REU Site: Emerging Frontiers in Biomaterials, Biomedical Engineering, and Biology at the University of Rhode Island

This award supports a new Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site at the University of Rhode Island (URI) focused on emerging frontiers in biomaterials, biomedical engineering, and biology (BBB@URI). The program will support ten undergraduate students for ten weeks of mentored summer research each year. BBB@URI will provide students the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research with faculty who have demonstrated success in training undergraduates, while building skills in science communication, research self-efficacy, and professional development to prepare them for graduate study and careers in biotechnology, pharmaceutics, and the broader STEM workforce. The program will be open to everyone, but place particular emphasis on recruiting students from primarily undergraduate institutions, two-year colleges, and minority-serving institutions, prioritizing those who have had limited prior access to research opportunities. A holistic selection process will look beyond GPA and institutional prestige to identify students with strong potential, drive, and capacity for a transformational research experience. The BBB@URI program will provide REU participants the opportunity to work closely with faculty mentors on projects related to biomaterials, biomedical engineering, and biology. The proposed research projects are designed to scale with each student's developing competency, enabling meaningful and lasting contributions to ongoing faculty research efforts. Students will develop science communication skills through a structured sequence of workshops, background presentations, and a final poster presentation at the statewide Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium. Students will participate in professional development activities covering responsible conduct of research, individual development planning, graduate school preparation, and career pathways in STEM, alongside cohort-building experiences through the RI Summer Undergraduate Research Consortium. A rigorous evaluation plan using validated instruments measures student gains in research skills, self-efficacy, STEM identity, and sense of belonging, with longitudinal follow-up tracking outcomes for up to five years post-program to ensure continuous improvement and advance the broader evidence base for high-impact undergraduate research training. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2548324 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Samantha Meenach | Institution: University of Rhode Island, KINGSTON, RI | Award Amount: $462,949 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2548324 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2548324.html