Hometown: Maine, N.Y.
Undergrad: Chemistry, Russell Sage College, Troy, N.Y.
GSBS Concentration: Biomedical Engineering, UMaine
Adviser: UMaine Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering David Neivandt
Research: Using a complex laser spectrometer, Sterling is looking at how proteins move across cell membranes. These proteins help blood vessels grow at tumor sites by stimulating growth of cells required to form blood vessels. Understanding how these proteins are transported could lead to information about how tumors are formed, how blood vessels become restricted, and how new blood vessels grow from already existing vessels, a process called angiogenesis.
In her words: “Many groups are doing biomedical research now, so hopefully I can bring a different insight with my chemistry background, from both the engineering and analytical side.”
Image Description: Sarah Sterling