As an Undergraduate Research Fellow, Nash has been studying the remodeling of the extracellular matrix of mesenchymal stem cells derived from mice, rats and humans — something that could advance working with stem cells and increase the success of bone marrow transplants — in the UH research lab of Vivien Coulson-Thomas, assistant professor of optometry.
“The biomedical undergraduate research program was designed for students to be exposed to research. However Amanda’s experience has gone well beyond this and she has embraced the research project at a Ph.D. candidate level,” wrote Coulson-Thomas, who has been working with Nash since 2016, in her recommendation for the BEYA award.
Nash’s goal is to one day be a principal investigator and full professor.