REU and REM Programs Attract Diverse Student Base for Cell Manufacturing Technologies
Outcome/Accomplishment
The Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) Center — a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at Georgia Tech (GT); the University of Georgia (UGA); the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW); and, the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguiz (UPRM) — hosted an in-person 10-week NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and a 6-week NSF Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program across all NSF CMaT sites with diverse students and mentors attending from across the United States. Virtual components enabled participants to benefit from exposure to NSF CMaT leadership, faculty, and students. The programs also culminated in the 6th Annual NSF CMaT Virtual Symposium, where NSF REU and NSF REM students across all partner institutes gave advanced research presentations.
Impact/Benefits
NSF CMaT’s Diversity Co-Director, Dr. Agnes Padovani, presented a training on Diversity and the Culture of Inclusion to highlight the importance of broadening participation in the cell manufacturing workforce. As a result of the training, both the NSF REU and NSF REM programs attracted a highly diverse student population. Of 14 REU participants, 57% were female; 29% were African American; 29% were Hispanic; 7% were Native American; two students with disabilities attended; and one student indicated veteran status. NSF REM participants included three technical college students and four high school students, of which 71% were female and 57% were Hispanic.
Partnering with technical colleges is critical to NSF CMaT’s strategic plan and responds directly to its industry partners’ concerns regarding industry shortages of appropriately trained workers to support cell manufacturing efforts as cell therapies scale up. During the NSF REM program, the technical college instructors take on an educational and mentoring role.
Explanation/Background
The NSF REU recruitment process featured an interview with top NSF REU candidates prior to final selection. These interviews allowed NSF CMaT to address students’ concerns and gather important information about their willingness to participate in the program, their preferences for placement, as well as their expectations and personality. The NSF CMaT 2023 NSF REU program ran for 10 weeks at GT and UW, and for 9 weeks at UPRM and UGA, due to housing constraints. Prior to the program start date, a single Welcome Orientation was held in a virtual format on May 19, 2023 for all NSF REU participants to join from across NSF CMaT institutions.
The 2023 NSF REM program offered in-person, hands-on research experiences for the technical college students and high school students, as well as virtual components for the technical college instructors. Their role included mentoring sessions, professional development seminars, and a special opportunity to connect with the participants in informal scientific discussions called the “Pre-journal Club” meetings. The NSF REM technical college instructors led several professional development events for the NSF REM students including a workforce skills, knowledge, and abilities workshop and an industry/employee expectations workshop.
Virtual components were continued throughout the NSF REU and NSF REM programs to maintain connections and collaborations across all NSF CMaT institutions. In addition to the Welcome Orientation, participants enjoyed a seminar on how to prepare the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) personal statement (presented by Dr. Eduardo Ortiz, a faculty member at UPRM), and, a graduate student panel discussion. A Virtual Symposium provided an opportunity for summer research participants in both the NSF REU and NSF REM programs to present their research findings to the broader NSF CMaT community, including NSF CMaT leadership; faculty; graduate students; and, industry partners. The Virtual Symposium was held on July 27, 2023 and included 21 oral presentations, comprised of research participants at UGA (4 REU students and 1 technical college student); UPRM (2 REU students and 4 Young Scholars/REM students); UW (3 REU students); and, GT (5 REU Students and 2 technical college students).
Location
Atlanta, Georgiawebsite
Start Year
Advanced Manufacturing
Advanced Manufacturing
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Outcome/Accomplishment
The Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) Center — a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at Georgia Tech (GT); the University of Georgia (UGA); the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW); and, the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguiz (UPRM) — hosted an in-person 10-week NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and a 6-week NSF Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program across all NSF CMaT sites with diverse students and mentors attending from across the United States. Virtual components enabled participants to benefit from exposure to NSF CMaT leadership, faculty, and students. The programs also culminated in the 6th Annual NSF CMaT Virtual Symposium, where NSF REU and NSF REM students across all partner institutes gave advanced research presentations.
Location
Atlanta, Georgiawebsite
Start Year
Advanced Manufacturing
Advanced Manufacturing
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Impact/benefits
NSF CMaT’s Diversity Co-Director, Dr. Agnes Padovani, presented a training on Diversity and the Culture of Inclusion to highlight the importance of broadening participation in the cell manufacturing workforce. As a result of the training, both the NSF REU and NSF REM programs attracted a highly diverse student population. Of 14 REU participants, 57% were female; 29% were African American; 29% were Hispanic; 7% were Native American; two students with disabilities attended; and one student indicated veteran status. NSF REM participants included three technical college students and four high school students, of which 71% were female and 57% were Hispanic.
Partnering with technical colleges is critical to NSF CMaT’s strategic plan and responds directly to its industry partners’ concerns regarding industry shortages of appropriately trained workers to support cell manufacturing efforts as cell therapies scale up. During the NSF REM program, the technical college instructors take on an educational and mentoring role.
Explanation/Background
The NSF REU recruitment process featured an interview with top NSF REU candidates prior to final selection. These interviews allowed NSF CMaT to address students’ concerns and gather important information about their willingness to participate in the program, their preferences for placement, as well as their expectations and personality. The NSF CMaT 2023 NSF REU program ran for 10 weeks at GT and UW, and for 9 weeks at UPRM and UGA, due to housing constraints. Prior to the program start date, a single Welcome Orientation was held in a virtual format on May 19, 2023 for all NSF REU participants to join from across NSF CMaT institutions.
The 2023 NSF REM program offered in-person, hands-on research experiences for the technical college students and high school students, as well as virtual components for the technical college instructors. Their role included mentoring sessions, professional development seminars, and a special opportunity to connect with the participants in informal scientific discussions called the “Pre-journal Club” meetings. The NSF REM technical college instructors led several professional development events for the NSF REM students including a workforce skills, knowledge, and abilities workshop and an industry/employee expectations workshop.
Virtual components were continued throughout the NSF REU and NSF REM programs to maintain connections and collaborations across all NSF CMaT institutions. In addition to the Welcome Orientation, participants enjoyed a seminar on how to prepare the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) personal statement (presented by Dr. Eduardo Ortiz, a faculty member at UPRM), and, a graduate student panel discussion. A Virtual Symposium provided an opportunity for summer research participants in both the NSF REU and NSF REM programs to present their research findings to the broader NSF CMaT community, including NSF CMaT leadership; faculty; graduate students; and, industry partners. The Virtual Symposium was held on July 27, 2023 and included 21 oral presentations, comprised of research participants at UGA (4 REU students and 1 technical college student); UPRM (2 REU students and 4 Young Scholars/REM students); UW (3 REU students); and, GT (5 REU Students and 2 technical college students).