease and its many complications. In 2005, ITT established a unique multi-disciplinary center, the Engineering Center for Diabetes Research and Education?s (ECDRE) under the umbrella of the Pritzker Institute for Biomedical Science and Engineering. The objective of the ECDRE is to use engineering techniques to increase understanding and treatment of diabetes and its complications. Also, the ECDRE is the first engineering center in the U.S. to focus on diabetes. The Biomedical Engineering Department at ITT in collaboration with the ECDRE will provide the foundation for this summer REU program The PIs will target undergraduates from institutions were Biomedical Engineering research opportunities are limited, with a focus on women and underrepresented minorities for participation in this REU summer program. By conducting research projects related to a disease that affects more than 18 million people in the United States, the PIs have the potential to advance understanding while influencing engineers in their career.