New Leadership at SEAS: David Parkes Named Dean of Engineering and Applied Sciences. [Read more]

2018

 

Renz Marion Alcoran currently lives in Boston, pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering. Originally from Guam, Renz has lived in San Diego and is a veteran of the US Marine Corps where he worked on F/A-18 aircraft. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors, going to the gym, cooking, and going on adventures.  

Project Title: Gripping with a Toroidal Hydrostat

Mentors: Professor George Whitesides, Samuel Root, Brian Cafferty

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard: NSF DMR-1420570

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Jeffrey Alido is a rising junior at the University of California, San Diego studying chemical engineering. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. and wants to become a professor to conduct research and teach. Outside of academics, he is passionate about jazz music, Deaf culture and volunteering to help combat food insecurity.

Project Title: Iodine vapor staining of biological tissue for enhanced contrast in micro-CT imaging

Mentors: Professor Konstantina Stankovic, Janani Iyer

Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences: NSF DMR-1559890

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Caterina Baffa is a rising sophomore at Smith College with a range of study interests including chemistry and Romance languages. She hopes to pursue an MD and/or Ph.D. after college. In her free time, she enjoys fencing, reading, and cooking. 

Project Title: Generating Alginate Beads for the Modeling of Cells in Bioprinting

Mentors: Professor Jennifer Lewis, Mark Skylar-Scott

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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Andrew Baublis is a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame. He is a chemistry major and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry upon graduation. Andrew enjoys Boston sports, playing the guitar, and spending time with friends.

Project Title:

Mentors: Jarad Mason, Grant Stec

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure: NSF ECCS-1541959

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Alberta Boafo-Arko is currently biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major at UMBC. She loves to travel, relax at the beach and play the piano in her free time.

Project Title: Magnetic Archimedes Levitation (MagLev)

Mentors: George Whitesides, Christoffer Abrahamsson, Michael J. Fink

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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Aaron Brooke is a nursing student at Bunker Hill Community College and hopes to eventually become a nurse practitioner. He is also in the Army National Guard Corps of Engineers where he operates heavy machinery. He lives and works full time in the Boston area as an emergency medical technician. He genuinely enjoys helping others and volunteers at a nursing home where he provides companionship for military veterans.

Project Title:

Mentors: Arthur McClelland

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials: NSF DMR-1231319

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Holly Cunningham is a rising sophomore at Princeton University majoring in Operations Research & Financial Engineering. As someone passionate about statistics and quantitative social science, she is eager to dive into the world of big data. She enjoys spending her time playing tennis, swimming, playing piano, and ordering Domino's.

Project Title: Team SWARM, Privacy Tools

Mentors:

Funding: NSF Trustworthy Computing Systems (TWC): Frontier: Privacy Tools for Sharing Research Data: NSF CNS-1237235

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Darnell Cuylear is a rising senior at the University of New Mexico. He is majoring in Biology with a double minor in Chemistry and Management. He plans on pursuing a DDS/Ph.D. in Oral health sciences. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

Project Title: Tough Adhesive Gels for Oral Applications

Mentors: David Mooney, Ben Freedman, Kyle Vining

Funding: NSF REU Site: Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences

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Ethan Davis spent 4 years in the Marine Corps, then enrolled at Bunker Hill Community College. He then transferred into Dartmouth and is pursuing a degree in engineering.

Project Title: The role of physical geometries in Calcium Carbonate nucleation

Mentors: Joanna Aizenberg, Yanhao Yu

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure: NSF ECCS-1541959

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John Doyle is a US Army veteran and is a graduate of the US Army Ranger School. He served for 12 months in Afghanistan. John attended Bunker Hill Community College and was the president of the Veterans Organization on campus while studying nursing and biology. In 2015, while at Bunker Hill, John participated in the REU program in Kit Parker’s group, working on lab on chip technology. He has continued this work in the lab during the academic year and returned in subsequent summers to the REU program. Now at UMass Lowell, John enjoys hiking in his free time and recently trekked to the base camp of Mount Everest.  

Project Title:

Mentors: Kevin Kit Parker, Ben Pope

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard: NSF DMR-1420570

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Chelsea Draper is a student from the University of New Mexico where she is studying Chemical Engineering and Mathematics. Growing up on a Navajo reservation is what inspired her to pursue engineering, and she has taken her experiences with her to the many occupations she has held, including teaching, driving, and working a research assistant. 

Project Title: Organic Batteries on Chip

Mentors: Michael Aziz, Graziela C. Sedenho, Frank N. Crespilho

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure: NSF ECCS-1541959

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Haileyesus Dugoma Ephrem is a senior Civil Engineering student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is originally from Ethiopia and immigrated to the U.S. 6 years ago. Aside from his great love of math, physics, and engineering, improving the transportation and road infrastructure in Ethiopia serves as an inspiration to him in his education and career. He likes most sports, particularly playing and watching soccer. He is a huge fan of Barcelona and Arsenal.

Project title:

Mentors: Robert Westervelt, Sagar Bhandari

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials: NSF DMR-1231319

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Noon Farsab is a rising senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute majoring in Mechanical Engineering. She is very passionate about math and teaching. Her goal is to attend graduate school after receiving her bachelor's to become a professor. In her spare time, she likes to walk and listen to music.

Project Title: Fabric Based Flipping and Climbing Robot

Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, Melinda Malley

Funding: NSF REU Site: Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences: NSF DMR-1559890

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Stanley Feeney is a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Lowell majoring in Chemical Engineering concentrating on Nanomaterials and a minor in Biological Sciences. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. and conduct research and teach at a university level. Outside of education and research, he enjoys playing games, the outdoors, and spending time with family and friends.

Project Title:

Mentors: JD Deng

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure: NSF ECCS-1541959

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Alberto Fuentes is a student from El Salvador pursuing Mechanical Engineering at Bunker Hill Community College and soon, Wentworth Institute of Technology. He is fluent in both Spanish and English and greatly looks forward to utilizing Harvard's resources for his research. 

Project Title: Soft Robotics from 2D Printing and Strain Relaxation to form 3D Structures

Mentors: George Whitesides, Daniel Preston, Brian Cafferty

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard: NSF DMR-1420570

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Christopher Grouard is an Air Force veteran from Cambridge, MA. As a Sophmore at Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown, MA, he is pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering and will transfer to Wentworth Institute of Technology in the fall. While in the USAF he was a helicopter/tilt-rotor mechanic. Apart from academics, his interests include sci-fi, various kinds of games, and all things 'Nerdy'

Project Title: Taking Nanofiber Production Out of the Lab

Mentors: Kevin Kit Parker, John Ferrier, Herdeline Ann Ardona

Funding: NSF REU Site: Biomaterials Rese: NSF DMR-1559890

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Erika Gutierrez is a first-generation, bilingual college student currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science at California State University, San Bernardino. Her interest in programming and robotics is motivating her goal of pursuing a Ph.D. in the future. She is a talented violinist, provides several hours of community service, and enjoys spending time with her family. Growing up in San Bernardino, California, Erika has learned that hard work pays off; it is not about where you come from, it is about what you make out of the opportunities that are given to you.

Project Title: Collective Intelligence and Social Insects: Termites

Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, Daniel Calovi, Justin Werfel

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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Danial Haei Najafabadi was born and raised in Iran. He moved to the United States in 2013 to pursue his educational goals. He is passionate about math and physics. Currently, he is studying mechanical engineering at Bunker Hill Community College and he is planning to transfer to a four-year university to earn his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. In his free time, he spends time with his family and rides his bicycle. He likes to meet new people, exchange ideas, and learn about the latest projects in science and engineering.

Project Title: Multilayer van der Waals heterostructures in vacuum

Mentors: Philip Kim, Young Jae Shin

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials: NSF DMR-1231319

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Colin Harvey is a rising Junior studying bioengineering at Harvard University. He enjoys running, recreational sports, and hosts a college radio show during the semester.

Project Title:

Mentors: Yue Lu

Funding:

LinkedIn Profile

 

Tara Ippolito is a rising junior at the University of Redlands in Southern California. She is double majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics with a minor in Environmental Studies. In her free time, she loves to spend time outdoors, hang out with friends, and eat ice cream.

Project Title:

Mentors: Pavlos Protopapas, Weiwei Pan

Funding: NSF REU Site: Team Research in Computational and Applied Mathematics: NSF DMS-1460870

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Siddharth Iyer is a rising sophomore at Johns Hopkins University. He is majoring in Biomaterials Engineering and Applied Math. He plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in Bioengineering after graduation. In his free time, he enjoys debate, satellite design, basketball, and medical innovation.

Project Title: Synthesis and Characterization of Particle Backpacks for Macrophage-Based Therapies

Mentors: Samir Mitragotri, C. Wyatt Shields IV

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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Kevaughn Johnson

Project Title: 

Mentors: Tim Kaxiras, Daniel Larson, Matthew Montemore

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials: NSF DMR-1231319

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Audrey Jones is a student at Montana State University studying Civil Engineering. Her interests center around nature and how technology interacts with aquatic movements. 

Project Title: Building Like a Beaver: Using Drones to Map Network Formation of North American Beaver (L. Castor canadensis) Damming Complexes

Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, Melvin Gauci, Florian Berlinger

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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Justine Keth is a senior at the University of New Mexico studying Chemistry and Physics. Her goal is to obtain an MD/Ph.D. She is interested in applying biomedical engineering to solve medical problems in the "bench-to-bedside" approach. Outside of academics, Justine enjoys board games, running, and eating her mother's traditional Cambodian dishes.

Project Title: Hydrogels with tunable plasticity direct mesenchymal stem cell behavior

Mentors: David Mooney, Joshua Grolman

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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Trisheena Kills Pretty Enemy is a senior at Montana State University pursuing a degree in microbiology. After graduation, she plans to venture on to get a master's degree then afterward decide to either continue to get a Ph.D. or go to Medical School. She enjoys spending time with family, and going outdoors, and participating in powwows.

Project title:

Mentors: George Whitesides, Christoffer Abrahamsson, Michael J. Fink

Funding: NSF REU Site: Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences: NSF DMR-1559890

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Ethan Kuhn is a Pre Med student attending Bunker Hill Community College. As a prior service Marine, he hopes to return to active duty as a naval doctor after earning his MD.

Project title:

Mentors: JD Deng, Mac Hathaway

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure: NSF ECCS-1541959

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Minh-Chau N. Le is a rising senior at the University of Central Florida. She is majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and double minoring in Music and Materials Science and Engineering. In the future, she would like to pursue a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering and start her own company making affordable medical devices. In her spare time, Minh-Chau enjoys singing, dancing, drumming, learning guitar, photographing, traveling, and especially, trying out new restaurants with friends.

Project Title: Optimization of flow through oil-infused tympanostomy tubes

Mentors: Jennifer/Aizenberg Lewis, Ida Pavlichenko, Nicole Black

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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Kylie Lee is a sophomore at the University of Utah majoring in Chemistry with a Biology Emphasis. She is interested in a Pharmaceutical Science or Infectious Disease Ph.D. program, in other words, be on the research end of medicine. Outside of academics, she enjoys backpacking, skiing, and soccer.

Project Title: 

Mentors: David Weitz, Tina Huang

Funding: NSF REU Site: Biomaterials Rese: NSF DMR-1559890

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Nadja Maldonado Luna

Project Title:

Mentors: David Mooney, Ben Freedman

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure: NSF ECCS-1541959

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Cameron Maltman is a rising Junior at Harvard College. He is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a secondary in Astrophysics. He hopes to work as an Aerospace Engineer when he graduates. In his free time, Cameron runs, canoes, and hikes.

Project title: 

Mentors: Yue Lu

Funding:

LinkedIn Profile

 

Marina Markous is a rising senior at Howard University, studying Chemical Engineering. She is currently preparing for graduate school and researching with Dr. Tina Brower. 

Project title:

Mentors: Philip Kim, Mehdi Rezaee

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials: NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile

 

Ross Mawhorter is a rising senior at Harvey Mudd College joint-majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics. Ross enjoys playing piano, bridge, and board games.

Project Title: Automated Analysis of R Programs

Mentors: Stephen Chong

Funding: NSF Trustworthy Computing Systems (TWC): Frontier: Privacy Tools for Sharing Research Data: NSF CNS-1237235

LinkedIn Profile

 

Karlie McDaniel is a US Army Veteran from Mississippi who now resides in Boston, MA. She is currently studying Radiology at Regis College along with a Pre-Med program with the ambition of going to medical school in the future. She loves spending time with her family, traveling, and being outdoors.  

Project Title: Characterization of ALD gate oxide films via electrical measurements, XPS, and other techniques

Mentors: JD Deng, Mac Hathaway

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure: NSF ECCS-1541959

LinkedIn Profile

 

Patricia Mensah is a rising sophomore Chemical Engineering major at Howard University from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is passionate about diversity in research and after college, plans to pursue an MD/Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. She also enjoys singing, dancing, shopping, and eating. 

Project Title: Patterning Stiffness into Silicone Sheets by Photolithographic Polymerization

Mentors: George Whitesides, Lee Belding, Brian Cafferty

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Sophia Millay is from Needham, MA, and a rising sophomore at Williams College studying mathematics and physics. She enjoys playing lacrosse, hiking outdoors, drawing, and spending time with her family. 

Project Title: Relaxation phenomena in a hard-sphere colloidal glass

Mentors: Frans Spaepen, Zsolt Terdik, Emily Padston

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Bailey Moers is a senior from Colorado Springs, CO, majoring in Mathematics at Gallaudet University. In his spare time, he likes to cycle, travel and study public-key cryptography. He also likes to eat pizza, a lot. 

Project Title: Intracellular Delivery of Large Cell Membrane-Impermeable Cargos

Mentors: Eric Mazur, Weilu Shen

Funding: NSF REU Site: Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences: NSF DMR-1559890

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Javier Morales Ferrer is an undergraduate student of mechanical engineering with a minor concentration in pure chemistry at the Inter - American University of Puerto Rico - Bayamon campus. He is interested in moving forward to graduate school, that is what drives him to apply for research programs. He knows for sure that this opportunity will help him develop the necessary skills for conducting his research in the future.

Project Title: 3D Printing of Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Mentors: Jennifer Lewis, Alex Chortos, Nicole Black

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure, Grant #: NSF ECCS-1541959

LinkedIn Profile

 

Jalilah Muhammad is a rising senior at Southern University and A&M College. She is pursuing a degree in chemistry and hopes to further her career as a scientist working in research and development.

Project Title: Liquid Crystal Elastomers with Tailored TNI for 3D Printed Origami

Mentors: Jennifer Lewis, Arda Kotikian, Emily Davidson

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

LinkedIn Profile

 

David Murray is studying chemistry at Georgia State University. He was homeschooled as a child and his passions for science never dimmed. His first REU experience was at Princeton University. 

Project Title:  Phase Behavior of Colloidal Crystals with
Tunable Interaction Potentials

Mentors: David Weitz

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard, Grant #: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Kaela Nelson

Project Title:

Mentors: Pavlos Protopapas, Weiwei Pan

Funding: NSF REU Site: Team Research in Computational and Applied Mathematics, Grant #: NSF DMS-1460870

LinkedIn Profile

 

Haimi Nguyen is a Chemistry major at Mount Holyoke College. She likes listening to music, watching TV shows, and hanging out with her friends. 

Project Title: Computational Detection of Topological Insulators

Mentors: Checkelsky/Aspuru-Guzikm, Daniel Tabor

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, Grant #: NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile

 

Sophia Nielsen is a Robotics Major at Olin College of Engineering. She enjoys psychology, swing dancing, song-writing, and, of course, robots.

Project Title: Vibration motors as actuators in an underwater swarm robot

Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, Melvin Gauci, Florian Berlinger

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

LinkedIn Profile

 

Kayla Oden is a rising junior at Florida A&M University majoring in Industrial Engineering. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with my family, shopping, and playing basketball. 

Project Title: Pickering Emulsions using Janus particles via Microfluidics

Mentors: David Weitz, Bobby Haney, Joerg Werner

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard, Grant #: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Toluwalase Oladitan is a rising junior at Harvard College. She is concentrating in Biomedical Engineering and sciences with a secondary in African Studies. Soon, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and start her own company developing affordable medical devices and technologies—primarily to those in underserved communities. In her free time, she loves to hang out with friends, eat great food, and travel. 

Project Title: New method for Gene Delivery

Mentors: Pamela Silver, Jeffrey Way, Yukiye Koide

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

LinkedIn Profile

 

Sarah Ornellas is a rising senior at Yale University studying Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. She's interested in human biomechanics, robotics, and affordable medical devices. In her free time, she's interested in theater, cinema, and Brazilian food.

Project Title:

Mentors: Rob Howe, Buse Aktas

Funding: Affiliate

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Dominique Pablito is a rising senior at the University of Utah. She is majoring in Chemistry and Biology, as well as minoring in Pediatric Clinical Research. She is a part of the Zuni, Navajo, and Comanche tribes.

Project Title: Separation of Bacteria using Aqueous Multiphase Systems (AMPS)

Mentors: George Whitesides, Michael J. Fink, Christoffer Abrahamsson

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard, Grant #: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Nicholas Patino is from Carmel, NY. He is a rising sophomore at Williams College where he is majoring in Physics with a concentration in Cognitive Science. His passions include jazz drumming, hiking, and rugby.

Project Title: Solid-Solid Phase Transitions in Colloidal Crystals

Mentors: Frans Spaepen, Zsolt Terdik, Emily Padston

Funding: NSF REU Site: Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences, Grant #: NSF DMR-1559890

LinkedIn Profile

 

Victoria Quiros Cordero is a double major in Physics and Electric Engineering at the University of Costa Rica. She is passionate about computing, technology, and research and she is eager to pursue a Ph.D. in a field related to electronics after finishing college. Outside of academics, she loves contemporary dance, spending time with her family and friends, exercising, photography and contemplating nature.

Project Title: Charge Transport through Molecules Supported by Flexible Electrodes

Mentors: George Whitesides, Yuan Li

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure, Grant #: NSF ECCS-1541959

LinkedIn Profile

 

Atefeh Rahmani is a rising sophomore at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, majoring in Software Engineering. She enjoys painting, swimming and riding a bicycle.  She likes to meet new people and learning about computer science.

Project Title: Correlation of Surface Imaging and Composition Analysis

Mentors: David Bell, Greg Lin

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, Grant #: NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile

 

Naomi Redfield is a junior at Montana State University pursuing an Animal Science degree; she is currently in the pre-veterinary program and hopes to become a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine after completing her undergraduate education. Naomi enjoys outdoor activities such as riding horses, going camping, and hiking with her corgi, whose name is Norman.

Project Title: Building Like a Beaver Using Drones to Map Network Formation of North American Beaver (L. Castor Canadensis) Damming Complexes

Mentors: Radhika/Mahadevan Nagpal, Jordan Kennedy

Funding: NSF REU Site: Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences, Grant #: NSF DMR-1559890

LinkedIn Profile

 

Sydney Reed is a student at Mississippi State University majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Minoring in Mathematics. Because of a strong passion for healing, Sydney focuses her love for science in the medical field. 

Project Title: Investigation of Primary Islet and SC-Beta Cell Viability and Functionality on Substrates of Varying Stiffness

Mentors: Kevin Kit Parker, Aaron Glieberman

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard, Grant #: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Talha Rehman is a physics major and a rising senior at Berea College in Kentucky where he is actively involved in community service. He is a Bonner Scholar and a University Innovation Fellow. His past research experiences include summer research work at MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Carl E. Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories at Duke University, and the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. He likes to participate in entrepreneurial events. Talha enjoys going to concerts, sailing and other social events with his friends.

Project Title: Self-assembly of Spheres on a Cone

Mentors: Vinny Manoharan, Nabila Tanjeem

Funding: Affiliate & Berea College

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Kristopher Reynolds was born in Germany as a child of a military family and joined the Marine Corps at age 19. Following his Marine Corps career, he entered the University of Tennessee, and is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in BCMB, and plans on attending medical school upon graduation. He is especially interested in the workings of nature, as well as helping people in any way he can, and help them to become the best versions of themselves. 

Project Title: Transmembrane incorporation into liposomes using microfluidics

Mentors: David Weitz, Tina Huang

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard, Grant #: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Karla Rivera is studying Biology and Chemistry at Barry University, with a specific interest in Traumatic Brain Injuries. Through her research, she hopes to gain valuable knowledge to pursue her calling to help those in need. 

Project Title:  

Morphological Impacts on the Interactions Between Engineered Nanomaterials and Endothelial Cells

Mentors: Kevin Kit Parker, Herdeline Ann M. Ardoña

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

LinkedIn Profile

 

Isabel Schaal is from South Dakota and is a rising sophomore at Franklin and Marshall College, studying animal behavior and chemistry. Outside of academics, she enjoys hiking and going on wilderness canoe trips with her friends and family.


Project Title: Collective Intelligence in Social Insects

Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, Daniel Calovi, Justin Werfel

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

LinkedIn Profile

 

Jaylen Scott is a rising senior studying Mechanical Engineering at Southern University and A&M College. He plans to pursue his MBA, work in an industry where his dream job is SportsCenter, open his engineering firm and possibly teach as a professor. Jaylen enjoys spending time with his family and friends, the outdoors and sports activities and positive vibes. 

Project Title: Supercapacitive Strain Sensor

Mentors: Zhigang Suo, Zhengjin Wang

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard, Grant #: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Syed Nabeel Shah is a rising senior at the Loyola University of Chicago, double majoring in Physics and Computer science. Served in the US Army as a combat medic. Would like to pursue a Ph.D. in applied physics after graduation.

Project Title: Force Measurements of Motor Molecules in MEF Cells Using Optical Tweezers

Mentors: David Weitz, Jing Xia

Funding: NSF REU Site: Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences, Grant #: NSF DMR-1559890

LinkedIn Profile

 

Nancy Thomas is studying Applied Mathematics at Columbia University. She is excited to merge her passion for math into other fields to execute effective change. 

Mentors: Chris Rycroft, Jordan Hoffman

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard, Grant #: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Julia Vasile is a rising senior at Stony Brook University in New York. She is majoring in Applied Mathematics & Statistics and minoring in Mathematics and Writing & Rhetoric. She is concentrating in Statistics and plans to pursue her Ph.D. upon graduation. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and baking, reading, traveling and exploring.

Project Title: Replications, Regression, and Privacy​

Mentors: from Privacy Tools

Funding: NSF Trustworthy Computing Systems (TWC): Frontier: Privacy Tools for Sharing Research Data, Grant #: NSF CNS-1237235

LinkedIn Profile

 

Daniel Villareal is a Marine Corps veteran who plans on transferring to Columbia University after he received his associate's degree in Biology from Bunker Hill Community College in May. At Columbia, he intends to continue as a Biology major in pursuit of a baccalaureate degree. He enjoys socializing, playing music, and going on adventures.

Project Title: Nucleation Studies of Thin Film Oxides using Atomic Layer Deposition

Mentors: Marinna Madrid

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure, Grant #: NSF ECCS-1541959

LinkedIn Profile

 

Dylan Vu is a Chemical Engineering major at Cornell University. He has a passion for swimming and an interest in technology.

Project Title: Signal amplification for electrochemical ELISA at the point-of-care​

Mentors: George Whitesides, Jeffrey Bell, Khaled Abdelazim

Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinate Infrastructure, Grant #: NSF ECCS-1541959

LinkedIn Profile

 

Jennifer Wang studies Physics and Computer Science at Wellesley College. She hails from Houston and China. She enjoys eccentric music, political theory, and reading too much SciFi & fantasy.

Project Title: Designing a phononic topological switch​

Mentors: Jennifer Hoffman, Harry Pirie

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, Grant #: NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile

 

Racquel White is currently attending Navajo Technical University pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering. 

Project Title: Using Aqueous Multiphase Systems for Bacterial Separation

Mentors: George Whitesides, Christoffer Abrahamsson, Michael J. Fink

Funding: NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard, Grant #: NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

 

Jonathan Wihl

Project Title

Mentors: Pavlos Protopapas, Weiwei Pan

Funding: NSF REU Site: Team Research in Computational and Applied Mathematics, Grant #: NSF DMS-1460870

LinkedIn Profile

 

Claire Williams is a third-year biochemistry student at Northeastern University. The three things in life that she cares most about are doing cool science, traveling to new places, and eating good food. She is hoping to pursue a Ph.D. in either analytical chemistry or molecular microbiology in the future.  

Project Title: Investigation of Microbiome-Mediated Toxicity of Pesticides on the European Honey Bee​

Mentors: Robert Brucker, Brittany Berdy

Funding: The Rowland Institute at Harvard

LinkedIn Profile

 

Anton Xue is a rising senior at Yale University studying mathematics and computer science.

Project Title: Automated Analysis of R Programs

Mentors: Stephen Chong, Gabriella Fee, Marco Gaboardi

Funding: NSF Trustworthy Computing Systems (TWC): Frontier: Privacy Tools for Sharing Research Data, Grant #: NSF CNS-1237235 

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Harrison Young is a rising junior at Olin College studying mechanical engineering. He is interested in philosophy and likes listening to music. After graduation, he intends to pursue a Ph.D.

Project Title: Development of Soft Robotics Kits for STEM education in India

Mentors: Conor Walsh, Diana Wagner, Sara Berndt

Funding: The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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Ye Zhang is studying Physics and Math at Mount Holyoke College. She is originally from Shanghai, China, and she enjoys science for the clarity it provides in the world. 

Project Title: Monolayer MoS 2 coupled with Novel Substrates​

Mentors: Jing Kong, Qingqing Ji

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, Grant #: NSF DMR-1231319

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Haimei Zhang is a rising senior at Wellesley College, double majoring in Physics and Math. She intends to pursue a Ph.D. degree in physics after graduating from college. She enjoys outdoor walks and origami.

Project Title: Analysis of Image Potential States on Antinomy Surface​

Mentors: Jennifer Hoffman, Jacky Ge

Funding: NSF STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, Grant #: NSF DMR-1231319

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