Awarded in 2004
Home Department: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Advisor: Beth Pruitt (Mechanical Engineering)

Research Description: Mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert mechanical stimuli into cellular signals, is important in many areas of physiology, medicine, and medical device design. The goal of Sara’s project was to study the MEC-4 channel complex that mediates sensory mechanotransduction of touch receptor neurons. A biomolecular model would be developed to describe the mechanism of MEC-4 channel complex as mechanoreceptor and its critical role in the whole-cell behavior.

WHERE IS SHE NOW?

Sara has rejoined Triple Ring Technologies, where her medical device expertise and regulatory knowledge are now matched by a sharpened instinct for client service and project management. She has since worked across a range of projects — established corporate initiatives, early-stage startups, and most recently projects funded by ARPA-H. Triple Ring is a Silicon Valley- and Boston-based co-development company that partners with clients in medtech, life sciences, and sustainability to create new technologies, launch innovative products, and build new ventures.