REU site: Research at the interface between engineering and medicine (ENGMED)

The three-year REU Site project: Research at the interface between engineering and medicine (ENGMED) is hosted by Rice University. Recent decades have seen a dramatic transformation in our quality of life because of disruptive new technologies that are changing the way we study, diagnose, and treat human diseases. These technologies include the engineering of cells to create living therapies; the use of new biologically compatible materials to regenerate tissue lost to disease; the creation of robotics and patient-device interfaces to automate therapy and enhance human performance; and the application of artificial intelligence to diagnose and treat disease. The overarching goal of ENGMED is to foster participation in quality collaborative research, sparking participants’ interest in pursuing careers that support research at the interface between engineering and scientific or translational research. ENGMED will provide ten participants each year with a comprehensive picture of the activities, culture, and expectations associated with biomedical research settings by offering talks, tours, workshops, and access to both Rice University and related facilities. Leadership and professional development components of the program will equip students with skills that reach beyond the lens of biomedical engineering research, including scientific communication and time management. Follow-on academic year activities will be part of developing a multi-scale network of peer support and mentorship that will engage and sustain REU students well beyond their specific REU summer experiences. The three-year REU Site project: Research at the interface between engineering and medicine (ENGMED) is hosted by Rice University. The overarching goal of ENGMED is to foster participation in quality collaborative research, sparking participants’ interest in pursuing careers that support research at the interface between engineering and scientific or translational research. To achieve this, the REU program mentors will instruct participants on how areas of engineering can impact other disciplines through collaborative faculty-mentored research experiences. These areas include: i) cellular and molecular engineering; ii) biomaterials and tissue engineering; iii) robotics and therapeutic devices, and iv) machine learning and bioinformatics. Another focus of the REU is working in team-based collaborative research projects, which will equip students with a skill set that emphasizes the importance of communication and interdisciplinary training. Additionally, ENGMED will provide participants with a comprehensive picture of the activities, culture, and expectations associated with biomedical research settings by offering talks, tours, workshops, and access to both Rice and related facilities. Leadership and professional development components of the program will equip students with skills that reach beyond the lens of biomedical engineering research, including scientific communication and time management. Follow-on academic year activities will be part of developing a multi-scale network of peer support and mentorship that will engage and sustain students well beyond their specific REU summer experiences. 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.