Mary Caldorera-Moore, who will be joining the College of Engineering this fall as a graduate student, has been awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Mary Caldorera-Moore, who will be joining the College of Engineering this fall as a graduate student, has been awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Caldorera-Moore's research interests are in biomaterials, nanotechnology and tissue engineering. She will use the three years of funding to perform research in biomedical engineering focused on the use of nanomaterials for drug delivery and tissue engineering.
Previously, Caldorera-Moore participated in undergraduate research at Louisiana Tech University. She studied nanosensors and microfluidic systems designed to improve the usefulness of cells grown in flasks (called cell culture). The nanosensors' fluorescence was designed to be extinguished in the presence of oxygen. That response allowed investigators to use the nanonsensors as an indirect, light-based method for monitoring oxygen levels within cells.
She also helped develop a cell-culture environment that permitted the microfluidic flow of the nutrient-containing liquid in which cells in flasks are grown. This dynamic environment mimics conditions within the human body better, allowing cells in culture to serve as better models for testing drugs and medical treatments.
