REM: Biomaterials and Bioprinting Summer (BBS) School

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

This award will enable the Principal Investigator (PI) to support a Biomaterials and Bioprinting Summer (BBS) school research and mentoring program for underrepresented minorities students in STEM. The summer school is designed to provide high school students and undergraduates with hands-on research experience and focused training and mentoring in the emerging field of tissue engineering. The hierarchy-based learning environment involves the principle investigator, graduate students and undergraduates along with new recruits to develop strategies to design biomaterial structures, create tissues and tissue interfaces. Participants will be provided with a tool kit of elementary working knowledge on biomaterials, bioprinting and cells with an intention to build engineered tissue prototypes and technology. During the summer, the participants will implement new designs and strategies to develop tissue-based biomaterials and bio-inks that can be used to develop engineered tissue prototypes. The project will focus on promoting diversity in engineering, science and technology and will use a mentorship approach that involves providing research experience as well as mentoring participants in professional development, scientific writing, and communications skills development. The PI and graduate student mentors will co-ordinate the research and mentoring plans for the participants that will be individually tailored to each participant’s academic level and skills. Participants of this project will bring new knowledge and demos of prototypes to the classroom that will serve as a tool to create awareness in science and engineering technologies. The immediate benefits would include promotion of STEM careers and address long-term workforce diversity issues in the biomedical science/ engineering related areas. This award seeks to implement a successful mentoring program and create laboratory mentoring demonstrations to attract minority/women students in STEM careers, with a focus on focus on introducing the many career paths that come under the broad area of Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, and technology development. 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.