Lehigh University was the recipient of grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 2006 and 2010 to fund undergraduate science initiatives in STEM approaches to complex problems in the sciences and engineering. In its early years, the BDSI primarily focused on issues in the life sciences. The program currently has expanded to incorporate health sciences more generally while maintaining its emphasis on building an interdisciplinary culture at the University through distinctive research experiences.
Undergraduate summer research opportunities include participation in the Biosystems Dynamics Summer Institute. Research groups are led by faculty from different disciplines and include graduate and undergraduate students working together on a common research project.
The 10-week summer program includes:
• an intensive research experience for students
• research discussion groups
• training on the use of high end instrumentation
• workshops for writing and presentation skills
• research seminars
A major goal of the BDSI is to provide research experiences that emphasize the multi-disciplinary approaches that can help address the increasingly complex questions facing scientists and engineers working to advance public health and medicine.