Mechanical Engineering major Sarah Duclos ’19 has been awarded a
2019 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) award.
Sarah is a graduate of Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park and is a senior in the Honors Program majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in biomedical engineering. She is also a past Goldwater Scholars winner at Clarkson.
She has conducted research in Asst. Prof. of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering Arthur Michalek’s Connective Tissue Lab since the summer of 2016. Her work has focused on measuring residual strain in intervertebral discs and is published in the Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. It was also selected as a finalist in the poster-teaser category at the 2017 Orthopedic Research Society Annual Meeting. Duclos’ Honors Thesis is a culmination of her residual strain research and her recent work on how intervertebral disc structure and composition is affected by muscle loading. Last summer, Duclos participated in an REU at the University of Rochester, where she conducted research in a biomedical optics lab.
Sarah is also a member of the Nordic Ski team, has been active in the Road Cycling Club and with cross-country running. She is a member of the Engineers for International Sustainability and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
After graduating from Clarkson in May, Duclos will start her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan.
