Project Profile
Hybrid Neural Microsystems: Integrating Neural Tissue and Engineered Systems
Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Tech Research Corporation
Abstract
This IGERT program is focused on the creation of a training environment that combines cellular and systems neuroscience with microelectronics/computing technology and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The novel combination of disciplines will result in a program whose intellectual merit is embodied in the development and application of systems that integrate… more »
This IGERT program is focused on the creation of a training environment that combines cellular and systems neuroscience with microelectronics/computing technology and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The novel combination of disciplines will result in a program whose intellectual merit is embodied in the development and application of systems that integrate neural tissue and engineered components. Research applications range from enhancing knowledge of living organisms, to augmenting damaged neuronal tissue, to creating biologically-inspired engineered systems. The participating faculty members have a strong track record of interdisciplinary education and research that has laid the foundation for this effort. The IGERT program will build upon this foundation through a combination of educational infrastructure and interdisciplinary research opportunities that will facilitate the training of IGERT fellows, who will emerge from the program as a new breed of scientist-engineer that understands and can apply knowledge that crosses these two, previously disparate disciplines.
This program will impact the participating institutions and the broader neuroengineering community through its educational, recruitment, and professional-development components. Educational efforts formalize interactions among programs at Georgia Tech and Emory, resulting in the integrated training of biology and engineering students to address issues at the intersection of these two disciplines. The program includes many interlinked educational components, including the capstone Hybrid Neural Microsystems course, which combines laboratory experience, problem-based learning, and implicit mentoring. The recruitment and retention efforts target the creation of a candidate pool of potential neuroscience and engineering students who are prepared for this program. These efforts will focus on the recruitment of a significant population of under-represented minority students, capitalizing upon existing partnerships between Georgia Tech, Emory, and the colleges of the Atlanta University Center. Career development will be fostered by engaging the fellows in collaborative international experiences and in industrial internships, enhancing, in the process, existing relationships with these international and industrial partners.
IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In this sixth year of the program, awards are being made to institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF. « less
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