CIMIT Awards Graduate Fellowships to Students at MIT, BU

THIS PAGE HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

CIMIT is pleased to announce winners of its Graduate Student Fellowship awards to students at MIT and Boston University. Each fellowship is worth $55,000, plus a small amount for ancillary expenses.

Winners are mixed between students who have won for the second year, and those who are receiving their first fellowship.

Second year grantees at MIT, representing 2008 and 2009, include Benjamin Rapoport. His advisor is Rahul Sarpeskhar, PhD, and Rapoport’s intent is to build thought-controlled (neuromotor) prosthetic limbs for paralyzed patients.

Another second-year recipient is Faisal Kashif, whose advisor is George Verghese, PhD. His research is designed to enhance patient care in the coming decades through the use of model-based integration, analysis and interpretation of heterogeneous clinical data to improve clinical decision-making processes.

First year recipients at MIT are Tsung-Han Tsai, whose advisor is James Fujimoto, PhD; and Christopher Pritchard, who will be advised by Robert Langer, PhD. Tsai’s research intent is to develop novel biomedical applications of optical coherence tomography and optical coherence microscopy, while Pritchard will be attempting to develop a novel device for local controlled release of anti-inflammatory agents.

One MIT student, Olumuyiwa “Muyiwa” Ogunnika, will finish his second year as a recipient in January. His research intent is to develop an integrated circuit for a handheld electrical impedance probe for the assessment of neuromuscular diseases by Electrical Impedance Myography (EIM).

Second-year recipients at Boston University are Jane Yuqian Zhang, whose advisor is Catherine Klapperich, PhD; Pui Leng Leong, whose advisor is Elise Morgan, PhD; and Burkay Birant Orten, whose advisor is W. Clem Karl, PhD.

The research intent of Zhang is to develop high throughput micro/nonofluidic technology for medical diagnostics at the point of care.

Leong is seeking to modulate cellular behavior with mechanical stimuli in order to enhance the biomechanical and biological viability of tissue-engineered cartilage and bone.

Orten’s research intent is to estimate the important physiological parameters from dynamic contrast enhanced CT images in order to assist in the diagnosis, progress monitoring and outcome prediction of disorders including, but not limited to, stroke and cancer.

Two Boston University graduate students will receive first-year fellowships. They are Katherine Calabro, whose advisor is Irving Bigio, PhD; and Peng Zhang, whose advisor is Tyrone Porter, PhD.

Calabro’s research intent is to make the detection and diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases faster, easier and cheaper through optical techniques. Zhang’s goal is to develop and characterize submicron particulates to nucleate bubbles in a site-specific manner using FUS.

“We are pleased to extend these fellowships to such worthy young researchers,” said CIMIT Executive Director John Parrish, MD. “Supporting research is one of CIMIT’s most important missions, and we believe this promising group will benefit from opportunity for further study.”

Please contact Elaine Richardson with any questions or to reach our researchers:

Elaine Richardson
Director, Strategic Communications & Marketing
617-643-3847
dhendrickson@partners.org