The MIT Biological Engineering REU Program (BE REU) will provide students from a spectrum of science and engineering backgrounds who are not enrolled at MIT with research experiences at MIT in the emerging discipline of Biological Engineering. Biological Engineering is defined as engineering analysis, design, and synthesis applied to modern molecular life sciences, with diverse application areas including biotechnology, environmental health, materials synthesis, and ocean ecology. The program will consist of full-time laboratory research as well as seminars and workshops on responsible conduct in research, professional communication skills, career opportunities in industry and academia, and the graduate school application process. Mentors for REU projects are drawn from faculty who hold appointments in the Biological Engineering Department at MIT (see http://web.mit.edu/be/people/index.htm), and many of the projects are co-supervised by two faculty members trained in different disciplines. Example projects include: Mechanism-based drug design; systems biology analysis of cell signaling processes; molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis; chemical, biological, and physical mechanisms of endogenous DNA damage and repair; protein tools for nanotechnology; biomechanics of protein motors; molecular antennas for diagnosis and treatment of disease; tissue engineering for drug discovery; new biomaterials for tissue engineering; stem cell biotechnology. Admission to the program is competitive and students of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Students choose projects during the first week following presentations from prospective mentors and meeting with mentors and the laboratory teams. For more information, visit http://web.mit.edu/bpec/, or contact Dr. Linda Griffith at griff@mit.edu, 617.253.0805, or Dr. Peter Dedon at pcdedon@mit.edu, 617.324.7555.
