PRFB FELLOWSHIP: DEVELOPMENT OF NANOPARTICLE-BASED SENSORS WITH A NOVEL MICROSCOPIC TOOL
Nanomaterials are often functionalized with biological ligands to enable their use as sensors of biological activity. However, the intricacies of nano-bio interactions are poorly understood, which hampers designing nanomaterial-based sensors. To fill the need for the simultaneous study of nanoparticles and biomolecules, the proposal awardee will construct a novel instrument for such a purpose. This instrument will be used for the characterization of high-sensitivity synthetic sensors, whose preparation depends on proper biomolecule-nanoparticle conjugation. The design of synthetic sensors based on nanoparticle-biomolecule hybrids is promising for areas in need of high-specificity sensing tools, such as label-free detection of molecules within a cell, inexpensive medical diagnostic tools, and nanoscale therapeutics.
A significant subset of the work to be done will be dedicated to the broader impacts of the awardee?s research proposal. The awardee will participate in conference committees dedicated to advancing the participation of minority groups in science via peer-to-peer mentorship. To increase awareness of underrepresentation in the sciences locally, the awardee will found a chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans (SACNAS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Through SACNAS at MIT, the awardee will organize and lead activities that encourage pre-college students to consider careers in STEM. Lastly, the awardee will write and submit a grant to hold an international conference on the topic of low-dimensional nanomaterials and nanostructures. This conference will focus on increasing dialogue between researchers in North, Central, and South America by encouraging discussions in nanomaterial science that can be carried out in resource-limited countries.
