I am currently a fifth year (as of 2011) graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The main focus of my research utilizes nonlinear optical techniques to study and manipulate biological systems in vivo. I am currently interested in trying to stop the propagation of seizures in a live, anesthetized rat. We use high-energy femtosecond laser pulses as a light scalpel to make subsurface cuts around the seizure focus to disrupt the neural connections that would otherwise help in propagating the seizure activity. Prior to starting my Ph.D., I obtained my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at UCLA and a M.Eng. degree in Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. A few things I enjoy, off the top, of my head include: eating my mom’s food, rubbing sand in between my toes, and listening to Led Zeppelin. And…Mexican food!
