Sara Olsen, Chemical Engineering ’24, an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Bethany Almeida’s laboratory, recently presented her work on ‘Investigating the Effects of Stiffness and Viscoelasticity on Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Immunomodulation’ at the 2024 Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering, and Biotransport conference in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Her work was submitted for the BS-level Research Competition, for which she was invited to present as a finalist. At the conference, Sara was awarded ‘Runner Up’ (2nd place) in the ‘Experimental Methods in Biomechanics and Mechanobiology’ category for her work and presentation.
Sara’s project focuses on understanding how the physical forces in the surrounding cellular environment, such as matrix stiffness and viscoelasticity, affect biological behaviors, such as immunomodulatory potential. This work has implications in healing chronic, non-healing wounds by priming the cells to have the desired biological response. Results of her work are being finalized, and submission for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal is expected in mid-July.
Sara was an undergraduate researcher in the Almeida Lab from Fall 2022-Fall 2023 until her graduation in December 2023. Since graduation, she has been working in the Almeida lab full time as a Research Associate. Sara will be starting a PhD at the University of Virginia in Fall 2024. Previously, Sara had been named a 2023 Future Leader in Chemical Engineering by NC State. We will miss her, but we know that she will continue to do amazing things in her future!