Achievement

Whitney Stoppel (ICE IGERT trainee, chemical engineering) developed and co-instructed a lab module on the use of biomaterials in cell culture applications, based on expertise she has developed through her own cell encapsulation work. Whitney combined lecture about the design and implementation of biomaterial-based components into research projects with hands-on tasks to form two 2D and two 3D scaffolds and then compare cellular morphology after two days in culture. Participants learned to incorporate cells into both 2D and 3D biomaterials systems using both natural and synthetic polymer systems. The module provided a valuable teaching experience and reminded all participants of the importance of effective communication across disciplines. As a direct result of this module, 57% of participants reported intent to apply a new research technique to thesis work and to seek additional access to equipment/training within the ICE community.