REU Site: A Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) on Design and Delivery of Polymer-Drug Complexes

This award continues the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site program at the macromolecules and Interface Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. This eleven-week program supports 12 undergraduates for 11 weeks each summer during 2009 to 2011. Faculty and graduate student mentors drawn from departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Physics, and Wood Science and Forest Products will train the REU students. The program offers interdisciplinary research experience in the areas that bridge macromolecular materials design, pharmacological applications and biophysical interactions. Research focus is at the scientific junction of polymers and life sciences and projects are designed to instill teamwork, communication, and leadership skills in a cutting-edge research environment. Students will work on the synthesis of well-defined polymers for drug delivery systems, characterization of polymer-drug complexes and their properties, and study of the interactions of these materials with biological cells. Other activities in the program include leadership workshop for graduate student mentors, community building retreat for all participants, ethics workshop, short courses on polymers, drug delivery, and training for technical communication skills development. The program also offers opportunities for REU participants to mentor and work with middle school students on science demonstration projects and take their research to the local community through presentations at a public event.

This award is jointly funded by the Division of Materials Research and Chemistry in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate of National Science Foundation,