Daniel O’Brien Named 2019-20 ARCS Scholar Award Recipient

Physics Ph.D. student Daniel O’Brien has been named the 2019-20 ARCS Scholar Award recipient by the Metropolitan Washington Chapter (MWC) of the ARCS Foundation. Daniel O’Brien’s research in Prof. Paranjapes Group, aims to provide a non-invasive method for precise and continuous or on-demand glucose measurements. Dan is working to design a Band-Aid-like patch device that assesses glucose levels in the interstitial fluid (the fluid that surrounds living cells in the body). This fluid will be extracted through painlessly created micropores in the skin, then transported using microfluidics to sensing electrodes. These electrodes will employ electrochemistry to make quantitative measurements of glucose levels in the fluid, which have been shown to be correlated to blood levels.

The mission of the ARCS Foundation is to advance science and technology in the US by awarding fellowships and scholarships to outstanding students in science and engineering.