Summer 2025 Cohort

 Natalie Geenen is a rising senior at Northside College Prep. She aims to pursue biotechnology as a way to use research to create new medical technologies and looks forward to learning advanced techniques during the program such as immunostaining cells, designing and printing 3D models, and assessing cell differentiation. Her area of focus this summer was working with mPDC/PCL composite materials for peripheral artery stents. She enjoys playing basketball and biking. Update: Natalie plans to attend Johns Hopkins University next year.

Olivia Galiano is a rising senior at Loyola Academy. She is planning to major in the field of engineering along with minoring in the humanities following graduation. This is her first experience in research. She is excited to learn throughout this program and to be able to carry this experience into her future academic goals of utilizing engineering to solve medical and societal problems. Olivia's research this summer focused on conductive, biodegradable, elastomeric scaffolds for skeletal muscle regeneration using POCO and PEDOT.

•  Zuben Shelburn is an incoming freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. He is interested in a career in academia, blending material science with biomedical research to advance our understanding of the human body and solve complex issues. He is looking forward to learning new techniques this summer, such as microscopy, histology, immunofluorescence, and cell viability assessments. Zuben's research project was in the area of developing a cell-free personalized composite scaffold system for regenerating chronic critical-sized bone defects.

 Fatimah Musa is a rising sophomore at Wright College. She is fascinated by how cutting-edge biomaterials and advanced tissue engineering strategies can address critical challenges in healthcare - from accelerating wound healing to designing innovative organ-replacement therapies. Fatimah is exploring either pursuing a doctoral degree in regenerative engineering or entering the biomedical industry. Her work this summer explored a citrate-based Janus scaffold with dual functions of tissue-guided repair and wet adhesion.

 Amara Moreno is a rising junior and will be attending the University of Illinois in the fall of 2025. She is interested in combining biomedical engineering with medicine. This pathway would enable her to design solutions for medical issues while offering a unique perspective when interacting with patients. Her summer research focused on a comprehensive evaluation of a diabetic infected wound healing model.

 Emma Rodriguez is a rising sophomore who is transferring to Boston University to pursue Biochemistry. During her freshman year, she worked in a Biochemistry lab investigating the interactions between the binding sites of Bovine Serum Albumin in contact with various bioactive lipids. This summer, alongside her mentor, her experience focused on combating instant blood mediated inflammatory reactions (IBMIR) in islet transplantation using Vitamin D-loaded polymersomes. In her future, she hopes to contribute to research and healthcare initiatives that will improve lives. She likes running and exploring new cafes in her free time. 

Mimi Ghosh is a rising senior at The Ohio State University. There, she gained research experience in the areas of artificial corneal tissue grafts using biopolymers, characterizing scaffolds, and developing bioinks for printing. Alongside her REM mentor this summer, Mimi worked on 3D-printed, citrate-based, radiopaque bioresorbable vascular scaffolds loaded with bismuth (III) oxide nanoparticles.