REU Site: Translational Biophotonics

This three-year REU Site: Translational Biophotonics will engage ten undergraduate students each year in the science and engineering of using light to measure cells, tissues, and organs for the purpose of improving human health. The program will work to cultivate a new generation of researchers well-versed in the principles and applications of biophotonic technologies.

These efforts will enable REU students to contribute to advancements in the field and their translation into practical solutions for human health. The Site will focus on recruiting underrepresented students, including students from undergraduate institutions with limited research opportunities. Students will engage in a range of state-of-the-art biophotonic technologies.

They will be introduced to the process of clinical and commercial technology translation (a process by which new technologies are brought to clinical-care setting and eventually to the market). Students will learn written and oral communications skills, how to work effectively on diverse and interdisciplinary teams, and the principles of biomedical and engineering ethics. Participants will conduct lab-based research and attend technical seminars and panels on careers.

This REU Site will focus on developing a range of state-of-the-art biophotonic technologies and methods that are opening doors in basic and translational research. The three main research thrusts of the program are methods development, neuroimaging, and clinical methods. An uncommon feature of the program is that students will be introduced to the process of clinical and commercial technology translation, and training in identifying unmet needs, regulatory pathways, market analysis, entrepreneurship, and commercialization.

As an important cross-cutting element of the program, students will learn principles of biomedical and engineering ethics. Participants will present their research to the Boston University community. The project will showcase how biophotonic technologies can drive rapid innovation and advancements in medicine and human health.

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.