The end goal of the proposed Summer Research Experience Program is to provide high quality research experiences through truly multidisciplinary research projects to undergraduate students, high school students and Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teachers from local schools with a large number of underrepresented minorities, in particular students with disabilities. As part of this program participants will gain an increased appreciation of the diverse roles and contributions from different disciplines in the context of biomedical engineering, behavioral science, and clinical research topics on pediatric mobility rehabilitation and assistive technology. This program will provide participants with training through a hands- on, interprofessional, and translational research experience focused on research projects that meet clinical and community needs. The program will comprise a partnership with industrial (J&J), clinical (Mayo Clinic) and community (Duval County Public Schools) collaborators, and will expose participants to a range of topics including Play and Pediatric Mobility, 3D printing, Adaptive Toys, Clinical Assessment and Diagnostics, Nutrition and Neurodevelopment, Biomedical Research Ethics, and Communication.
The aim i s to provide participants with a research experience that encourages future research careers (students), and mentoring on research methods that enable more effective teaching of scientific progress and careers (teachers). Furthermore, the program will complement the NIH (NICHD)-sponsored training already in place at the University and expand it to the earlier years of academic training, aiming to increase the overall number of participants from diverse academic backgrounds in biomedical, behavioral and clinical research careers through recruitment and retention.
The proposed research education program aims to provide biomedical, behavioral and clinical research opportunities for undergraduate students, high school students, and Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teachers from local schools with a large number of students with disabilities. This experience will be provided through a multidisciplinary team-based summer program at the University of North Florida, where students and teachers will partner to research topics on child-centered mobility rehabilitation and assistive technology. This experience will prepare participants for future challenges in the field and help them appreciate the roles and contributions from the different disciplines.
