Biomedical engineering Ph.D. candidate Kristin Poole has been awarded a 2014 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics for her potential contributions to the field of optics, photonics or related field.
Poole’s research focus is optical imaging methods for evaluating the arteries response to ischemia – a partial or complete blockage of arteries – and the effect of novel therapies in a preclinical model of peripheral arterial disease, a condition where plaque builds up and causes blockages in the arteries that carry blood to legs and arms, and it also can affect organs and the head. Poole works with assistant professor Craig Duvall in the Advanced Therapeutics Lab and with assistant professor Melissa Skala in the Optical Imaging Lab in the Biomedical Engineering Department.
In addition, she has authored/co-authored several journal and conference papers and is actively involved in science outreach activities.
In 2014 SPIE awarded $353,000 in education and travel scholarships to 144 outstanding individuals, based on their potential contribution to optics and photonics, or a related discipline. Award-winning applicants were evaluated, selected and approved by the SPIE Scholarship Committee, chaired by SPIE volunteer Kevin Leonard.
To date, SPIE has distributed over $3.5 million dollars in individual scholarships. This ambitious effort reflects the Society’s commitment to education and to the next generation of optical scientists and engineers around the world.
SPIE scholarships are open to full- and part-time students studying anywhere in the world. All scholarship applications are judged on their own merit, based on the experience and education level of the individual student.
SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. The Society serves nearly 256,000 constituents from approximately 155 countries, offering conferences, continuing education, books, journals, and a digital library in support of interdisciplinary information exchange, professional networking, and patent precedent. SPIE provided $3.2 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2013.