Center for Engineering Mechanobiology Research Experience for Undergraduates
May to August 2019 - University of Pennsylvania
I was one of 18 students from 130 applicants to be accepted into the NSF-funded Center for Engineering MechanoBiology Research Experience for Undergraduates (CEMB REU) at the University of Pennsylvania to conduct graduate-level research. During this 10 week program, I worked under the supervision of Dr. Dennis Discher and then PhD student Charlotte Pfeifer in the Molecular, Cell Biophysics, and NanoBioPolymers Lab.
I investigated how cancer cells change, remember, and adapt to their mechanical environment. I performed transwell migration experiments and used confocal immunofluorescence imaging for analysis. I communicated my results through weekly chalk talks, a mock grant proposal, a final symposium presentation, and an abstract that I submitted to Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), for which I was chosen to present my research at the Philadelphia BMES 2019 National Conference.
