This three-year REU Site program will provide ten undergraduate students each year an intellectually stimulating, hands-on research experience in a supportive environment and will encourage these students to pursue graduate training in Bioengineering. The participants will have access to state-of-the-art facilities, the opportunity to work with accomplished and experienced faculty mentors, and the opportunity to participant in highly collaborative, cutting-edge research projects. In an effort to enhance the students' research experience, extensive professional development opportunities will be provided through weekly workshops, an undergraduate research conference, panel discussions, and GRE preparation courses. The undergraduate students will also participate in weekly community-building activities and a REUnion event at the annual meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society.
Participants will be recruited nationwide with a goal of half the students being admitted from non-PhD. granting institutions where research opportunities are limited. These institutions include public, private, women's, and tuition-free colleges that together serve a diverse student population. Applications will especially be encourage from students in populations groups that are underrepresented in Bioengineering.