Transport processes such as fluid motion in biological systems at cellular, organismal and environmental levels are a key aspect of such challenges as targeted drug delivery, preventing cancer cell metastasis, and controlling pathogen spread through the biosphere. The discovery, analysis, and solution of critical issues in biological transport requires a new generation of truly interdisciplinary researchers who are educated in both engineering and biology, who merge these perspectives, and who can communicate effectively with fellow researchers, policy makers, and the public. The MultiSTEPS Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program establishes a sustainable framework of interdisciplinary research and education that will prepare future leaders of academic and industrial research to collaborate on, analyze and solve emerging problems in transport that are at the intersection of the engineering and biological sciences.
Trainees advance through a systematic multi-step process of interdisciplinary coursework, peer interaction, community development and cross-disciplinary research experiences, including formal training in ethics and professional development. Training involves cross-disciplinary education through coursework and teaching experiences, community-building interactive seminars, interdisciplinary research rotations, international research opportunities, interaction with industry, and a unique internal collaborative grant competition among the trainees. Building upon the resources of Virginia Tech's Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity, the MultiSTEPS program will recruit and retain a diverse population of future innovators and equip them with the multidisciplinary intellectual tools and methods necessary to tackle complex and challenging problems in human health, and sustainable agricultural and environmental practices.
IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.
