Two UF BME Ph.D. candidates were selected for an Attributes of a Gator Engineer Award. The Gator Engineering Attribute Awards are intended to provide an ideal guide for all members of the gator engineering community. Established in 2010 as part of the college’s centennial celebration, the Attributes of a Gator Engineer embody the college’s expectations of all students and faculty.

Madison Temples Ph.D. candidate, received the HWCOE Attributes of a Gator Engineer Award for Professional Excellence.

Professional Excellence: technically competent, skilled in management and planning, problem-solving, scientifically insightful

Madison Temples is a biomedical engineering Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Blanka Sharma’s Lab. Madison works on engineering tumor models to study natural killer cell infiltration and the mechanisms tumors utilize to suppress natural killer cell migration. During her graduate studies Madison has served as a Leadership Coach for LeadUF, the President of the BME Graduate Student Council, and the Vice President for Education Outreach in Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. She has also been a mentor to undergraduate and Master’s student in the lab, as well as a lecturer and mentor through the Student Science Training Program (SSTP). In her free time, Madison enjoying cooking, hiking and kayaking, and exploring Gainesville.

Shreedevi Kumar, Ph.D. candidate, received the HWCOE Attributes of a Gator Engineering Award for Integrity.

Integrity: honest, ethical, willing to work for achievements (persistent, hard-working, determined), impelled toward right action, trustworthy, humble, inspires integrity in others

Shree (Shreedevi) Kumar is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Blanka Sharma’s Lab and her research is focused on drug delivery vehicles and therapeutics that are site-specific and targeted at different inflammatory pathways in osteoarthritis. During her graduate studies, Shree has mentored undergraduate students in her lab and high school students as part of the Student Science Training Program. Outside of her doctoral research, Shree has served as an officer (in various roles including Vice-President, Vice-President of Electees, Graduate Coordinator) in the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi for the past 4 years. In her free time, Shree enjoys playing board games with her partner, running and working out with her sister via zoom!