News from Chemical Engineering

Wentz Undergraduate Research Projects 2006-7

Three chemical engineering undergraduates won funding from the Lou Wentz Foundation to do research projects during the 2006-7 academic year.

Steven Castleberry will be working with Dr. Edrallin Lucas in the department of Nutritional Sciences, and Sean Dugay and Aleisha McCabe will both be working with Dr. Sundar Madihally in the School of Chemical Engineering.

Aleisha writes, “The title of my project is: ‘Generation of controlled drug delivery capsule.’  The goal of my project is to use the results obtained through last year’s Wentz project to create a chitosan capsule capable of holding a dose of antibiotics.  Once the formation of this capsule is achieved, the effects the capsule and the antibiotic solution have on bacteria in a growth medium will be measured over time with varying concentrations.”  This is her second year to be awarded a Wentz project.

 Sean Dugay will also be continuing his undergraduate research entitled: “Developing a Foundation for Engineered Organ Transplant”.