IGERT: Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program
Funded by the National Science Foundation

The ultimate vision of the Center for Biologically Inspired Materials and Material Systems’ research and educational program is to map traditional engineering onto biology. The IGERT curriculum integrates natural science, life science, and engineering, using biologically inspired approaches, to bridge a gap in current biomedical and bioengineering programs. The Center’s vision is to bring “nature’s engineering” into the engineering curriculum and engineering principles into the study of nature’s materials.

Because of the potential enormity of the “Engineering of Biology,” this program focuses on three specific areas:

1. Bio-NanoScience and Engineering
2. Encapsulation, Coatings, and Surface Patterning
3. Hierarchical Systems

This focused approach allows students and faculty to develop mapping concepts to the leading edge of knowledge and to explore the intellectual and practical aspects of creating a new curriculum in this burgeoning new area at the interfaces of biology, medicine, engineering and basic physical and chemical sciences.

This is the first step towards establishing a new paradigm in science and engineering education that explores life’s mechanisms at the molecular level and translates these findings up through hierarchical scales of structure and organization to bring greater understanding of mechanism to the biological organism (reverse engineering) and unique designs to (forward) engineered devices.

The first class of IGERT Trainees matriculated in September 2003. Applicants should apply through the Duke Graduate School Admissions Office.