Martha Beatriz Alvarez-Elizondo was awarded a 2009-2010 UC MEXUS-CONACYT Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at the Bio-Engineering of Advanced Mechanical Systems (BEAMS) Laboratory at the UC Irvine Beckman Laser Institute under the guidance of Professor Elliot Botvinick. During her stay, Alvarez-Elizondo developed different optical techniques on the same microscope for micromechanical applications. Specifically, this system is used by the BEAMS lab to perform experiments on the sprouting of vascular capillars and the mechanical characterization of hyaluronic acid using active microrheology with optical tweezers. Also, in collaboration with the lab of Steven C. George, director of the Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, she performed ablation of epithelial lung cells for asthma studies. She continues working as a postdoctoral scholar at the BEAMS lab where she is wrapping up her research prior to returning to Mexico.
Dr. Alvarez-Elizondo can be reached at marthambae@gmail.com.
