Undergraduates Participate in Cutting-Edge ERC Summer Research Program
The NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio), co-led by the University of Minnesota and Massachusetts General Hospital, launched its inaugural Research Experiences for Undergraduates program in the summer of 2021. The program provided an authentic laboratory experience that focused on biopreservation.
Undergraduate students performed research and participated in seminars and workshops designed to generate interest in graduate education and biopreservation as a career field. The students were immersed in a new and exciting multidisciplinary research culture that also helped them build their confidence as young researchers.
Students from around the country joined ATP-Bio researchers for a 10-week Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, hosted at the University of Minnesota and Massachusetts General Hospital from June 7 to August 13, 2021.
The Center funded 10 students, all from historically excluded groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, to participate in cutting-edge cryopreservation research. All engineering research conducted by the Center is aimed at eliminating or mitigating threats to biopreservation, such as ice formation, cryoprotective agent toxicity, and slow and/or non-uniform rewarming. For the majority of the REU students, this was their first experience conducting research.
