Department:
Materials Science and Engineering

Faculty Advisers:
Jennifer Lewis, Materials Science and Engineerng
Ralph G. Nuzzo, Chemistry

Project Title:
Direct-Write Assembly of 3D Microperiodic Hydrogel Scaffolds for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Culture

Lucas is a graduate student under Dr. Jennifer Lewis in the Materials Science and Engineering department at the University of Illinois.  He graduated with a B.S. in chemistry from Hope College in Holland, Michigan and spent two summers under the NSF REU programs at University of Southern Mississippi and IBM Almaden.  Lucas’s current work is a collaborative effort with Dr. JJ Cheng and Dr. Fei Wang to create microperiodic scaffolds for long term self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells through the direct ink write method.  The project hopes to improve upon current efforts in 3D culturing and examine the possibility of directed differentiation in the future.  Lucas would like to use his work at Illinois as a platform for an academic career at a teaching-focused 4 year institution.  He is an avid fan of both the Illini and his home state Buckeyes and continues to swim after 4 years of varsity swimming at Hope.