Michael Look, a second year biomedical engineering doctoral student in the laboratory of Dr. Tarek Fahmy, was recently selected as the recipient of fellowships from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP), and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. These highly selective funding opportunities highlight the best and brightest graduate students around the United States. Although it is an honor to receive one, it is very rare for a student to be awarded both of these highly competitve fellowships.
The two fellowships are awarded by the various institutions to support young scientists in their educational careers. The NSF awards fellowships to students in the fields of science, technology, mathematics and engineering, “…to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and to reinforce its diversity.” The Department of Defense looks to support students performing research in areas relevant to the national defense needs.
Michael’s current research focuses on the study and development of nanoparticle systems for immune system applications. His first project is aimed at finding a treatment for lupus, an autoimmune disease, by developing nanoparticles that selectively target and kill the specific immune cells that cause disease. In addition, he is also investigating an orally delivered nanoparticle vaccine system where he attempts to induce allergic responses, in order to enhance immunization efficacy.