April 2017: UF Receives up to $8.4 million from DoD to study brain training using electric stimulation. – Jaffee, M.

UF Receives up to $8.4 million from DoD to study brain training using electric stimulation. – Jaffee, M.

April 2017: Can zapping your neck help you quickly learn a foreign language? – Swetlitz, I.

Can zapping your neck help you quickly learn a foreign language? – Swetlitz, I.

Elliott Dirr (2016-2021)


Elliott Dirr
Ph.D. student
Biomedical Engineering
edirr@ufl.edu
LinkedIn Profile
Neural interfaces and neural stimulation

Elliott received his B.S. in biomedical engineering with a minor in entrepreneurship from The Ohio State University in 2014. His undergraduate research focused on the effect of intrastriatal injection of alpha-synuclein fibrils on ultrasonic vocalizations in rats under Dr. Shelia Fleming. Elliott is interested in the use of peripheral neuromodulation to treat diseases by utilizing the body’s own ability to respond chemically to neural stimuli. He is currently examining the efficacy of using targeted neurostimulation techniques to chronically control blood glucose.

Melissa Franklin


Melissa Franklin
Biomedical Engineering
melfrank7@ufl.edu
Neural interfaces and immunohistochemistry
[expand title=”Read more”]Melissa is a fourth-year biomedical engineering major at the University of Florida with a specialization in Biomaterials. She is interested in novel biomaterials used for neural interfaces and techniques to regenerate neural tissue. After her bachelor’s degree, she plans to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. [/expand]

Lauren Lester


Lauren Lester
Mechanical Engineering
laurenlester@ufl.edu
Neural interfaces and drug delivery

Lauren is a first year mechanical engineering undergrad at the University of Florida with a focus on bio-mechanics. This is Lauren’s first lab setting and is very enthusiastic to get involved with research.

Alexis Brake


Alexis Brake
Biomedical Engineering / Dance
abrake@ufl.edu
Neural interfaces and immunohistochemistry

Alexis is currently in her third year as a biomedical engineering major at the University of Florida. Her current research interests are in investigating the Foreign Body Response in the African Spiny Mouse . After graduating, Alexis looks forward to attending a Ph.D./M.D. combined program and becoming a physician scientist.

February 2017: Dr. Kevin Otto awarded NIH grant focusing on micro-coil implants for cortical activation.

This month we congratulate Dr. Otto on being awarded an NIH Grant in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, Palo Alto Research Center that focuses on cortical activation via the implantation of micro-coils.

More information here…

Jamie Murbach (2016-2021)

Jamie Murbach
Ph.D. Student
Materials Science and Engineering
jam8744@ufl.edu
Neural interfaces and drug delivery

Jamie completed her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with a concentration in polymeric materials and a minor in chemistry from Clemson University in 2016. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida.