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: Gripping with a toroidal hydrostat
Mentors: Whitesides, Samuel Root, Brian Cafferty
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | 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: Iodine vapor staining of biological tissue for enhanced contrast in micro-CT imaging
Mentors: Konstantina Stankovic, Janani Iyer
Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences | NSF DMR-1559890

LinkedIn Profile

Caterina Baffa is a rising junior at Smith College who is majoring in chemistry and seeks to pursue an MD or MD/PhD degree after graduation. Outside of research, she enjoys fencing, volunteering, and trying out new recipes with her friends.

Project: Generating alginate beads for the modeling of cells in bioprinting

Mentors: Jennifer Lewis, Sebastien Uzel, Mark Skylar-Scott

Funding: 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: Nanocrystal synthesis
Mentors: Jarad Mason, Grant Stec
Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) | NSF ECCS-1541959

LinkedIn Profile

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

Project: Magnetic archimedes levitation (MagLev)
Mentors: George Whitesides, Christoffer Abrahamsson, Michael J. Fink
Funding: 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: Time resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy
Mentors: Arthur McClelland
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile

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: Communicating error due to differential privacy
Mentor: James Honaker
Funding: NSF Trustworthy Computing Systems (TWC): Large: Collaborative: Computing Over Distributed Sensitive Data | NSF CNS-1565387

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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/PhD in oral health sciences. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.

Project: Tough adhesive gels for oral applications
Mentors: David Mooney, Ben Freedman, Kyle Vining
Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences | NSF DMR-1559890

LinkedIn Profile

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: The role of physical geometries in calcium carbonate nucleation
Mentors: Joanna Aizenberg, Yanhao Yu
Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) | NSF ECCS-1541959

LinkedIn Profile

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: Geometric control of pancreatic islet cell differentiation
Mentors: Kevin Kit Parker, Ben Pope
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | 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: Organic batteries on chip
Mentors: Michael Aziz, Graziela C. Sedenho, Frank N. Crespilho
Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) | 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: Using machine learning algorithm to identify graphene silicon substrate
Mentors: Robert Westervelt, Sagar Bhandari
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile

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: Fabric based flipping and climbing robot
Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, Melinda Malley
Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences | NSF DMR-1559890

LinkedIn Profile

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: Photonic wire bonding with 3D laser lithography
Mentors: Jiangdong Deng
Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) | NSF ECCS-154195

LinkedIn Profile

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: Soft robotics from 2D printing and strain relaxation to form 3D structures
Mentors: George Whitesides, Daniel Preston, Brian Cafferty
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

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: Taking nanofiber production out of the lab
Mentors: Kevin Kit Parker, John Ferrier, Herdeline Ann Ardoña
Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences | NSF DMR-1559890

LinkedIn Profile

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 PhD 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: Collective intelligence and social insects: Termites
Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, Daniel Calovi, Justin Werfel
Funding: 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: Multilayer van der Waals heterostructures in vacuum
Mentors: Philip Kim, Young Jae Shin
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | 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: Investigating the accuracy of novel tensor network based machine learning algorithms
Mentors: Yue Lu
Funding: NSF CIF: Small: Sampling and Inference Methods for Spatiotemporal Single-Photon Imaging | NSF CCF-1319140

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Tara Ippolito is a rising senior 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:  Investigating the link between long term exposure to fine particulate matter and hospitalization for cardio-vascular disease in the Medicaid population
Mentors: Pavlos Protopapas, Weiwei Pan
Funding: NSF REU Site - Team Research in Computational and Applied Mathematics (TriCAM) | 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: Synthesis and characterization of particle backpacks for macrophage-based therapies
Mentors: Samir Mitragotri, C. Wyatt Shields IV
Funding: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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Kevaughn Johnson is a physics major at Howard University. He is originally from Kingston, Jamaica.

Project:  Investigating electronic coupling in stacked 2D metamaterials
Mentors: Tim Kaxiras, Daniel Larson, Matthew Montemore
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile

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: Building like a beaver: Using drones to map network formation of North American beaver (L. Castor canadensis) damming complexes
Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, Jordan Kennedy
Funding: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

LinkedIn Profile

Justine Keth is a senior at the University of New Mexico studying chemistry and physics. Her goal is to obtain an MD/PhD. 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: Hydrogels with tunable plasticity direct mesenchymal stem cell behavior
Mentors: David Mooney, Joshua Grolman
Funding: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

LinkedIn Profile

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: Separation of bacteria using aqueous multiphase systems (AMPS)
Mentors: George Whitesides, Christoffer Abrahamsson, Michael J. Fink
Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences | NSF DMR-1559890

LinkedIn Profile

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: Optimization of flow through oil-infused tympanostomy tubes
Mentors: Jennifer Lewis, Joanna Aizenberg, Ida Pavlichenko, Nicole Black
Funding: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

LinkedIn Profile

Kylie Ray 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 PhD program, in other words, be on the research end of medicine. Outside of academics, she enjoys backpacking, skiing, and soccer.

Project: Bio-compatible vesicles
Mentors: David Weitz, Tina Yuting Huang
Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences | NSF DMR-1559890

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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: Optimizing machine-learning algorithms through 1D and 2D tensor networks and MPS states
Mentors: Yue Lu
Funding: NSF CIF: Small: Sampling and Inference Methods for Spatiotemporal Single-Photon Imaging | NSF CCF-1319140

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: Decoration and characterization of adatoms on graphene and bilayer graphene and 2D materials
Mentors: Philip Kim, Mehdi Rezaee
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | NSF DMR-1231319

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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: Automated analysis of R programs
Mentors: Stephen Chong
Funding: NSF Trustworthy Computing Systems (TWC): Large: Collaborative: Computing Over Distributed Sensitive Data | NSF CNS-1565387

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: Characterization of ALD gate oxide films via electrical measurements, XPS, and other techniques
Mentors: Jiangdong Deng, Mac Hathaway
Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) | NSF ECCS-154195

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/PhD in biomedical engineering. She also enjoys singing, dancing, shopping, and eating.

Project: Patterning stiffness into silicone sheets by photolithographic polymerization
Mentors: George Whitesides, Lee Belding, Brian Cafferty
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | NSF DMR-1420570

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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: Relaxation phenomena in a hard-sphere colloidal glass
Mentors: Frans Spaepen, Zsolt Terdik, Emily Padston
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | NSF DMR-1420570

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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: Intracellular delivery of large cell membrane-impermeable cargos
Mentors: Eric Mazur, Weilu Shen
Funding: NSF REU Site in 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: 3D printing of dielectric elastomer actuators
Mentors: Jennifer Lewis, Alex Chortos, Nicole Black
Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) | NSF ECCS-154195

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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: Liquid crystal elastomers with tailored TNI for 3D printed origami
Mentors: Jennifer Lewis, Arda Kotikian, Emily Davidson
Funding: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

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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:  Phase behavior of colloidal crystals with tunable interaction potentials
Mentors: David Weitz
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | NSF DMR-1420570

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Kaela Nelson is from Norwell, Massachusetts. She is studying applied and computational mathematics with an emphasis in economics/financial markets at Brigham Young University. Outside of mathematics, Kaela enjoys cooking, skiing and country dancing.

Project:  Implementing unsupervised machine learning models to discover statistically subpopulations susceptible to high PM 2.5 exposure within Medicaid claims data
Mentors: Pavlos Protopapas, Weiwei Pan
Funding: NSF REU Site - Team Research in Computational and Applied Mathematics (TriCAM) | 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: Computational detection of topological insulators
Mentors: Joseph Checkelsky, Alan Aspuru-Guzik, Daniel Tabor
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | NSF DMR-1231319

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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: Pickering emulsions using Janus particles via microfluidics
Mentors: David Weitz, Bobby Haney, Joerg Werner
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | NSF DMR-1420570

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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: New method for gene delivery
Mentors: Pamela Silver, Jeffrey Way, Yukiye Koide
Funding: 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: Soft robotics: laminar jamming structures
Mentors: Rob Howe, Buse Aktas

LinkedIn Profile

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: Separation of bacteria using aqueous multiphase systems (AMPS)
Mentors: George Whitesides, Michael J. Fink, Christoffer Abrahamsson
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | 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: Solid-solid phase transitions in colloidal crystals
Mentors: Frans Spaepen, Zsolt Terdik, Emily Padston
Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences | NSF DMR-1559890

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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: Charge transport through molecules supported by flexible electrodes
Mentors: George Whitesides, Yuan Li
Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) | NSF ECCS-154195

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: Correlation of surface imaging and composition analysis
Mentors: David Bell, Greg Lin
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | 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 achieve 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: Building like a beaver using drones to map network formation of North American beaver (L. Castor Canadensis) damming complexes
Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, L. Mahadevan, Jordan Kennedy
Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences | 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: 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 & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | 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: Self-assembly of spheres on a cone
Mentors: Vinny Manoharan, Nabila Tanjeem
Funding: Berea College

LinkedIn Profile

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: Transmembrane incorporation into liposomes using microfluidics
Mentors: David Weitz, Tina Yuting Huang
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | 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: Morphological impacts on the interactions between engineered nanomaterials and endothelial cells
Mentors: Kevin Kit Parker, Herdeline Ann M. Ardoña
Funding: 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: Collective intelligence in social insects
Mentors: Radhika Nagpal, Daniel Calovi, Justin Werfel
Funding: 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: Supercapacitive strain sensor
Mentors: Zhigang Suo, Zhengjin Wang
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | 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: Force measurements of motor molecules in MEF cells using optical tweezers
Mentors: David Weitz, Jing Xia
Funding: NSF REU Site in Biomaterials Research Initiative Dedicated to Gateway Experiences | 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.

Project: Crumpling
Mentors: Chris Rycroft, Jordan Hoffman
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | 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: Replications, regression, and privacy​
Mentor: James Honaker
Funding: NSF Trustworthy Computing Systems (TWC): Large: Collaborative: Computing Over Distributed Sensitive Data | NSF CNS-1565387

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: Nucleation studies of thin film oxides using atomic layer deposition
Mentors: Marinna Madrid
Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) | NSF ECCS-154195

LinkedIn Profile

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

Project: Signal amplification for electrochemical ELISA at the point-of-care​
Mentors: George Whitesides, Jeffrey Bell, Khaled Abdelazim
Funding: NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) | NSF ECCS-154195

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: Designing a phononic topological switch​
Mentors: Jennifer Hoffman, Harry Pirie
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile

Racquel White is currently attending Navajo Technical University pursuing a degree in chemical engineering.

Project: Using aqueous multiphase systems for bacterial separation
Mentors: George Whitesides, Christoffer Abrahamsson, Michael J. Fink
Funding: NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center at Harvard (MRSEC) | NSF DMR-1420570

LinkedIn Profile

Jonathan Wihl  is a rising senior in information systems at Carnegie Mellon  University.

Project:  Re-engineering​ ​an open source library to extract features from a time series
Mentors: Pavlos Protopapas, Weiwei Pan
Funding: NSF REU Site - Team Research in Computational and Applied Mathematics (TriCAM) | 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: 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: Automated analysis of R programs
Mentors: Stephen Chong, Gabriella Fee, Marco Gaboardi
Funding: NSF Trustworthy Computing Systems (TWC): Large: Collaborative: Computing Over Distributed Sensitive Data | NSF CNS-1565387

LinkedIn Profile

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: Development of soft robotics kits for STEM education in India
Mentors: Conor Walsh, Diana Wagner, Sara Berndt
Funding: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering

LinkedIn Profile

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: Monolayer MoS2 coupled with novel substrates
​Mentors: Jing Kong, Qingqing Ji
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile

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: Analysis of image potential states on sntinomy surface​
Mentors: Jennifer Hoffman, Jacky Ge
Funding: NSF Science & Technology Center - Center for Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) | NSF DMR-1231319

LinkedIn Profile