At the Intersection of Engineering, Physics, and Biology

Doctoral student Melinda Cromie, PhD '11, helped show muscle "sarcomeres" at work in the human body for the first time by developing a new kind of microscope system. That required a new kind of funding: the Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship (SIGF). Awarded through Stanford’s Bio-X program, Melinda's SIGF funding allowed her to work between labs in engineering, physics, and biology, collaborating with orthopedic surgeons. The resulting technology enables researchers to better understand motor control diseases such as stroke and cerebral palsy.