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Twenty-one undergraduate students from Iowa State and around the nation are ready for a summer of hands-on research in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) with the Biological Materials and Processes Research Experiences for Undergraduates (BioMaP REU) program.

BioMaP is funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) REU site award to CBE faculty members Monica Lamm and Ian Schneider, NSF REU supplement awards to Eric Cochran and Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, and a NIH REU supplement award to Schneider.

BioMaP provides mentored research experiences for undergraduate students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering or a related curriculum. Each student is paired with a CBE faculty member to work on a research project. Iowa State chemical engineering graduate student Carly Dolgos (a BioMaP REU program alumna) serves as the program’s graduate student mentor.

This year’s students, the institutions they attend, their research project, and ISU faculty mentor, include:

• Olivia Appel, Barnard College, Therapeutic Hybrid Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery Across the Blood Brain Barrier, Rizia Bardhan
• Jack Bonde, Iowa State University, Lignin‐Based Engineering Thermoplastics, Zengyi Shao
• Tristan Boyer, Brandeis University, Three‐Dimensional Whole‐Tissue Fluorescence Imaging, Jing Wang
• Savanna Busch, Southwest Minnesota State University, Cell Migration Control Through Modulation of Multiple Directional Cues, Ian Schneider
• Elijah Erickson, Iowa State University, Carbon Nanotubes Complex Fluids, Eric Cochran
• Laila Fortson, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Immunomodulatory Nanovaccines Against Infectious Diseases, Balaji Narasimhan
• Ashley Heimann, University of Kansas, Toward Real‐Time Control of Cell Differentiation Using Reinforcement Learning, Nigel Reuel
• Henry Ho, Lone Star College – Houston Community College, Lignin‐Based Engineering Thermoplastics, Eric Cochran
• Jared Kaczor, Iowa State University, Compostable Core Shell Impact Modifiers, Eric Cochran
• Aayush Lamsal, University of Iowa, Probiotic Engineering, Thomas Mansell
• Matt Laws, Iowa State University, Compostable Core Shell Impact Modifiers, Eric Cochran
• Mia Lopez, Wartburg College, Drug and Gene Delivery, Surya Mallapragada
• Anna McCaslin, Iowa State University, Next Generation Polytriglycerides, Eric Cochran
• Brooklyn Mills, Grand View University, AI‐driven Design of Alpha Helical Proteins, Ratul Chowdhury
• Huy Nguyen, Iowa State University, Electrosynthesis of Biobased Adipic Acid, Jean-Philippe Tessonnier
• Jefferson Roberts-Dobie, Iowa State University, Polymers for Sustainable Pavements, Eric Cochran
• Brizeyda Rojas Tapia, Community College of Denver, Biobased Powder Coatings, Eric Cochran
• Elizabeth Teresa-Apolonio, Manhattan College, Interfacing Biocatalysis and Electrocatalysis for Modular Electrochemical Manufacturing, Jean-Philippe Tessonnier
• Kyle Tsujimoto, Iowa State University, Powder Based Coatings, Eric Cochran
• Jaylie Van’t Hul, Des Moines Area Community College, Actuatable DNA Origami Structures for Drug Release, Ian Schneider
• Charles Yung, Grinnell College, DNA‐directed Patterning to Study Tumor Microenvironments, Molly Kozminsky

Participants also interact with other department graduate students (in connection with their research work), and post-doctoral researchers, and participate in seminars, meetings, professional development workshops and social events. The program will conclude with each participant presenting a research poster summarizing their summer project that will be part of a campus-wide poster session in early August.

Learn more about the BioMaP REU program.