Shann C.S. Yu

Graduate Research Assistant

Dept. of Biomedical Engineering

Web links: Nanomedicine

Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan

Outside interests/activities: Basketball, sports in general,
Webmaster for Graduate Christian Fellowship
(http://www.vanderbilt.edu/intervarsity/gcf/)

Undergraduate degree: from Rice University

Research area: Bionanotechnology and biomaterials. My projects involve the development of novel contrast agents for visualizing inflammatory activity in atherosclerosis and in cancer. In both of these diseases, the type of inflammation that is observed can yield some valuable information about whether or not, say, a plaque in your arteries is likely to break off and cause a stroke somewhere down the line; or in the case of cancer, information about the stage of cancer progression. Through noninvasive imaging methods, I seek to provide a tool for physicians to be able to assess this sort of data about the patient en route to better diagnosis, characterization, and treatment options.

Why Vanderbilt: I wasn’t sure what to expect when I landed in Nashville for the first time back in recruiting weekend, but what I saw left a lasting impression. The collaborative research opportunities are boundless. With the renown Vanderbilt Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center within walking distance, there is a wide range of resources available to us, from a faculty that derives from a diverse array of research expertise, to the numerous research core labs. Also, Vanderbilt has been a hidden gem in nanotechnology in recent years. I had always had an interest in nanotechnology back when I was applying, and with bionanotechnology being a developing thrust area in biomedical engineering here, I knew it would be a good time to get aboard and to be a part of this burgeoning field.

Likes best about Vanderbilt Engineering: Vanderbilt Engineering is all about collaborative research. I couldn’t help but stress how that was such a big draw for me when I first visited the department, and what I saw is what I still get. We are a very small department, so each grad student in the department you come across is in charge of their own project. Yet there is enough overlap between all of us that it makes life a lot easier when we’re trying to pick up a new technique or learn a little bit about a new area that relates to your own. People are very laid back, approachable, and friendly, you’d forget that you were at one of the top engineering programs in the country! In the end, we all carve out our own specialized niches when it comes to research expertise, but we don’t become so specialized that we can’t relate to anybody else in the department.

Likes best about Nashville: All my life, I’ve lived in some of the world’s largest cities—Taipei, Dallas, and Houston. I knew coming into Nashville that it’d be a small town compared to what I’m used to. I was pleasantly surprised in that there is a lot going on around town, but not so much that I’m overwhelmed by all the options. It’s a very green city with wonderful weather year-round, so I get to do some of the more outdoorsy things that I never got to do in all of the really hot and humid cities I’ve lived in. I also like a fair share of live music, and despite not being a big fan of country music (and living in the country music capital), I find that there’s a good amount of great shows to be experienced around here.

What do you expect to do after graduation: I’m undecided. I tend to take one day at a time, so I honestly haven’t even thought at all about that! It also helps that I’m only in my second year, so I really have a while to figure it out.