Nahis Cruz-Delgado participates in summer REU program (part 2)!

Congratulations to Nahis Cruz-Delgado for completing the University of Florida’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) through the Department of Chemical Engineering, with the support of the National Science Foundation. Participants in the REU program benefit from conducting research on a broad range of topics relevant to chemical engineering in a diverse and inclusive environment. Nahis is studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico and participated in the REU program back in 2022. Last year, during her time in the Sharma Lab, Nahis characterized a 3D model to interrogate hypoxia-induced inactivation of NK cell functions.

This year, Nahis was co-mentored by Dr. Rinaldi-Ramos, in ChemE, and Dr. Sharma to develop a method of tracking NK cells using super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPIONs) tailored for magnetic particle imaging (MPI). Using this method, we aim to better understand the localization and persistence of NK cells after their delivery in vivo.

At the end of the summer, Nahis disseminated her findings from the summer in an oral presentation. See the photos below of Nahis’ summer experience at the University of Florida!