This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Imaging and Mechanics-based Projects on Accidental Cases of Trauma (IMPACT) at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFSM) offers multidisciplinary biomedical engineering opportunities aimed to improve the fundamental understanding of trauma and injury. Aligned with their vision to build a diverse and robust STEM workforce training program, objectives emphasize training, educating, mentoring, and inspiring underrepresented students to pursue biomedical research and careers. Students, including those from underrepresented groups, will gain a fundamental understanding of injury research, develop critical thinking skills to grow as independent researchers, and be encouraged to pursue educational and career opportunities in biomedical research. The REU research will benefit society through development of predictive models for injury; advancements to military, automotive, sports, and spaceflight safety; and improvements to diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to prevent, mitigate, and treat injuries and associated sequela. Research findings will be disseminated via video snapshots, publications, conference abstracts, presentations, patents, and reports authored by REU students, with the goal of promoting STEM research and careers to hundreds of students who attend the summer symposium, visit the website, or interface with the REU students presenting at national conferences and their undergraduate colleges.
The goals of the ten-week summer REU program are to (1) Offer biomedical engineering research training to students, and teach them medical imaging and biomechanics techniques, which they will apply to investigate mechanistic, physiological, anatomical, and other fundamental factors related to accidental trauma; (2) Educate students on the research process, research ethics, dissemination of findings through publication and presentation, and the societal implications of their research, through hands-on training paired with seminars focusing on biomedical research and professional development topics; (3) Cultivate mentoring relationships between REU participants, graduate students and faculty mentors that extend beyond the duration of the REU, providing support, guidance, and encouragement to the REU participants as they develop into more confident and independent scientific researchers; and (4) Foster an interest in biomedical engineering research within underrepresented groups and students with limited opportunities for STEM research, which will impact the career plans of the REU participants, and hundreds of students reached through the program's widespread dissemination campaign. Each summer, 12 REU participants will receive hands-on research training that encourages them to make creative contributions to research projects culminating in the dissemination of their work in the form of a podium presentation at the end-of-summer symposium, and a poster presentation at a national conference. The intended impact of the REU site is to impart training on engineering research and the research process, cultivate lasting mentoring relationships, and foster an interest in STEM research and higher education in the REU students and the broader community.
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.
