This three-year REU Site program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute will engage eight undergraduate students each summer in research experiences focused in the area of Bioengineering. A unique feature of the program is that the undergraduate students will participate in outreach by becoming mentors to middle school students during a two-week Bio-Discovery Program. The objectives of the REU program are to provide: 1) meaningful research experiences for the participants in bioengineering; 2) to facilitate personal and professional development of the students in areas important for careers in engineering; and 3) to provide middle school students with one-on-one mentored laboratory experiences with positive roles that they can identify with. Research projects in diverse areas of bioengineering will be offered including tissue engineering, biomaterials, biomechanics, microbial infections, and bio-sensing. Faculty mentors will come from the departments of Biomedical Engineering (BME) and Chemical Engineering (ChE). In addition, undergraduate participants will be involved in weekly seminars and workshops on topics including mentoring skills, ethics in science, balancing work and family life, how to choose a graduate school, etc.
Undergraduates from Bioengineering, Chemical, Biomedical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering will be recruited from institutions, especially from those schools that lack graduate research programs. The Principal Investigator will place special emphasis on the recruitment of women and members of underrepresented groups. Through participation in the Bio-Discovery Program, undergraduate students will gain a desire to support the next generation of young scientists and engineers, and gain mentoring and team work skills which are highly valued in the engineering workplace. Likewise, middle school students will be encouraged to remain in math and science.
The WPI REU program objectives were to increase undergraduate participants’ bioengineering and research proficiency and independence, and to increase or sustain interest in engineering as a career or area of study. The undergraduate participants were involved in a combination of activities, including bioengineering research, professional development, and outreach. Outreach activities included the mentoring of middle school girls for a one-week BioDiscovery summer program. The main objective for middle-school girls in the BioDiscovery program was to increase the girls’ interest in science and engineering, and confidence it their ability to pursue engineering as a career path. This was achieved through one-on-one mentoring of an independent research project, as well as interactive group lab activities. The undergraduate participants served as positive role models (primarily young women) majoring in science and engineering at the college level. Over 600 well-qualified undergraduate students applied for the program over the three years; 24 students were selected and participated in the program. Each year approximately 75% of the applicants were female and 20% to 45% were from minority populations. Of the participants, all were female and 42% self-identified as underrepresented minority students. At the end of each year, faculty advisors’ and graduate students’ ratings indicated that undergraduate participants substantially increased their bioengineering research proficiency and independence as a researcher. Participants’ self-ratings reflected an increase in their ability to perform research tasks and their understanding of the practical aspects of research. Undergraduate participants acquired technical skills required to conduct meaningful experiments and interpret their results. They also reported that they learned to work collaboratively with others and noted that they increased their proficiency in research presentations, professional writing, professionalism and ethics, and preparation for graduate school. Over the three-year period, the undergraduate participants authored over 20 conference abstracts and gave presentations at national engineering conferences. In terms of broader impact and motivation to remain in the field, the undergraduates reported increased or sustained interest in engineering as a career or area of study. It is anticipated that the undergraduate participants will not only continue or start career paths in engineering, but also influence friends and colleagues’ career choices. For instance, many female participants stated that they would recommend or have recommended the program to others. One student noted that she had not considered continuing for a doctorate before the program, but she is now starting applications for PhD programs. The students’ participation and the impact of their enthusiasm for the project on their colleagues and mentees will increase the pool of women and minorities in science and engineering. For example, for some undergraduate participants, their experience in the BioDiscovery camp engendered confidence in the impact that they can have as role models to middle school girls, which inspired them to become more involved in mentoring and outreach when they returned to their home institutions. Middle-school girls participating in the BioDiscovery camp also reported increased interest in science careers and taking advanced science courses.
