ABSTRACT
The proposed ““Bioengineering Research and Interdisciplinary Training – ESTEEMED" (BRITE)
program, with an emphasis on Orthotics, Prosthetics and Rehabilitation represents a major
research education initiative for Kennesaw State University to engage students with diverse
backgrounds in positive and impactful undergraduate research experiences that empower them
with tools of success to pursue PhD degrees for research careers in academia and industry.
Over a four-year period, we will recruit underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities,
women and economically- and socially-disadvantaged students, and expose them to spheres of
engineering and clinical discovery to provoke heightened and sustained interest in research
inquiry. The program will immerse students into the clinical realm of orthotics, prosthetics, and
rehabilitation through interactions with users of assistive technology, clinical rotations, faculty
mentoring, a Capstone project, and work on an interdisciplinary research team. At the end of the
four-year program, we will have trained student participants on essential research skills who will
be well-prepared to eventually serve as the next technological innovators and leaders in
bioengineering with more diverse and enriched perspectives of possibilities.
We aim to accomplish, measure, and assess the following main objectives: 1) We will recruit 32
academically-outstanding high school students from the target underrepresented groups for this
proposed research training program through partnerships with a major state government
sponsored STEM education program, a private Georgia STEM education foundation, and a
regional high school STEM administrator. 2) We will implement a vigorous participant retention
plan that will be ongoing and administered by an Academic Success advisory team. 3) We will
offer motivating, rigorous and impactful research training experiences through the following core
elements: summer bridge program, summer research experience, honors program, faculty
mentorship, and Capstone project. 4) The trainees will participate actively on an interdisciplinary
research team. 5) The students will obtain dedicated faculty research mentoring and career
counseling to ready them for graduate studies. 6) The trainees will increase their research
competency skills through specialized instruction and practice. 7) Graduating BRITE
participants will gain admission into masters/doctoral programs related to bioengineering.