This summer, 10 undergraduate students performed research using advanced imaging and microscopy technologies through the Discoveries in Bioimaging Research Experience for Undergraduates. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the 10-week program also allowed the students to experience life as a graduate student and provided critical professional development.
“Our REU program is a wonderful opportunity to bring in some of the top undergraduate students in the U.S. and inspire them through bioimaging to pursue graduate degrees,” said Stephen Boppart, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and of bioengineering who also is co-chair of the Integrative Imaging theme at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Boppart is the principal investigator for the program. “This is the perfect opportunity to engage the next generation of scientists and engineers, particularly those from underrepresented groups,” he said.
The program begins with a weeklong Bioimaging Bootcamp that covers safety as well as basic information on biology, imaging and microscopy through lectures, lab demonstrations and tours. The students then engage in intensive research projects in imaging and biological visualization, under the supervision of faculty and graduate student mentors.
“The undergraduate students have been excellent and incredibly dedicated to their research and to fully experiencing the graduate research lifestyle,” Boppart said. “Their graduate mentors have gained a new sense of professional maturity as they shift from student to teacher, and the faculty mentors have seen their research programs advance as a result.”
“I didn’t know much about bioimaging or medical device research prior to this REU,” said Amanda Craine, a junior in biomedical engineering at Pennsylvania State University. “I have learned about many different aspects of imaging research and its direct impact on the medical field. I have also learned how to prepare for grad school, about the admissions process and the milestones within a Ph.D. program.”
Craine, whose research focused on studying angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature, worked in the lab of Princess Imoukhuede, a professor of bioengineering and member of Beckman’s Bioimaging Science and Technology Group.
Craine’s mentor Cheri Fang, a Ph.D. student in bioengineering, was a first-time REU participant as well. “Amanda has been doing great in learning the techniques important to our research,” Fang said. “We have worked on experimental techniques, technical writing, critical thinking and using analytical software.”
Than Huynh - the only Illinois student in the group - is a junior in bioengineering. He worked in the lab of Wawrzyniec Dobrucki, a professor of bioengineering and member of Beckman’s BST Group. Huynh previously worked with Dobrucki and his graduate mentor Jamila Hedhli, a Ph.D. student in bioengineering, who also was an REU mentor last year.
“I saw this REU program as an opportunity to not only continue our research with my undivided attention, but also as an opportunity to explore more of the campus itself and all the cool ‘toys’ the other labs have,” Huynh said. “Through this experience, I also hope to get a look into graduate student life here and to further build on the foundations of my developing research skills.”
His research project utilizes PET-CT, ultrasound technology and laser speckle contrast imaging to assess angiogenesis and its connection to the phenotype of different melanoma cell morphologies.
Javier De Jesus Astacio, a student of mechanical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, worked in the lab of Catherine Best, a research professor of bioengineering.
“My goal is to provide a realistic world of research experience,” Best said. “I like for the students to see the ups and downs of research and to appreciate the process of science.”
“Javier exceeded my expectations in every way,” she said. “He is tenacious, has persevered through many technical challenges, thinks critically and is a great communicator. He successfully used spatial light interference microscopy to quantify mass, volume and cell density maps from his 3-D models of a mouse cerebellum.”
Joanne Li, a Ph.D. student in bioengineering, has served as the REU’s research team leader for three years and also was a graduate mentor for Janet Sorrells, who is working in Boppart’s lab. Sorrells is studying biomedical engineering at the University of Rochester.
“Janet is doing amazingly and has totally exceeded my expectations,” Li said. “She usually works independently - and she’s getting lots of good data. Her independence plus this level of work quality is something I don’t often see from an undergraduate student.”
As the research team leader, Li checks in with each student frequently, holding weekly meetings with them to make sure they are making progress, meeting deadlines and handling the stress.
“One of the purposes of this program is to let the students experience grad school at the U. of I., so I share a lot of my experiences with the students - both good and bad - because I want them to have a clear and realistic idea of what grad school is like and whether it’s the path they want to take,” Li said.
It is expected the REU, which is in its final year of a three-year agreement, will be renewed. Andrew Smith, a professor of bioengineering and co-PI for the program, will serve as PI, and Marina Marjanovic, the REU program coordinator and the associate director of the GSK Center for Optical Molecular Imaging, will serve as co-PI. Boppart will continue as a faculty mentor.
Of the 12 students who have graduated since participating in the program during the first two years, nine are in graduate school or will enter this fall. Five are enrolled or planning to attend Illinois.
“We hope to continue our involvement because of the success of the program in encouraging undergraduate students who are underrepresented in STEM graduate programs to attend graduate school,” Smith said. “The program also enhances our recruitment rate of top students, serving as a unique experience for undergraduates from other campuses to become immersed in our campus prior to applying for graduate school.”
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