The NSF program “recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based masters and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S .institutions.”
The 2013 NSF Graduate Research Fellows are: Jaideep Dudani, senior, Bioengineering; Michael Haddad, graduate student, Electrical Engineering; Saba Kohannim, graduate student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Robert Lamm, senior, Bioengineering; Brian McVerry, graduate student, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Dan Wilkinson, graduate student; Materials Science and Engineering. In addition, chemical engineering alumna Maricela Maldonado ’11, currently a graduate student at UC Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering, also received a fellowship.
Brief profiles of the students and their research can be found below:
| Jaideep Dudani, Bioengineering Undergraduate advisor: Professor Dino Di Carlo Research focus: Miniaturized systems for high-throughput preparation and analysis of cancer cells. Future Graduate Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Biological Engineering |
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| Michael Haddad, Electrical Engineering Graduate advisor: Professor Diana Huffaker Research focus: Growth, device fabrication, and characterizaton of III-V semiconductor nanostructures. Undergraduate institution and degree: University of Florida, B.S. in Electrical Engineering |
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| Saba Kohannim ’11, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Graduate advisor: Professor Tetsuya Iwasaki Research focus: Uncover the biological principles underlying fish swimming and develop a systematic method for designing feedback controllers for robotic vehicles that achieve efficient propulsion through natural oscillations of the coupled body-fluid system. Undergraduate program and degree: UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, B.S. in mechanical engineering |
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| Robert Lamm, Bioengineering Undergraduate Advisor: Professor Daniel T. Kamei Research focus: The improvement of prostate cancer drug delivery utilizing the active targeting of the A11 Minibody. Future graduate institution: University of Washington, Bioengineering |
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| Brian McVerry, Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate co-Advisors: Professor Richard Kaner (Chemistry and Biochemistry, Materials Science and Engineering) and Professor Eric M.V. Hoek (Civil and Environmental Engineering) Research focus: Development of self-cleaning membranes for large-scale water treatment Undergraduate Institution: UC Santa Barbara, B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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| Dan Wilkinson, Materials Science and Engineering Graduate Advisor: Professor Bruce Dunn Research focus: Materials engineering for stem cell-based regenerative medicine. Specifically, encapsulation of stem cells in novel materials to probe cell adhesion characteristics and their effect on pluripotency and cell fate and development of a functional lung organoid from induced pluripotent stem cells using biodegradable scaffolds. Undergraduate institution and degree: University of New Mexico, B.S. in Physics and Mathematics |
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| Maricela Maldonado ’11 UCLA Engineering degree: B.S. in chemical Engineering Undergraduate advisor: Professor Tatiana Segura Current graduate institution: Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside Graduate Advisor: Professor Jin Nam Research focus: Using electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds to enhance stem cell differentiation for cartilage regeneration |
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