Christie Bergerson, a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named recipient of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Scholar Award.
The award, which was established in 1991, provides educational support for women who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. As a recipient of the highly competitive merit-based award, Bergerson will receive $15,000.
Bergerson, who is a graduate research assistant for TEES Research Assistant Professor Michael Moreno, is working on the development of a device that encourages osteoregeneration of long bones using guided tissue-regeneration techniques and tunable biomechanical microenvironments that influence stem-cell differentiation.
During her graduate career, Bergerson has co-authored a book chapter for the Handbook of Medical Devices; a review article on mechanical factors in cardiac growth, development, disease and therapeutic intervention; and a research article on the development of constitutive models for biodegradable polymers. She recently presented her dissertation work at Student Research Week and won first place for her podium presentation in the medical category. Her work was subsequently presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2013 Summer Bioengineering Conference.
Prior to joining Moreno’s Biomechanical Environments Lab, Bergerson earned her Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering from Texas A&M.
“The fast growth of my lab has been possible only because of Christie’s versatile skill set and ability to serve as lab manager,” Moreno said. “In addition to her own dissertation project, Christie has been involved to varying degrees in many of the ongoing projects in my lab. Her work ethic has been exceptional.”
P.E.O. was founded on January 21, 1869 at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Originally a small campus friendship society, P.E.O. has grown to almost a quarter of a million members in chapters in the United States and Canada.
P.E.O. aims to makes a difference in women's lives through six philanthropies that include ownership of Cottey College, a women’s college with two-year and selected four-year programs, and five other philanthropies that provide higher educational assistance, including the P.E.O. Scholar Awards.