First Photonics REU program launched for summer research

BME is a 12-year veteran, but this year, the interdisciplinary Photonics Center
begins its run

By Chhavi Sachdev

Every summer for the last 11 years, sophomores and juniors from across the nation have done research at the Biomedical Engineering Department under the aegis of the National Science Foundation. This year, the ECE Department and the Photonics Center received the thumbs-up from the NSF to launch its own interdisciplinary Research Experience for Undergraduates program, making Boston University one of few schools to have concurrent REU programs.

Open to sophomores and juniors (and some enterprising freshmen) from engineering, natural science or mathematics backgrounds, the site grant from the NSF is designed to introduce students to the rigors — and joys — of research. While some applicants hail from Ivy Leagues, others are from smaller schools with minimal research facilities.

The REU program links up students with the same number of research projects at a given site. For both Photonics and BME, the projects are posted on the Web site and applicants are invited to rank their top three lab choices. The researchers then rank their top applicants and these are matched.

Sixteen students in Photonics and 15 in BME will be funded by the NSF. Additionally, since its inception, the University has sponsored 6 BU students in the BME program. For 10 intense weeks of research, the students receive a small stipend and free on-campus housing.

“The Photonics REU is a great endeavor,” said Professor Herb Voigt (BME), the principal investigator for the BME program. “Ours is very broad in scope; theirs is more focused."

The Photonics REU program had 250 applicants, but, as ECE Professor Michael Ruane, the program’ principal investigator pointed out, NSF approval came only a few weeks before the application deadline.

Forty percent of the accepted Photonics students are female. Seven students are from BU, others are from as far as Stanford University, RPI, Colorado Institute of Mines and Florida Institute of Technology.

The BME program, one of a handful that has received continued funding for several terms, had over 500 applicants this year, said Professor Voigt. Their site grant has been renewed three times and more than 50 percent of the students are women.

“Our goal is to get those students who might only have a vague idea of what research entails before they tune out,” said Professor Ruane.

For freshman Eric Cornelius (CAS), a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Physics double major, the program will provide his first brush with research. “I hope that the REU program will expose me to a more realistic working environment, help prepare me for my career, and be interesting and engaging research in its own right,” he said.

“I am very excited to get a taste of what actual research is like,” Cornelius continued. “Naturally, I am a little nervous due to the fact that I have only just completed freshman year and never truly been exposed to scientific research myself.”

Another of three freshmen from BU, Melissa Bowler (ME) wanted to work with her advisor this summer but needed funding. Then the NSF approval came through. “The REU program seemed to offer everything I needed plus a structured program that would aid me in learning what goes on in a lab, which is my ultimate goal,” she said.

Others are more seasoned. Xiaoyan Chen (BME), a junior from Nanjing, China, sees the REU program as a good way to get ahead on her Senior Project.

Students not only conduct research with top scholars in state-of-the-art labs, they also gain exposure to the real-world ethics involved in the research — both Professors Ruane and Voigt have invited weekly speakers on ethics and best practices.

Some alumni of the BME REU program are now enrolled at BU as graduate students, said Professor Voigt.

“In the long run, we’re giving these students an opportunity,” said Professor Ruane. “All the professors involved hope that these kids will become researchers. They might not necessarily land on our doorstep, but they’ll be good researchers.”