Features
(Photo: Richard Baker)“People always tell you that if you’re good at math and science, you should go into engineering,” says Lisa Bonanno, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering who studied microelectronic engineering and electrical engineering before discovering her interest in biology as an undergraduate.
Bonanno, who expects to complete a postdoctoral fellowship followed by an academic or government career in nanotechnology research, now works in the Medical Center lab of Lisa DeLouise, an assistant professor of dermatology and of biomedical engineering. She uses porous silicon optical biosensors to help develop more rapid diagnostic techniques for the health care system, including an adhesive bandage that would instantly change to a particular color depending on the kind of bacteria in a wound. Her interest in health care comes in part from her struggle with several autoimmune issues as a teenager.
The Greece, N.Y., native has had five first-author publications, three published conference oral presentations, and two peer-reviewed publications in the top journals in her field. In 2008, her talk on porous silicon sensors won an award at an international science and technology conference in Spain. Most recently, she was granted a predoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health.
“I love the fact that I work right in the Medical Center,” says Bonanno, also a mentor to undergraduates performing experiments based on her findings. “There’s a nice atmosphere with all the collaboration between departments, and the professors are really approachable. It’s a great relationship.”
