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Sandeep Kaur ’11 wants to make a tangible difference in people's lives – a simple but lofty goal that she has been working toward her entire undergraduate career. “My engineering classes have always promoted the concept of ‘engineering with a mission,’” said this bioengineering major. “So I wanted to make use of my technical skills in the medical field and help those with muscle dystrophy.”

Her research experience at 91����Ƶ’s Center for Nanostructures laid the foundation for this research. In 2009, she approached Cary Y. Yang, Ph.D., then-director of CNS, and chair and professor of electrical engineering, for a project in nanotechnology.
“Dr. Yang introduced me to a project with carbon nanotubes and I spent my summer at the NASA Ames Research Center to get training on the Atomic Force Microscope [a high resolution type of scanning probe microscope],” reported Kaur.

She has since been using the Atomic Force Microscope to do force tests on muscle stem cells. “My experience at the Center has made me a strong presenter, leader and communicator,” said Kaur. “And now to be able to translate my engineering skills to a project that has potential in understanding regenerative medicine, makes it doubly rewarding.”