CBE BioMaP undergrad research program returns with in-person format
Author: John Burnett-Larkins
BioMaP is back in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Undergraduate students from around the nation are settling into their summer home, and research hub, at Iowa State University with the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering’s (CBE) BioMaP REU program. It was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With funding from the National Science Foundation, the Biological Materials and Processes Research Experience for Undergraduates (BioMaP REU) provides mentored research for selected students who are pursuing (or have just received) bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering or a related curriculum. Each student is paired with one ISU CBE faculty member, along with a designated graduate student.
This year’s participants were chosen from 129 applicants, and they come from all corners of the country. They include (with research project and faculty mentor):
- Walid Abuhashim, The University of Akron: Polymer Properties That Selectively Target TumorAssociated Macrophages, Katie Bratlie
- Nareen Anwar, The University of Texas at Dallas: Resonant Biosensors for Enzyme Activity, Protein Binding, and Ion Detection, Nigel Reuel
- Maple Chen, Cornell University: Probiotic Engineering, Thomas Mansell
- Ryan Godin, Cleveland State University: Understanding the Relation Between Aptamer Structure and Function for Sensors and Synthetic Biology, Monica Lamm
- Liam Herbst, Iowa State University: Lignin-Based Engineering Thermoplastics, Eric Cochran
- Kendra Kreienbrink, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse: The Artificial Pancreas Project, Derrick Rollins
- Grace Matassa, The College of New Jersey: Immunomodulatory Nanovaccines Against Infectious Diseases, Balaji Narasimhan
- Tyler Price, University of Tulsa: Controlling Structure and Mechanical Properties to Understand and Guide Cell Migration, Ian Schneider
- Megan Raszler, Dordt University: Contribution of Membrane Proteins to Microbial Robustness, Laura Jarboe
- Derrick Sanders, University of Maryland, College Park: Hyperspectral Imaging of DNA and Protein-Linked Metal Nanoparticles, Andrew Hillier
The program is coordinated by CBE faculty members Monica Lamm and Ian Schneider. Iowa State chemical engineering graduate student Alma Vela Ramirez will serve as the program’s overall graduate student mentor.
Participants also interact with other department graduate students and post-doctoral researchers, and participate in seminars, meetings, professional development workshops and social events. The program concludes with activities summarizing each participant’s summer research in early August.
More information about the BioMaP REU program can be found on the CBE web site.
