OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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Morgan Giers, PhD
Primary Investigator
About: Morgan Giers is currently an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Oregon State University. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla) in 2010 and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Arizona State University in 2013. She then started a postdoctoral fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. Dr. Giers is the recipient of an IRA A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Dean's Fellowship, the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Award, and the Jeannette Wilkins Award for Best Basic Science Paper at the Musculoskeletal Infection Society Annual Meeting. Dr. Giers has also authored grants, recieving a Russian Science Foundation Research Grant, a Barrow Neurological Foundation Grant, and private donations for her team’s work. Her interdisciplinary work in drug delivery, transport phenomena, orthopedic surgery, and MRI imaging has been presented at over two dozen scientific meetings and in over a dozen peer reviewed journal articles. Recently her work has taken her as a visiting scholar to the Irkutsk Scientific Center of Surgery and Traumatology in Russia, the University of California San Francisco, and the University of Manchester in England.
Liudmila Bardonova, MD
Lab Manager
Project: Intervertebral Disc Cells Metabolism under the Influence of Inflammatory Factors
About: Liudmila recieved her MD degree in Russia in 2011 and worked as a physician and then started PhD in Russia in 2015 on a collaborative project with Dr. Giers. Liudmila finished a dissertation on intervertebral disc pathology and is awaiting her defense date as she begins her Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Giers lab. Her research in intervertebral disc biology is related to nutrient transport and prediction of patient response to biological intervertebral disc therapies.
Ward Shalash, BS
PhD Student
Project: Molecular and Biomechanical Influences on Regeneration of the Intervertebral Disc
About: Ward is a graduate student in Bioengineering studying biomolecular mechanisms that impact regeneration of the intervertebral disc in humans. Before OSU, Ward grew up in Israel where his fascination for biological engineering first started. During his last two years of high school he earned a scholarship to become an exchange student in Oregon as part of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) Program. In 2013, Ward started college at Portland Community College where he served as both the president of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society-Beta Gamma Lambda Chapter, and a member of the Associated Students of Portland Community College. He then transferred to Oregon State University to obtain his B.S. in Bioengineering. Outside of the lab, Ward enjoys surfing, hiking and exploring restaurants in nearby neighborhoods.
Ward hopes to become well established in the field of bioengineering specifically cell regeneration therapy and use his knowledge to advance the field and make treatments more efficient and affordable.
Omar Sheikh, BS
Masters Student
Project: Diagnostic Image Processing of Rotator Cuff Injury in Canines
About: Omar is a graduate student in Bioengineering studying the use of ultrasound and MRI image processing for tendon pathology. Upon receiving his bioengineering degree from Oregon State University, Honors College in 2015 Omar knew he would always be drawn to innovative medicine. At the age of 5, Omar was diagnosed with Becker's Muscular Dystrophy. Despite this, Omar became an Eagle Scout at the early age of 15 as well as a Goodwill Ambassador. Combining his passion for integrative science and helping others, he became set on finding a cure for MD patients across the globe.
Sonia Ahrens
Undergraduate Research Assistant -Honors Thesis
Class Standing: Senior
Project: Predicting Treatment Outcomes for the IVD using COMSOL Multiphysics®
About: Sonia is a senior pursuing an H.B.S in Bioengineering. Her academic interests are primarily centered on the development of bioengineering tools to treat human injury and illness. Her hobbies include hiking, volleyball and piano.
Mila Bakker
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Class Standing: Senior
Project: IVD Cellular Phenotype Identification
About: Mila is a Senior studying Chemical Engineering interested in chemistry, biology, and all things hands-on. She was born in raised in Southern California where she grew up playing soccer, scuba diving, and sailing competitively. Mila is VP of Programs in CFSL's Collective Greek Council where she started and continues to run the recycling philanthropy to support Jackson Street Youth Shelter in Corvallis Oregon. You can find her hiking, at the gym, or hanging out with her Phi Sigma Rho engineering sisters around campus.
Ryan Forcier
Undergraduate Research Assistant -Honors Thesis
Class Standing: Senior
Project: Cryopreservation of Intervertebral Discs
About: Ryan is a Honors Senior in Bioengineering with interests in tissue engineering and device design. He attended high school in Woodland, Washington. His hobbies include hiking/backpacking, soccer, running, and scuba diving.
Mackenzie Johnson
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Class Standing: Junior
Project: MRI processing of IVDs
About: Mackenzie is a 3rd year undergraduate student at Oregon State University pursing an honors degree in Bio-Engineering. She spent the last summer researching a method to enable the use of Cellulosic Nanomaterials as a biopolymer to remove turbidity from water prior to treatment through a SURF fellowship. Beyond schoolwork, Mackenzie is active in horse-back riding, club sports, and is President of the Oregon State Equestrian Event Team.
Natalie Hwee
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Class Standing: Junior
Project: Intervertebral Disc Cells Metabolism under the Influence of Inflammatory Factors
About: Natalie is a third year chemical engineering student. She is interested in biochemical applications of targeted drug therapy. In her free time, Natalie enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking and baking yummy treats.
Akari Seiner
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Class Standing: Junior
Project: Apoptosis Study
About: Akari came to OSU in September of 2015 to pursue a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering and a minor in psychology. Her interests are in neuroprosthetics and micro medical devices. Outside of school, she enjoys swimming, rock climbing, and slack lining.
Adrianah Dorn
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Class Standing: Sophomore
Project: Determining IVD Extracellular Matrix Composition
About: Adrianah is a bioengineering student who wants to pursue a career in research or medicine. She very much enjoys science and working in a lab setting. She is also very passionate about her education and hopes to inspire others to start their own science-based career.
Rees Rosene
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Class Standing: Sophomore
Project: IVD Cellular Phenotype Identification
About: Rees is pursuing an H.B.S. in Bioengineering at OSU. His future research interests are using genetic engineering methods to reduce the occurrence and severity of diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In his free time, Rees is the Vice President of the OSU Men’s Rugby team, hikes, and skis.
Alumni:
Dongmyung (Paul) Chung
