CMIT SuperUROP Undergoes Transformation

The CMIT superUROP program is undergoing a transformation. This program, which provides a year-long intensive lab experience for MIT undergraduates will be revitalized as it becomes part of the New Engineering Education Transformation Program Living Machines thread in the Fall of 2019.

The Living Machines thread provides project-based education in engineering biotechnology and medical devices and their current theme is the human gut microbiome organ-on-chip. CMIT Director Eric Alm, also leads the Living Machines program along with Dr. Timothy Kassis and Dr. Linda Griffith. The potential to boost microbiome-centric undergraduate education by combining these synergistic programs was clear to all.

This partnership creates new broadly relevant research opportunities Living Machines students who can join Center Faculty member lab and potentially work on a diverse selection of projects. On the other hand, Faculty members and lab mentors will work with a unique population of motivated and seasoned undergraduate researchers: all students accepted into the Living Machines program will already have completed 2 semesters of undergraduate research.

Living Machines students that study in Center Faculty labs will be sponsored by the Center and will be known as Rasmussen Fellows, in recognition of the founding donors of the Center, Neil and Anna Rasmussen.