Sarah Hewes
Sarah Hewes, a junior Materials Science and Engineering major, was recently selected as recipient of a Provost’s Undergraduate Research Award (PURA) for Summer 2014.
“I feel honored to have received the PURA. It’s encouraging that many people, in addition to my family and friends, have so much faith in me,” Sarah said.
The goal of her project, which is titled “3D printing of functional hydrogel-encapsulated microvessels,” is to fabricate blood vessels as a platform for in vitro research, offering a step toward creating blood vessels that could be used in tissues to create artificial organs that can be transplanted into humans.
“An unlimited supply of artificial organs, created with a patient’s own cells so there’s no risk of rejection; that’s the ultimate goal.”
Dr. Peter Searson serves as a faculty sponsor of her research. Sarah has worked in Dr. Searson’s lab since early fall of her freshman year.
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(Updated: 4/28/2014)