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295 undergraduate students have taken part in the PTEI Summer Internship Program (SIP) since it began in 1997 (27 students participated in 2010). The SIP provides meaningful research opportunities for college students pursuing careers in bioengineering, biotechnology, medicine, computer science, chemistry, engineering, the natural sciences, and related fields. The SIP has been enormously successful in encouraging participants to pursue postgraduate education. As of 2009: Of participants who have completed their undergraduate studies 42% are attending or have attended medical school; 27% are attending or have attended graduate school and 10% are pursuing dual degrees. Of these, 37% are attending medical and/or graduate school in the Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania region.

With the goal to expose young people to the high level of biomedical research being conducted throughout the PTEI affiliate network, PTEI developed and sponsors an annual undergraduate summer internship Program (SIP) to showcase the many exciting new opportunities within the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine throughout the region and beyond.

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Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative Undergraduate Research Summer Internship Program in Pittsburgh

Since the program began in 1997, 295 students have taken part in the 10-week summer research program that runs from early June to mid-August.

During the 2010 Summer Internship Program, 25 PTEI summer interns participated in the Pittsburgh-based summer research program (and 2 participated in the Combat Casualty Care SIP in San Antonio). The Pittsburgh-based students were exposed to many areas of primarily musculoskeletal tissue engineers research with some of our region’s leading scientists and engineers.

The SIP, one of PTEI’s oldest and most successful educational programs, is an invaluable opportunity for undergraduate college and university students pursing careers in medicine, research, bioengineering, chemistry, biology, engineering, materials science, computer science, the natural sciences or related fields to relate their growing skills and educational experiences to one of today’s most exciting and promising areas of biomedical research, the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Supervised by research mentors at PTEI's affiliated universities and academic health centers, PTEI summer interns perform their own research and data analysis, and present their findings at a formal scientific poster session at the conclusion of the program. PTEI also organizes social and professional development activities throughout the summer. Through the program, the students gain valuable research experience, and make invaluable contacts for future employment in the region and beyond. As the SIP students graduate from college, PTEI continues to track their career and educational progress, focusing on whether the SIP experience increased students’ interest in

Through the program, the students gain valuable research experience, and make invaluable contacts for future employment in the region and beyond.

biotechnology, in general, and tissue engineering, specifically.  

As well, attention is given to the impact on the region's rate of retention of this intellectual capital. PTEI is also engaged in other activities aimed at promoting the development of the regional biotechnology industry through seed grant funding of tissue engineering research and through a broad range of educational programs that heighten the region’s awareness of the scientific, clinical, and economic significance of tissue engineering. PTEI focuses on biomedical and related technologies associated with engineered tissues, including cell culturing, gene therapy, organ transplantation and regeneration, biomaterials, tissue manufacturing processes and computer-assisted analysis and design. Internships are awarded with researchers in the PTEI network, including researchers at Allegheny General Hospital, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, University of Pittsburgh, the UPMC Health System, and the Windber Research Institute.

PTEI is committed to extending Undergraduate PTEI Internships/Postdoctoral Fellowship positions to students who are members of groups currently underrepresented in science, technology and engineering fields, including: African American, Asian, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander descent, and disabled individuals.

Support for up to 10 interns per summer are provided by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduate Award, entitled "Multicultural Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Structural Tissue Engineering (#EEC-0648781)."