REU Site: Engineering for Healthcare

This REU Site will provide experiential learning to a cohort of participants with a focus on critical engineering challenges in healthcare. REU Participants will (i) engage in research with Faculty and Graduate Student Mentors, (ii) gain or improve foundational research and other skills via training and workshops, (iii) learn about high-priority engineering challenges in healthcare via seminars and field trips to industry and medical/clinical facilities, (iv) disseminate their research results through both oral and written communication, and (v) establish a long-lasting network of research peers. In addition to the progression of science and advancement of national health, this REU Site positively impacts the education and personal growth of the REU Participants. As a result of this REU experience, which will be customizable to individuals in the program, REU Participants will be better prepared to explore research as a future career and make decisions regarding industry, government laboratory/agency, graduate school or medical school. This REU Site will also contribute to the professional development of participating Faculty and Graduate Students Mentors through required mentorship training. REU Site activities and lessons learned will be disseminated via participation in undergraduate focused symposia at relevant professional society meetings. This REU Site focuses intellectually on cross-disciplinary engineering research within the healthcare field. Several different projects are proposed for the REU Participants to select from, which span experimental and computational methods and are aligned with research laboratories of the Faculty Mentors. For example, research on the polishing of magnesium alloys will help realize a sustainable manufacturing process for magnesium-alloy-based biodegradable stents and advance stent design. Research on the development of microfluidic devices will address a critical need to develop better pathogen isolation and detection methods. Research on how cell nuclei can sense biophysical signals and regulate cellular behavior will elucidate new pathways to utilize nuclear mechano-sensing to enhance the efficacy of a medical treatment. Research on coagulation will address the need for a personalized approach to treat inflammation-mediated coagulopathy, both for urgent care and over longer recovery trajectories. Enhanced understanding of dura structure in the skull will inform synthetic graft development and further improve the integrity of cranial dura replacements in humans. Simulation of neuromuscular human balance control has the potential to increase the well-being of individuals in society by identifying new targets for fall-prevention interventions. In addition to the societal impact of engineering research that advances healthcare, the REU addresses the need for a modern workforce to meet these engineering challenges. 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.