VIIBRE - The Teaching of Innovation

The teaching mission of VIIBRE is to enhance the role of the biophysical and biochemical sciences and bioengineering in educational programs in biology and medicine at all levels. We are engaged in innovative education by combining undergraduate students' natural thirst for practical knowledge with opportunities to participate in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research.

These opportunities come through our SyBBURE program, Systems Biology and Bioengineering Undergraduate Research Experience, now the Searle Undergraduate Research program. SyBBURE is directed by VIIBRE's Deputy Director of Education, Professional Development and Innovation, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Engineering, Christina (Chrissy) Marasco under the leadership of John Wikswo, director of VIIBRE.

SyBBURE, started with a generous gift from Gideon Searle, a Vanderbilt alumnus, gives undergraduate students a distinctive opportunity to explore science at one of its most promising and exciting frontiers – the intersection of systems biology and bioengineering.

The aim of the Searle gift was to provide undergraduate students with mentored experiences in advanced scientific investigation with some of the University's leading research and teaching faculty.

SyBBURE was established as a promising solution to a nationally recognized need for more experiential learning outside the classroom. Students whose research has reached maturity are encouraged to travel to scientific meetings, such as those of the Biomedical Engineering Society, q-bio, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Attention is also give to appropriate outlets for publishing research results of their work.  Vanderbilt Magazine saw SyBBURE as a "hothouse for scientists."

For more information, visit the program’s web site http://www.sybbure.org.