Bionsensor Development with Support from the Society of Women Engineers
PhD Candidate Karthika Sankar has been awarded the Motorola Solutions Foundation Engineering Scholarship
“I am absolutely ecstatic to win the scholarship,” said MSE PhD candidate Karthika Sankar. As one of ten recipients of this year’s Motorola Solutions Foundation Engineering Scholarship, Sankar will use the stipend of $9,100 to advance her research on biosensor development. The scholarship is granted by the Society of Women Engineers.
“Karthika is the epitome of drive and motivation, which is evident in the project for which she received the scholarship,” said Professor Mark Grinstaff (BME, Chem, MSE, MED). “Her pioneering idea is based on microbial transcription factors and offers the possibility to create low-cost portable sensors for almost any [chemical substance].” Progesterone, a hormone that is linked to pregnancy, is just one example of a substance that could be identified through Karthika’s work. “We should always encourage this kind of creativity,” concluded Grinstaff.
Sankar works on developing diagnostics for viral diseases and biosensors for hormone detection and appreciates that her lab environment perfectly blends interdisciplinary collaboration, guidance and freedom. “Dr. Grinstaff provides the right level of advice while at the same time letting us be the driver of our PhD. We have a big group and we, students, help each other in our research,” Sankar explained.
“MSE has brought together professors working in all the areas you can imagine, which gives the students many options of research projects to choose from,” said Sankar. “I like the diversity of research at MSE.” In addition to the expansive research opportunities, Sankar says the tight-knit community is among her favorite aspects of BU.
After graduation, Sankar plans to work as a full-time scientist at a medical device company. Until then, she expects to continue taking full advantage of MSE networking opportunities that bring together professors, industry professionals and peers.
The Motorola Solutions Foundation Engineering Scholarship is one of nearly 260 awards granted by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), which disbursed over $1 million in scholarships this past year. Founded in 1950, SWE is a not-for-profit educational and service organization that aims to empower women as leaders in engineering and advance gender equity in field. SWE has been providing scholarships for 70 years to students who identify as women and are pursuing programs in preparation for careers in engineering and computer science.