Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site for Computational Sensing and Medical Robotics (CS&MR)

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

This REU Site for Computational Sensing and Medical Robotics (CS&MR) hosted by Johns Hopkins University (JHU) will provide a diverse cohort of undergraduate and community college participants from institutions nationwide an exciting and challenging research experience involving projects in a range of engineering disciplines and computer science. Each participant will be matched with a research project in one of JHU's robotics labs. These research projects are aimed at helping surgical doctors to make operations more effective and less error prone by using modern computation, sensing and robotics tools. Some of the projects will also help people with disabilities regain some of the lost functions, by using, for example, devices such as artificial limbs. The students will work closely with teams composed of a professor, graduate student, other undergraduate students and, often, high school students and/or teachers. The undergraduates will also get training in technical writing, oral presentation, and research ethics. They will tour labs at JHU Hospital (JHU/H), the Applied Physics Laboratory, and local robotics and biotech companies, and get the opportunity to perform laparoscopic procedures at the JHU/H Minimally Invasive Surgical Training. As a result of all these activities, this grant will help prepare a workforce for an important sector of the US economy at the interface of healthcare delivery and engineering. The program will increase the number of experts who can make complex surgery safer, less expensive and more available nationally. The intellectual merits of this REU program stem from its multidisciplinary nature, as it offers each participant during a ten week summer experience, the ability to conduct research in a variety of fields and develop strong teamwork collaboration skills. Each faculty mentor provides a project description that may be created specifically for the program or designed to carry out a facet of on-going work. Because the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics (LCSR) has close ties with the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare, participants can experience the cutting-edge research that is designed to aid medical diagnosis, interventions, and prosthesis, and contribute to technologies that are likely to become a part of the "future of medicine." The project team plans to leverage this experience and offer this REU in CS&MR with an aim of broadening the areas of research to include more biological inspired and biologically targeted computational sensing, imaging, and robotics systems. Quality of the program is assured through mentor training, formative and summative assessments (by JHU Center for Education and Outreach), and longitudinal tracking of students (by administrative staff in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering). The broader impact of this REU program will result from the fact that it addresses a vital national need to improve the delivery of healthcare by developing new sensing, imaging, and medical robotics systems as well as techniques designed to enhance the ability of clinicians to introduce, plan, and execute medical procedures. By recruiting from and partnering with LSAMP, McNair, SWE, SHPE and other similar programs, minority-serving institutions and community colleges, this program will help develop a pipeline of qualified, diverse individuals who will contribute to the workforce in the area of STEM, particularly in the multi- and interdisciplinary subjects encountered in technology enhanced biomedical research, clinical interventions, and basic biological and life sciences. The participants will be well trained in communications and research ethics, which are essential for success in today's biotechnology and bioscience work and the marketplace. 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.