Two Graduate Students Receive Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mentions

The Henry Samueli School of Engineering is pleased to recognize a pair of graduate students who have been given honorable mention by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) in recognition of their outstanding research and academic accomplishments.

The NSF GRFP helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions. 

 

Iris Fu is a first-year graduate student working with Assistant Professor Hung D. Nguyen, Ph.D., in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Her research focuses on examining peptide amphiphiles that have been shown to form hydrogel, which is of significant interest due to their applications in tissue engineering.  Through the use of molecular dynamics simulations, she hopes to develop a fundamental understanding of the molecular self-assembly process and mechanical properties of these novel biomaterials. 

Jon Pegan is a first-year graduate student, co-advised by Assistant Professor Michelle Khine, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Mark Bachman, Ph.D., in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Pegan’s research is focused on using innovative microfabrication methods for integrating electronics into microfluidic devices for different bio-applications.  He is especially interested in investigating the electrophysiological dynamics of electrotaxis (cell movement in response to an electric field).  His hope is to use this to develop new technology for wound healing applications.