Calve’s award will fund her research project entitled: “Design of 3D Hydrogels for the Treatment of Volumetric Muscle Loss.” The objective of this project is to identify and characterize hydrogel-peptide combinations that foster scar-free muscle repair after injury. The ultimate goal is to develop scaffolds that will significantly improve recovery and minimize healing time after significant loss of skeletal muscle due to traumas such as car accidents or battlefield injuries.

Goergen’s award will fund his research project entitled: “Vibrational Photoacoustic Tomography for Breast Tumor Margin Assessment.” The objective of this project is to develop a three-dimensional vibrational photoacoustic imaging system capable of accurately distinguishing tumor tissue from healthy tissue in isolated breast tissues. Such a system will be highly sensitive and low-cost, greatly benefiting breast cancer patients undergoing lumpectomies by significantly reducing their risk of a second surgery.

The Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Trust was established in 1975 to support research in the areas of:  environmental research, biochemistry and molecular biology, disease diagnosis and treatment, technologies for food development, and medical instrumentation.

Photo: Sarah Calve (left) and Craig Goergen.