Awarded in 2007
Home Department: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Advisors: Ellen Kuhl (Mechanical Engineering) and Beth Pruitt (Mechanical Engineering)

Research Title: Microfabricated tools for functional assessment of developing cardiomyocytes

Research Description: Stem cell-derived heart cells hold promise for creating therapeutic patches or "cellular bandaids" to heal the heart after a heart attack. In Rebecca’s research, she conditioned these cells using microfabricated, dynamic cell culture systems that mimic the electro-mechanical environment of the heart. She created tools to measure the forces generated by single stem cell-derived heart cells and to measure their electrical properties when cultured on heart-like soft stretching substrates. These measurements are critical for understanding the development and maturation in heart muscle. They can also tell us when stem cell-derived heart cells are ready for use in grafts and capable of assisting an ailing heart.

WHERE IS SHE NOW?

Rebecca is the ANSYS Career Development Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.