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Arianna McCarty reaches new heights with Astronaut Scholarship

Susan Glairon — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:03:19 +0000

Arianna McCarty reaches new heights with Astronaut Scholarship Susan Glairon Tue, 11/04/2025 - 15:03

Susan Glairon

Arianna McCarty, a chemical and biological engineering senior, has distinguished herself through a remarkable combination of three top academic and research achievements.

Most recently McCarty received the 2025 scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF), an organization founded by the Mercury 7 astronauts and supported by successive generations of NASA astronauts. She previously earned the Boettcher Scholarship, fully funding her for four years of undergraduate study at a Colorado university, as well as the Goldwater Scholarship, awarded to sophomores and juniors actively conducting research in mathematics, science and engineering.

Astronaut scholars are awarded up to $15,000 per year for education-related expenses and may be awarded for up to two years of undergraduate work. The merit-based ASF scholarship is the largest known monetary award of its kind given in the United States to science and engineering undergraduate students.

What does this newest award mean to you?

Receiving the astronaut scholarship has been one of the most meaningful honors of my academic journey because it recognizes my technical and research accomplishments and connects me to an extraordinary community. The other astronaut scholars are some of the most inspiring, passionate and driven people I’ve ever met, and many have become close friends.

What research have you been involved in?

My research journey began in high school, when I worked with the Layer Lab at the BioFrontiers Institute to study computational genomics. Later, thanks to the support of the Boettcher Foundation, I joined The Clark Lab at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where I explored the respiratory microbiome and investigated how native bacteria in the respiratory tract can protect against pathogens. Most recently, I joined the Burdick Biomaterials and Biofabrication Laboratory in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE) through the Young Scholars Summer Research Program led by Distinguished Professor Robert Davis.

My work focuses on engineering heart tissues to model focal cardiac fibrosis, a condition in which the heart wall stiffens, impairing cardiac function and potentially leading to heart failure. By replicating this disease in the lab, we aim to better understand its mechanisms and evaluate potential therapeutics to advance treatment options.

If you go

What: Meet astronaut Joe Tanner, a four-time astronaut who flew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis again.

Arianna McCarty, a chemical and biological engineering senior, will be honored as an astronaut scholar at this event.

When: Thursday, Nov. 6, 4:30 p.m.

Where: UMC 386 (Aspen Room)

Register for the event

Which organizations, clubs or volunteer work are you engaged in?

As a course assistant for multiple core ChBE courses, I work to make challenging material more accessible, developing recitations and creating custom practice resources to support student success. I also serve as a peer ambassador for the department, collaborating with faculty to enhance courses and expand departmental programming. Beyond engineering, I find balance performing in theatrical productions, playing a variety of instruments and authoring a collection of haiku. I also stay engaged through the Boettcher Foundation, a philanthropic foundation dedicated to strengthening Colorado by fostering the potential of its residents.

What accomplishment are you most proud of academically?

Academically, I’m most proud of my research, which includes publishing my first paper and mentoring new students. From studying the respiratory microbiome in the Clark Lab to engineering heart tissues in the Burdick Lab, I’ve had the chance to contribute to work that could impact human health.

What has been your biggest challenge during your engineering education?

One of the biggest challenges in my engineering education has been learning to say “no.” I’ve always been deeply curious and eager to take on new opportunities. But, I’ve come to understand time as the most valuable resource, and how we choose to spend it defines the quality of our work and growth.

What’s next?

I'm applying to PhD programs in bioengineering, with a focus on research at the intersection of tissue engineering and immunoengineering. I am particularly interested in exploring how the immune system and other biological systems, such as the microbiome, can be leveraged to support wound healing and tissue regeneration. Ultimately, I hope to become a professor at an R1 research university, where I can lead a lab pursuing novel research in this area and continue mentoring students—a role I’ve come to deeply enjoy through my experiences as a course assistant.

Anything else you would like to add or share?

I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has supported and believed in me along the way. In particular, I want to thank Kenneth M. Monks, PhD, Assistant Professor Ryan Layer, Assistant Professor Sarah Clark, Professor Jason Burdick and my brother, Bryan. Their trust, mentorship and encouragement have meant more to me than words can express.

Arianna McCarty, a chemical and biological engineering senior, has distinguished herself through a remarkable combination of academic and research excellence, earning the Astronaut, Boettcher and Goldwater scholarships. Her research spans computational genomics, the respiratory microbiome and tissue engineering aimed at improving heart health.

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How animals get their spots, and why they are beautifully imperfect

Susan Glairon — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 21:24:53 +0000

How animals get their spots, and why they are beautifully imperfect Susan Glairon Mon, 10/27/2025 - 15:24

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta, the study’s lead researcher, and his team have developed a way to simulate natural animal patterns, including their imperfections. The findings could lead to new materials that turn to camouflage on demand.

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A better band-aid: New 'suspended animation' technology could revolutionize wound care

Susan Glairon — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:41:13 +0000

A better band-aid: New 'suspended animation' technology could revolutionize wound care Susan Glairon Fri, 10/10/2025 - 08:41

A ��ƷSM��ӰƬ research team co-led by Distinguished Professor Christopher Bowman has received up to $5.8 million from ARPA-H to develop new treatments that temporarily suspend the immune response after severe burns or tissue injuries, aiming to reduce pain, speed healing and prevent long-term damage. The approach could also benefit patients with limited access to immediate medical care.

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Shields Lab and SPUR student team up to advance microrobot drug delivery

Susan Glairon — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 20:46:07 +0000

Shields Lab and SPUR student team up to advance microrobot drug delivery Susan Glairon Fri, 10/03/2025 - 14:46

SPUR student Joshua Smith joined researchers in the Shields Lab to develop microrobots that actively deliver drugs to the lungs—an innovative approach that could transform treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome.

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Frugal engineering innovator Saad Bhamla headed to ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

Susan Glairon — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 22:30:42 +0000

Frugal engineering innovator Saad Bhamla headed to ��ƷSM��ӰƬ Susan Glairon Wed, 10/01/2025 - 16:30

Susan Glairon

Saad Bhamla, a pioneering scientist known for studying unusual biological systems and inventing ultra-low-cost medical devices, will join the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the BioFrontiers Institute in August. His work blends biology, engineering and frugal science.

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��ƷSM��ӰƬ's chemical engineering ranked 11 among public universities

Susan Glairon — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 19:20:15 +0000

��ƷSM��ӰƬ's chemical engineering ranked 11 among public universities Susan Glairon Fri, 09/26/2025 - 13:20

��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s chemical engineering program retained its No. 11 spot among public engineering programs in the U.S., according to U.S. News & World Report. ChBE's biological engineering program was not ranked, likely due to the program’s newness and the field’s typical association with agricultural programs in USN&WR.

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Ankur Gupta receives prestigious 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship

Susan Glairon — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:36:42 +0000

Ankur Gupta receives prestigious 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship Susan Glairon Tue, 09/23/2025 - 18:36

Susan Glairon

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta has been named the recipient of the Royal Society of Chemistry's 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship, a prestigious award recognizing outstanding early-career researchers in the field. The honor is awarded by the Soft Matter editorial board to an early-career scientist who has made significant contributions to soft matter research, selected from a pool of nominees put forward by the scientific community.

Soft matter is a branch of physics and materials science that studies materials that are easily deformed by external forces — typically lying between solid and liquid states.

Gupta is the principal director of the Laboratory of Interfaces, Flow, and Electrokinetics (LIFE) in ��ƷSM��ӰƬ's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, where a team employs theoretical, numerical and experimental methods to study transport phenomena in electrochemical, microfluidic and biophysical systems.

Gupta’s contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Chemical & Engineering News Talented 12, Johannes Lyklema Early Career Award in Electrokinetics, Air Force Young Investigator Award, AIChE 35 Under 35, Dream Chemistry Lecture, NSF CAREER Award, Soft Matter Emerging Investigator Award and the Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award from IIT Delhi.

��ƷSM��ӰƬ's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is one of only two institutions — along with MIT — to have two recipients of the Soft Matter Lectureship. Professor Tim White received the honor in 2019.

Read about Gupta's scientific journey in Soft Matter's Q&A

Adding to a growing list of honors, Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta has been awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship — a prestigious recognition of outstanding early-career researchers in the field.

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Kristi Anseth awarded National Academy of Engineering's founders award

Susan Glairon — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:40:33 +0000

Kristi Anseth awarded National Academy of Engineering's founders award Susan Glairon Tue, 09/16/2025 - 09:40

Susan Glairon

Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth, of chemical and biological engineering, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Simon Ramo Founders Award by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) “for outstanding contributions to new bioresponsive polymeric materials and their applications in tissue engineering and for leadership in biomaterial science education and research.”

Anseth, also the associate faculty director of ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s BioFrontiers Institute, designs biomaterials that interact with living tissues to promote repair and regeneration, aiding in healing injuries and diseases. Her lab works with hydrogels—a degradable biomaterial—to deliver molecules at the right time and sequence to accelerate the healing process. Her team is also growing miniaturized versions of heart cells and tissues, known as organoids, to better understand disease mechanisms and explore new types of heart disease treatments, such as to repair heart muscles after heart attacks.

Anseth is also among the select few innovators elected to all three National Academies: Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Beyond her scientific contributions, she has been recognized with more than 50 major awards and delivered over 60 honorary lectureships worldwide.

Read the NAE story

Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth, also the associate faculty director of ��ƷSM��ӰƬ’s BioFrontiers Institute, designs biomaterials that interact with living tissues to promote repair and regeneration, aiding in healing injuries and diseases. Her lab works with hydrogels—a degradable biomaterial—to deliver molecules at the right time and sequence to accelerate the healing process.

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Building community around electrochemistry and energy innovation

Susan Glairon — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 13:56:48 +0000

Building community around electrochemistry and energy innovation Susan Glairon Sat, 09/13/2025 - 07:56

Professor Mike Toney

Building on the momentum of the well-attended 2023 materials chemistry gathering, a new workshop brought together students, faculty and national lab staff from across the Front Range for a focused conversation on electrochemistry—with a strong emphasis on batteries, energy storage and the role of machine learning in accelerating innovation.

Professor Michael Toney, co-organizer for the 2025 Front Range Electrochemistry Workshop (FREW), explained that while the meeting broadly addressed electrochemical science, this year’s focus on batteries reflects their increasing relevance to everything from electric vehicles to renewable energy infrastructure.

“Electrochemistry is a very energy-efficient way of driving chemical reactions to produce useful products,” he said. “That includes emerging battery technologies, which are key to storing electricity generated by solar or wind when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.”

Among the invited speakers was Assistant Professor Kayla Sprenger, who spoke on her group's innovative approaches using simulations to model battery interfaces. The event aimed not only to highlight cutting-edge research—including the potential of AI to optimize battery materials and testing—but also to build community among graduate students and early-career researchers. As Toney noted, many students work in small lab groups and don’t always realize how many peers and potential collaborators are just a short drive away.

Co-organized with Eric Toberer, a physics professor at Colorado School of Mines, the workshop also included collaborative pitch sessions, where student teams proposed new research ideas for cash prizes. Pitch and poster session awardees included CEAS graduate students Loren Andrews, Rebecca Beswick, Peter Romero, Bryce Rives and Cindy Wong.

With around 100 attendees—mostly students—the event fostered both technical exchange and professional networking, creating space for new ideas, mentorship and cross-institution partnerships across the region.

Read the RASEI story

Co-organized by Professor Mike Toney, the 2025 Front Range Electrochemistry Workshop (FREW) broadly addressed electrochemical science, with this year’s focus on batteries reflecting their growing importance to everything from electric vehicles to renewable energy infrastructure. Assistant Professor Kayla Sprenger was an invited speaker.

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New single-dose, temperature-stable rabies vaccines could expand global access

Susan Glairon — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 20:49:34 +0000

New single-dose, temperature-stable rabies vaccines could expand global access Susan Glairon Fri, 09/05/2025 - 14:49

��ƷSM��ӰƬ researchers, led by Ted Randolph, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, have developed a groundbreaking temperature-stable rabies vaccine that combines multiple doses into a single shot—an innovation that could vastly improve global access to life-saving immunization.

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News

Arianna McCarty reaches new heights with Astronaut Scholarship

What does this newest award mean to you?

What research have you been involved in?

Which organizations, clubs or volunteer work are you engaged in?

What accomplishment are you most proud of academically?

What has been your biggest challenge during your engineering education?

What’s next?

Anything else you would like to add or share?

Off

How animals get their spots, and why they are beautifully imperfect

Off

A better band-aid: New 'suspended animation' technology could revolutionize wound care

Off

Shields Lab and SPUR student team up to advance microrobot drug delivery

Off

Frugal engineering innovator Saad Bhamla headed to ��ƷSM����ӰƬ

Off

��ƷSM����ӰƬ's chemical engineering ranked 11 among public universities

Off

Ankur Gupta receives prestigious 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship

Off

Kristi Anseth awarded National Academy of Engineering's founders award

Off

Building community around electrochemistry and energy innovation

Off

New single-dose, temperature-stable rabies vaccines could expand global access

Off

Frugal engineering innovator Saad Bhamla headed to ��ƷSM��ӰƬ

��ƷSM��ӰƬ's chemical engineering ranked 11 among public universities