December 2010
Three students from the University of Brighton have received an award through this year’s Quorum Technologies student prize scheme, having demonstrated exceptional use of electron microscopy in their final year projects.
Our student prize scheme, in partnership with the University of Brighton, is now in its fourth year and still going strong - attracting interest from undergraduates working in a range of scientific disciplines.
This year, three prizes of £200 were awarded for final year undergraduate projects that the judges felt had made particularly good use of electron microscopy. The winners were Mira Buhecha, Robert Cocker and Isaac Lart, whose projects are detailed below.
The prize is held within the University’s Image and Analysis Unit in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science and awarded on an annual basis. More information can be found on our Student Prizes page.
Mira Buhecha
Course: Pharmacy MPharm (Hons)
Project supervisor: Dr Ananth Pannala
Project title: The development of a beta carotene and quercetin co-encapsulated system using a biodegradable polymer
Image top: The project utilised scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the size and morphology nanoparticles (PLGA) being developed for drug encapsulation strategies. The image was prepared by cryo-SEM, a process that allows specimens to be prepared and observed at cryo temperatures, typically in the range of -130ºC to -140ºC.
Robert Cocker
Course: Biomedical Science BSc (Hons)
Project supervisor: Dr Jacqueline Elsom
Project title: Human oral epithelial skin models in the investigation of compounds used in oral healthcare formulations research
Image middle: The project utilised SEM and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) to investigate zinc nanoparticle interactions with human epithelial cells.
Isaac Lart
Course: Biomedical Science BSc (Hons)
Project supervisor: Dr Gary Phillips
Project title: Production of a novel scaffold for large scale, soft tissue regeneration
Image bottom: The project used SEM to investigate the morphology and porosity within the macroporous structure of gelatine and calcium alginate biomaterial scaffold constructs.
For more information on the University of Brighton’s Image and Analysis Unit in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science, visit http://www.brighton.ac.uk/pharmacy/consultancy/IAU/index.php?PageId=100