Engineering and Applied Sciences

Engineering and Applied Sciences /asmagazine/ en Three �� profs win Boettcher Foundation awards /asmagazine/2023/06/12/three-cu-boulder-profs-win-boettcher-foundation-awards <span>Three �� profs win Boettcher Foundation awards</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-06-12T17:12:26-06:00" title="Monday, June 12, 2023 - 17:12">Mon, 06/12/2023 - 17:12</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/artboard_1-23-06-12.jpg?h=854a7be2&itok=GYgJ27_4" width="1200" height="800" alt="awards"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/46"> Kudos </a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/30"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1155" hreflang="en">Awards</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/767" hreflang="en">Biochemistry</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1205" hreflang="en">Biomedical Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1193" hreflang="en">Engineering and Applied Sciences</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/428" hreflang="en">Physics</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/686" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/asmagazine/taxonomy/term/1206" hreflang="en">robotics</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 3"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead"><em>The awards are part of $1.88 million in 2023 biomedical research grant funding for Colorado researchers </em></p><hr><p>Three �� assistant professors have been named 2023 Boettcher Investigators, each earning $235,000 in grant funding to support up to three years of biomedical research. The 13-year-old program invests in leading Colorado researchers during the early stages of their careers, providing support to fund their independent scientific research.</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"> <div class="ucb-callout-content"><div class="image-caption image-caption-"><p> </p><div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/article-image/nuris_figueroa_morales-23-06-12.jpg?itok=ph9JUtxn" width="750" height="750" alt="Nuris Figueroa Morales"> </div> <p><a href="/physics/nuris-figueroa-morales" rel="nofollow">Nuris Figueroa Morales</a> studies the complex interactions between microorganisms and their environment.</p></div></div> </div><p>The three �� award winners and their fields of study are: </p><ul><li><strong>Nuris Figueroa</strong>, assistant professor, physics; studying the mechanics of mucus organization and transport; </li><li><strong>Halil Aydin</strong>, assistant professor, biochemistry; investigating cellular and molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial form and function in human health and disease; and  </li><li><strong>Nick Bottenus</strong>, assistant professor, biomedical, mechanics of materials, and robotics and systems design in the College of Engineering and Applied Science; studying binding kinetics of targeted microbubble agents.</li></ul><p>Funding for the awards is made possible in part by the <a href="https://boettcherfoundation.org/webb-waring-biomedical-research/" rel="nofollow">Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards</a> program, which is administered by the <a href="https://boettcherfoundation.org/" rel="nofollow">Boettcher Foundation.</a></p><p>“It’s an honor to be acknowledged by a distinguished organization,” Aydin said of the Boettcher Foundation. “The Boettcher Foundation Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Award will grant our laboratory the opportunity to develop novel approaches and push the boundaries of high-resolution imaging and structural cell biology to advance our understanding of how cellular machines function normally, and how they are corrupted by disease. An integrative understanding of how protein machines function has implications for targeting cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, cancers, aging and a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases.”</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"> <div class="ucb-callout-content"><div class="image-caption image-caption-"><p> </p><div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/asmagazine/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/article-image/halil_aydin-23-06-12.jpg?itok=Y_6K7atr" width="750" height="750" alt="Halil Aydin"> </div> <p><a href="/biochemistry/halil-aydin" rel="nofollow">Halil Aydin</a> is an expert in membrane biology, cell signaling, proteins and enzymology, molecular biophysics, structural biology, and electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM).</p></div></div> </div><p>Figueroa also expressed thanks to the Boettcher Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Program and for what the funding will mean for her research team’s work. </p><p>“With this research grant, my team and I will have the means to investigate mechanical properties of lung mucus, how it flows, and how bacteria navigate in it,” she said. “Our research will look at the biophysics of lung-obstructive diseases using new quantitative and interdisciplinary tools, to further understand causes and consequences of failed mucus clearance and hopefully device solutions.”</p><p>Bottenus said, “Being named a Boettcher Investigator is an amazing career milestone. I’m grateful to become a part of a rich community of biomedical researchers throughout Colorado. This award will allow my group to grow in new directions, applying our acoustics and signal processing techniques to more fundamental biological investigations. I hope that our work will translate to improved diagnostic imaging, personalized medicine, and accessible health care technologies as we pursue new approaches to molecular imaging.”</p><div class="feature-layout-callout feature-layout-callout-medium"> <div class="ucb-callout-content">&l