Contact: Amy Hewes
805-756-6402
ahewes@calpoly.edu
First Bonderson Fellow Named for Cal Poly- UC Santa Barbara Graduate Program
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Brian Stahl is poised to be a pioneer. Not only is the Cal Poly materials engineering graduate student aiming to undertake new research in the fields of biomaterials/biocompatibility and electronic and photonic materials, he is also forging a unique, new collaboration between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.
Stahl, from Poway, CA, was recently named the first recipient of a Bonderson Fellowship for master’s and Ph.D. degree in Biomedical and Materials Engineering. Established through a $500,000 gift from Paul and Sandra Bonderson, the program provides five years of tuition and support for recipients to pursue master’s degrees at Cal Poly and then Ph.D.s at UCSB. The program also earmarks funds for equipment and lab costs, as well as support for faculty and nurturing greater collaboration between researchers at the two universities.
Stahl has been involved in high tech projects and his research focus is still being defined. His interest in biomaterials and biocompatibility was sparked by an internship at Boston Scientific, a medical device manufacturer specializing in less-invasive devices. “I was amazed by the complexity of the human body and how these devices could be used to treat a disease which would have required open-heart surgery several decades ago,” Stahl said.
At Cal Poly, Stahl has been working on the micro-fabrication of a silicon-based piezoresistive pressure sensor, a project with the Micro Systems Technology research group. Led by Richard Savage, this effort involves students from materials engineering, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering, who work on projects involving micro and nano-scale technologies.
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