Dr. Alisa Morss-Clyne has been awarded the prestigious NSF-CAREER Award. Alisa joined the Mechanical Engineering department two years ago from Harvard-MIT. The research objective of this project is to use glucose-induced alterations in endothelial cells and basement membrane to investigate integrated biochemical (growth factor) and biomechanical (shear stress) interactions within the endothelial cell. This research will improve our understanding of integrated, three-dimensional vascular biology, to develop targeted pharmaceutical therapies that decrease cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

The educational objective of this project is to inspire students, especially women and underrepresented minorities, to explore engineering careers by providing biomedical discovery opportunities coupled with intergenerational mentoring. Outreach programs will use one of the most fascinating engineering systems, the human body, to demonstrate to students from diverse backgrounds how engineers can help solve societal challenges. The total budget for this 4-year program will be $400,000.