REU Site: Biological Materials and Processes (BioMaP)

Iowa State University, Ames IA

Investigators

Abstract

Intellectual Merit This proposed three year renewal REU site program at Iowa State University (ISU) and the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), Mexico will engage 12 students for 10 summer weeks each year in research focused in the areas of biological materials and processes. The overall goal is to create novel research experiences at ISU and ITESM for undergraduate students in the areas of biological materials and processes. These areas highlight the biological strengths of ISU, institutional units focused on biology and materials, and recent investments by ITESM in biotechnology. The cross-disciplinary nature of BioMaP enables students to discover the exciting biology/materials interface. The faculty team is diverse, has broad research interests, and an outstanding record of mentoring undergraduate students. Some students will participate in an international research experience at ITESM, which will provide them with valuable skills in a global environment. The program will focus on two research themes: (1) Biological Materials - The interface between biology and materials can be exploited to design robust materials with unique properties. In this context, biological materials are synthetic materials that interact with biological molecules/systems in specific ways to promote biological function. The students will work on projects focused on activation of immune cells, micro patterned scaffolds for neural stem cells, and colloidal quantum dots for bio-imaging and (2) Biological Processes - A fundamental knowledge of biological processes will be critical in the future chemical industry. Students will be exposed to this area through projects on protein recovery from transgenic plants, molecular modeling of peptide mimics, and metabolic engineering of alkaloids. ITESM faculty has established research collaborations with ISU faculty that will be used to offer exciting projects to students. The students will be active members of inter-disciplinary groups and will interact with faculty, post-docs, and graduate students. The REU students will also participate in educational activities such as short courses, joint seminars/meetings, workshops, tours of research facilities, and field trips. At the end of the program, the students will participate in a joint poster symposium together with students from other ISU undergraduate research programs. Program evaluations will provide feedback on fundamental concepts learned, attitudes regarding the topics, and program effectiveness. Broader Impacts A talented and diverse group of students will be recruited; special efforts will be made to attract women and minorities by publicizing the program at national meetings of minority organizations, by working with ISU programs that recruit women and minorities, and by utilizing the university's extensive relationships with community colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The impact of the REU will be further broadened with the following components. The first is an integrated program with community colleges in Iowa in which community college students, who have completed two years of pre-engineering, biotechnology, or pre-medicine and who have declared to transfer to ISU, will participate in the BioMaP REU. The second component is new and is focused providing research experiences for undergraduates who are preservice teachers in chemistry, physics, biology, and math. Involving preservice teachers in research discoveries will enable these students to effectively stimulate young minds towards careers in science and engineering. Results from these studies will be broadly disseminated. The experience of working in a global environment where their research will evolve from dependent to independent status will enable the students to walk away with life-long learning skills that will impact their contributions to science and engineering and to society.