EWD Seed Grant Round 1 - UofI Lab Visit Recap

After successfully receiving a grant from the Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Seed Funding Program for Chemurgy 2.0 with Iowa NSF EPSCoR, Dr. Lisa Chizek, from Iowa State University, and an integral volunteer for the grant, Dave Chizek, took Springville High School students Abbi Hoyt, Ellie Malanaphy, and Mason Chizek to visit Biomanufacturing Researchers and their labs at The University of Iowa on March 13, 2025, to try to understand the work the researchers were doing more clearly. The Springville students were able to conduct interviews and see labs for two research projects. 

In the morning, everyone met with Andre James, who is working with his partner, Carson Baldus, to find the most effective biomedical polymerization or, more simply, they are looking to develop the most effective biomedical “container” to put stem cells in to be delivered in a targeted way to the part of the body that needs it. Abbi, Ellie, and Mason enjoyed talking with Andre as he explained his work and answered many questions. Students also got some hands-on experience as they worked with Andre to create the “Springville Compound #1,” combining six millimolars of Curcumin and 60 millimolars of NPG (N-Phenylglycine). A UV light was used for 10 minutes in the photopolymerization process. Voila! Success!!

Everyone met with Chris Vidmar in the afternoon to learn more about bacterial ghosts. Chris was very patient, explaining bacterial ghosts and how they might be used. He answered many questions helping to clarify everyone’s understanding. Students learned how certain bacteria are treated with specific chemicals to create ghosts. Bacterial ghosts are empty bacterial shells that no longer have their internals while the surface structures are preserved. Drugs can potentially then be put in the bacterial ghosts for targeted drug delivery. Chris’s work is finding the drug delivery platform to target specific GPCRs (G-protein coupled receptors). Chris was generous when he showed the group his lab and simulated the process he would go through with his work to create ghost bacteria. This helped clarify what he was explaining. 

The next step for the Springville students, after these interviews and visits to the labs, is to create videos to teach others about the research and how important the research is in a way that is understandable to the general public. In other words, high school students are “Translating Information to Demystify Biomanufacturing,” which is the name of the grant project. Dave Chizek will be the primary support through this process.

Stay tuned for more updates on this innovative project!
View all the photos from the visit on our Flickr page here.