News

Monroe Research Group Receives Multiple Awards at Society for Biomaterials Conference

Biomedical and chemical engineering Professor Mary Beth Monroe attended the Society for Biomaterials (SFB) 2022 meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, with Ph.D. students Anand Vakil, Henry Beaman, Changling Du and Maryam Ramezani, master’s student Natalie Petryk ’21, G’22 and undergraduate students Caitlyn Greene ’22, Grace Haas ’23, and Avery Gunderson ’23. The national conference included more than 850 presentations from all over the world. The Monroe lab’s research abstracts and presentations were recognized in several competitions that took place during the conference, highlighting the excellent biomaterials work at Syracuse University. Continue Reading

Nangia among Professors Presented With Graduate Education Excellence Awards

They are inspirational teachers and notable scholars whose work expands the reputation of the University and guides student research paths. They are mentors who become sources of personal and professional support for students who are far from home or having personal or educational challenges during their graduate careers. They’re regarded as faculty members devoted to student success and who routinely become lifelong professional-world advocates. Continue Reading

Graduate School Awards Summer Fellowships to BioInspired Trainees

The Graduate School has awarded summer fellowships to 83 Syracuse University doctoral students from 34 academic departments, including 9 participants in the BioInspired Institute’s Graduate and Postdoctoral Development Program. Fellowships were awarded to 43 early-stage doctoral students who have not yet completed course work, qualifying exams or other milestones prior to All But Dissertation (ABD) status. These recipients were chosen from among 108 applicants. Continue Reading

Molecular Mystery: Shikha Nangia Probes the Workings of the Blood-Brain Barrier

For nearly a decade, Shikha Nangia has been unraveling a mystery of the molecular world. At issue is how to successfully permeate the blood-brain barrier, a nearly impenetrable border of cells that protects the brain. As a gatekeeper, the barrier is vital for its role in preventing toxins and pathogens in the bloodstream from infecting the brain, but it also blocks drugs that could potentially target tumors or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s from reaching the brain. Continue Reading

(Bio)Sensing Protein Interactions

The job of a protein hub inside the nucleus of a cell is similar to a chef in a kitchen. Both need to manage multiple tasks efficiently for a successful outcome. For the chef, if they spend too much time chopping vegetables and neglect the main course cooking on the stove, the result is a burnt dish. Similarly, if the protein hub spends too much time interacting with one protein and is not given a break to accomplish its other important tasks, it can lead to disease states such as cancer. Continue Reading

Women in Science Day Profile: Monroe Developing Smart Materials of the Future

Scientist Mary Beth Browning Monroe is developing materials for healing the human body that could make a tremendous difference in life or death situations.

These biomaterials—easy to use and highly effective—could control bleeding within wounds, especially critical in instances where time is of the essence such as on the battlefield, in an ambulance or in rural locations, far from the nearest hospital.

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