I concurrently completed the requirements for the UCSD Department of Bioengineering's Master of Engineering Degree in Bioengineering from Fall 1998 to Fall 1999. I advanced to candidacy on September 25 th , 2000. Extensive work has been accomplished in quantifying the response of luminescent plankton to hydrodynamic stresses. In order to understand more about this response, I have undertaken a direct study of the cell membrane in order to determine the working mechanical properties of oceanic unicellular organisms. In this fashion, a better understanding of signal transduction in the luminescent response might be developed.
Most marine snails encapsulate their offspring in a resilient biological elastomer.
Surprisingly, little is know about the formation and mechanical properties of this extracellular protein. The first phase of my thesis has been the mechanical characterization of this material. I hope to obtain sequence and understand the formation process for this protein as an egg capsule end product. I really like my current research. However, I've discovered that my true passion lies in Tissue Engineering .