Matthew Jaeschke

What is the focus of your research as part of the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program?

The focus of my research has been developing and studying Dr. Tamerler’s multimodal imaging nanoprobes. Combining gold nanoparticles with fluorescent proteins that have been engineered with a gold binding peptide, Dr. Tamerler’s lab has created nanoprobes with optical and fluorescent moieties. Currently we are collaborating with Dr. Michael Johnson’s lab to study the potential use of these nanoprobes to detect changes in metal ion concentrations in zebra fish brains through fluorescence quenching. 

What did you enjoy most about conducting undergraduate research?

The most enjoyable thing about conducting undergraduate research for me is collecting data and presenting the results. A lot of work is necessary to get to that point and being able to contribute to the entire process is extremely rewarding.

Were you able to present your research or publish articles based on your research? If so, where?

I have given two poster presentations of my research: one at the KU Biomaterials Day and the other at the Undergraduate Research Symposium at KU. I also gave an oral presentation of my research at The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society 2020 Annual Meeting & Exhibition in San Diego. We are currently in the process of writing up a manuscript on the work we are doing with our collaborator. 

What are your future academic and professional plans?

My plans are to go to graduate school and pursue a career in biomedical research.