Iowa State’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering will begin accepting applications for its 2018 BioMaP REU undergraduate summer research program on January 8, 2018. The deadline for applying is February 15. The program will be held from May 29 – August 3, 2018.
Details about the program, including a flyer and a descriptive list of all research projects to be offered can be found here (use the Quick Links on right side of the page).
The Biological Materials and Processes Research Experience for Undergraduates (BioMaP REU) is open to all undergraduate college students who are U.S. citizens and permanent U.S. residents. In addition to baccalaureate-track students, participants from community colleges and underrepresented minority students are encouraged to apply. Participation is limited. Students working on relevant projects will have access to electron microscopy and chemical/biological spectroscopy maintained by the Office of Biotechnology, U.S. Department of Energy Ames Laboratory and Plant Sciences Institute.
A stipend of $450 per week, a food and housing allowance up to $2,500 and travel expenses paid up to $800 per student is included with the program. Students accepted to the program will work with award-winning Iowa State University chemical and biological engineering faculty and with department graduate students in this enriching research experience, supported by the National Science Foundation. Sixteen research projects in energy, sustainability and health are available:
- Immunomodulatory Nanovaccines Against Infectious Diseases
- Drug and Gene Delivery
- Hyperspectral Imaging of DNA and Protein-Linked Metal Nanoparticles
- Competition Between Soluble and Extracellular Matrix Signals during Cell Migration
- Model Validation for Photosynthetically Active Radiation Transport in Algal Photobioreactors
- Contribution of Membrane Proteins to Microbial Robustness
- Thermal Deconstruction of Biomass
- The Artificial Pancreas Project
- Polymer Properties That Selectively Target Tumor-Associated Macrophages
- Bacteriophages on Porous Surfaces Used for the Detection of Bacteria
- Understanding the Relation Between Aptamer Structure and Function for Sensors and Synthetic Biology
- ex vivo Mini-gut Mucosal System for the Investigation of New Oral Vaccine
- The Social Network of Plants
- Probiotic Engineering
- Resonant Biosensors for Enzyme Activity, Protein Binding, and Ion Detection
- Lignin-Based Engineering Thermoplastics
At the conclusion of the project students will present research posters at a university symposium.
In their spare time, participants can get to know the picturesque Iowa State University campus as well as the community of Ames, Iowa, which has consistently placed highly in polls and studies regarding quality of life in the U.S.
