Congratulations to Dr. Mark R. Marten, who was promoted to Professor on July 1, 2008. Information on Dr. Marten's research can be found on his laboratory web site.

You are all invited to attend Jessica Drew's MS thesis defense.

Date: Tuesday, July 8th
Time: 10 am
Location: ITE 227

Some refreshments will be provided, however no food is allowed in the
actual room.

Title: Application of High Throughput Bioreactors in
Subclone Selection

Abstract: The demand for monoclonal antibodies in pharmaceutical drug production
requires the highest technology be invested in obtaining a stable, high
producing cell line. Currently the most common method of selection is by
limiting dilution cloning, done in well plates. The highest producing
cell is chosen after samples from the stationary plates have been
analyzed for antibody production. The selection is based on stationary
culture, even though after scale-up cells will grow in a stirred
environment. This research investigates a way to test multiple clones in
a stirred environment by using high throughput bioreactors (HTBRs) in the
early stages of clone selection. It has been found that simply selecting
subclones based on results from stationary culture could result in the
chance of missing even higher producing clones. Instead, choosing a
clone after analyzing its performance in a stirred environment is an
improved method to select a cell line for further scale-up.

Recipients of Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering

Our B.S. graduates have accepted offers from companies such as Exxon, NupocNavy Officer, NIH Vaccine Research Center NIAID and graduate schools such as Cambridge University, Stanford University, Tulsa University, Brown University, Berkeley University, and University of Maryland Baltimore.

From left to right.
Standing: George, Areeb, Tolu, Eric, Bill, Mark, Adeniyi, Jacob, Amaka, Guy, Quang,
Nirav, Abraham, David. Bottom row: Nichole, Pete, Jessica, Debbie, Amber, Sylvia, Tania.

George E. Aninwene II (Minor: Biological Sciences) ^
Nichole B. Au (Minor: History) *^
Tolulope O. Babalola
William A. Becker
Mark A. Benesch **
Abraham G. Beyene **
Peter D. Block (Minor: Psychology)
Amaka Chidume-Okoro (Minor: Modern Language & Linguistics) *
Jacob S. Demirji ^
David E. Dunn
Simon M. Gray (Valedictorian) ***^
Terrell K. Higgins
Quadri O. Johnson
Guy S. Kamguia
Josphat G. Kiaritha
Ariane C. Kouamou
Quang M. La
Debora W. Lin (Minor: Biological Sciences) **^
Jian Liu (Double Major: Chemistry)
Amber Mahmood
Tania Monterastelli **
Eric C. Mortin *^
Adeniyi O. Olujoya
Nirav Patel
Christa L. Puhl (Minor: Biological Sciences) ^
Sylvia J. Rivera
Jessica E. Schwartz ^
Areeb A. Shaikh

* Cum Laude
** Manga Cum Laude
*** Summa Cum Laude
^ Biotechnology/Bioengineering Track

Recipients of a Master of Science degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

The following M.S. graduates completed a thesis describing original research endeavors and have accepted offers of employment at TAI Engineering and Aberdeen Proving Grounds or are pursuing doctoral degrees in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University and the University of Delaware.

From left to right: Jake McGill, Tony Geisz, Brad Gates and Jessica Drew.

Jessica L. Drew
Thesis: Application of High Throughput Bioreactors in Subclone Selection
Advisor: Govind Rao

Bradford M. Gates
Thesis: Amyloid-Neuron Interactions Explored via Computational Modeling
Advisor: Mariajose Castellanos

Anton J. Geisz, Jr.
Thesis: Multivalent Sialic Acid Polymers: A Novel Chemistry
Advisor: Theresa Good

Leonard C. Lombardo
Thesis: Engineering Macroporous Hydrogels via the Degradation of Embedded Microspheres
Advisor: Jennie Leach

Jacob A. McGill
Thesis: Development of an Intracellular Infection Model and Integration of Diffusional Virus Effects into a Cellular Automata Simulation
Advisor: Mariajose Castellanos

Recipients of a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

The following Ph.D. graduates completed a doctoral thesis describing significant research contributions to their field and are currently working at companies such as Wyeth, Regeneron, and Novozymes and postdoctoral fellowships at NIST and Drexel University.

From left to right
Top Row: David Schaefer, Niraj George, Michael Johnson, Chris Cowan
Middle Row: Liming Zhao, Julie Ross, Derek Smith, Michael Hanson
Bottom Row: Judith Kadarusman, Mark Marten, Theresa Good, Govind Rao

Christopher B. Cowan
Thesis: Developing Novel Materials that Capture the Alzheimer's Disease Associated Protein Beta Amyloid for Therapeutic and Detection Applications
Advisor: Theresa Good

Niraj P.E. George
Thesis: Influence of Shear Stress on the Adhesion of S. aureus to Immobilized Platelets
Advisor: Julia Ross and Konstantinos Konstantopoulos

Michael Hanson
Thesis: High Throughput Bioreactor Validation and Use in Mammalian Cell Culture Process Change Studies Utilizing Gene Expression Data
Advisors: Govind Rao and Antonio Moreira

Michael A. Johnson
Thesis: Platelet-S. aureus Interactions: A Study of Thrombus Formation in Whole Blood in the Presence of Bacteria Under Physiological Shear Conditions
Advisor: Julia Ross

Wendy Lea
Thesis: Development, Validation and Application of a Biological Antioxidant Capacity Assay Using sodA::gfp as a Living Sensor
Advisor: Govind Rao and Leah Tolosa

Judith K. Pollack
Thesis: Study of the Morphology and Physiology of Filamentous Fungi During Nutrient Starvation Using the Parallel Plate Flow Chamber
Advisor: Mark Marten

Derek S. Smith
Thesis: Plasmonic Enhancement for the Development of High Sensitivity, Low-Cost Fluorescence Sensing With Ultrafast Detection
Advisor: Govind Rao and Yordan Kostov

Liming Zhao
Thesis: Surface Structures and Mechanical Properties of Model Fungus Aspergillus nidulans
Advisor: Mark Marten and David Schaefer