NSF CELL-MET Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program
This program was completed in August 2025, and is not currently offered.
The NSF CELL-MET Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program is a unique opportunity for first year engineering students to ease in to academic research with a small time commitment during the academic year, followed by six weeks of fully supported, in-depth research during the summer. Participants will learn skills that will help them succeed in their academic and professional careers, and they will join a supportive community of peers and mentors they can tap into throughout their years at BU.
Program Details
Six first-year BU College of Engineering students will be selected for this paid 1-year opportunity. Participants will be mentored by graduate students and faculty while they gain familiarity with research and build their engineering skill sets. This opportunity is provided by the NSF Engineering Research Center in Cellular Metamaterials, known as CELL-MET. CELL-MET is a research collaboration aimed at building heart tissue in labs that could potentially replace damaged tissue in patients. Participants will conduct research in BU labs which may involve stem cell biology, mechanobiology, materials science, computer science, and optics.
Program Aims
- Facilitate access to research opportunities for BU students regardless of background.
- Introduce students to laboratory research and deepen their academic engagement.
- Develop participants’ skill sets with hands-on training in photolithography, 3D printing, microelectronic sensing, robotics, machine learning, etc.
- Cultivate enduring mentoring networks.
- Broaden students’ horizons and expose them to varied research areas and career paths in engineering.
Applicant Qualifications
Applicants must be:
- First-year students enrolled in BU College of Engineering (all engineering majors are welcome).
- US citizens or permanent residents.
- Available to participate in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025, as described below.
- Supported by need-based scholarships and grants such as QuestBridge, IDEA, Menino, Posse Foundation, Impact, BPS Community Service, and University Scholarships, and Pell Grants.
- Prior research experience is not required. Preference will be given to motivated students who have not had access to previous research opportunities in engineering.
Stipend
- $2,625 in Fall 2024 semester (2-3 hours per week)
- $2,625 in Spring 2025 semester (2-3 hours per week)
- $4,200 for 6-week summer program July-mid-August (40 hours per week); travel to and from BU, dormitory housing, and meal plan will be provided
Commitment
- Fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters: Undergraduate students will work 2-3 hours per week in CELL-MET faculty labs. Each participant will work with a graduate student who will introduce and teach the tools and techniques used in the lab. Participants will also attend twice-monthly lunch meetings with CELL-MET researcher and program mentor Oliver McRae.
- Summer 2025: Participants will return to BU for six weeks, from July through mid-August (dates tba). They will split their time between 1) group skills training sessions (e.g., photolithography, 3D printing, microelectronic sensing, robotics and control) with science educator and CELL-MET partner Christopher Alba and 2) research in their individual CELL-MET labs where they will complete a research project of their own. Participants will present research posters at the summer program conclusion.
- Spring 2026: Participants will be given the opportunity to attend and present their posters at the Emerging Researchers National Conference in Washington, DC. All travel expenses will be paid. This conference is geared toward undergraduate researchers and is a great opportunity to hear amazing speakers, to meet students from across the United States, and to practice your science communication skills.
- Research Opportunities after Summer 2025: Participants who wish to continue working as undergraduate researchers after Summer 2025, will be advised regarding undergraduate research opportunities.
Participating Labs, Graduate Student Mentors, and Research Interest Areas
Applicants will be asked to name their top three lab choices. This is to help us understand the kinds of research that you are interested in now. As a first year student, we expect that your research interests will evolve. Placement in any of these labs will help prepare students for a wide variety of future opportunities. Please review the options below.
CELL-MET Labs
- Thomas Bifano Lab: Francisco Sanchez, for students interested in materials, mechanics, hands on building, and CAD modeling.
- David Bishop Lab: Noelle Pierce, for students interested in chemistry and physics, CAD modeling, optical microscopy, nanoscience and 3D printing.
- Chris Chen Lab: Xining Gao, for students who are interested in biology, chemistry, biological materials, cell culture, and tissue engineering.
- Emma LeJeune Lab: Hiba Kobeissi, The student in the LeJeune Lab will be involved in a project focused on validating software tools developed by our lab for measuring engineered cardiac tissue contractility. During this enriching experience the student will learn about and gain hands-on experience in code development in Python, image processing and analysis, analysis of large datasets, good practices for software documentation and dissemination, as well as good practices for organizing, curating, and disseminating large image-based datasets.
- Jerome Mertz Lab: Bingying Zhao, for students interested in math and physics and how they relate to physical phenomena.
Other Participating Labs
- James Bird Lab: Eli Forstadt, for students interested in fluid dynamics.
- Brianne Connizzo Lab: Caitlin Colicchio, The Connizzo Lab is interested in the interplay between mechanical forces and cellular behavior. Specifically they want to better understand how cells sense stress and then adapt to changing mechanical demands, like exercise, and what happens when this adaptation process is dysfunctional such as in aging or disease. We are also highly interested in understanding how this process is dependent on sex and sex hormone interactions. The student will learn about working with live animals, tissue and cell culture, mechanical testing, proteomics and in situ genetic manipulation, in addition to presentation and publication skills.
How to Apply
- Applications are currently closed
- This opportunity requires a yearlong commitment. Participants must commit to the fall, spring, and summer programs.
- Prior research experience is not required. Preference will be given to highly motivated students who have not had access to research opportunities.
QUESTIONS? Please contact Brenda Hugot, bhugot@bu.edu.
