Engineering, particularly through its convergence with life sciences, creates many exciting opportunities for career and personal development. Despite such opportunities, many undergraduates have not been well informed and still hesitate to seek or explore careers in engineering. The challenge to the academic community is clear: new learning methods must be implemented and the excitement associated with research and discovery has to be conveyed to a broad cross-section of undergraduate students. The objective of this International Research Experiences for Students proposal is to address this challenge by engaging a cadre of undergraduate students in the emerging area of plasma medicine. This award is supported jointly by the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems.
Plasma medicine is a quickly developing area of medical technology which brings recent developments in atmospheric pressure room temperature plasma physics and engineering to bear on important medical problems such as wound healing, infection control, and skin cancer. Drexel University and its partner institution, the University of Orleans in France, have been at the forefront of this area by developing specialized plasma discharges and investigating mechanisms of interaction between plasma and living tissues. Participating undergraduates will engage in laboratory discovery and experiential learning through a split research assignment at Drexel University and the Groupe de Recherches sur l'Energétique des Milieux Ionisés (GREMI) based at the University of Orleans. Students will take part in one of three projects: physical and chemical kinetic mechanisms in plasma medicine; surgical plasma treatment technology; and non-thermal plasma in liquids and tissues. Over a three-year period, the proposal will fund four U.S. undergraduate students per year to spend six weeks in France collaborating with researchers from GREMI. The research experience will be integrated into Drexel's co-op program.
