Twelve chemical and biological engineering undergraduates from near and far are heading home with great memories and valuable research experience following a summer at Iowa State. They were participants in the Biological Materials and Processes Research Experience for Undergraduates (BioMaP REU) program in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE).
The program brings undergraduates to the Iowa State campus to work under the mentorship of ISU chemical and biological engineering faculty to gain hands-on research experience in topics that match their educational interests and goals. This year the 12 students were selected from nearly 70 applicants, with the program beginning in early June. Participants also interact with department graduate students, post-doctoral researchers and members of industry and participate in cohort experiences such as seminars and meetings, workshops and field trips.
This year’s students concluded their experience by taking part in the REU & Summer Research Programs Poster Presentation in the Memorial Union, and had high praise for their CBE experience. “The program really stimulated my mind, and has me now questioning new and different things, which is the point of an experience like this,” said Michelle Thayer, a student from Grand View University.
Some of the participants, entering their junior or senior years of college, are considering graduate school and examining their options – and Iowa State is on the radar of more than a few following the BioMaP experience. “I was very impressed with the bond that exists among graduate students here,” said Matthew Amrofell, who is a student at Northwestern University. He added, “There is so much research going on here and so many directions you can go, Iowa State is very appealing.”
“I am feeling a lot more positive about graduate school, because I really enjoyed the work I did here this summer,” said Paul Rudnicki of the University of Notre Dame. “The faculty here was very supportive and accessible. Their doors were always open,” said Ryan McCormick of the University of South Carolina.
In addition to Thayer, Amrofell, Rudnicki and McCormick, participants included Chiron Anderson of Piedmont Virginia Community College; Tenson Cai of Case Western Reserve University; Adam Carr of Brigham Young University; Taha Gesalla of Des Moines Area Community College; Anai Perez of Grand View University; Natalie Sherwood of North Carolina State University; Jackson Stansell of Harvard University; and Phuong Tran of Des Moines Area Community College.
The program is funded by the National Science Foundation.