Luz Martinez-miranda

Biography

Education  Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 1985 Research Interests  Liquid Crystals for biological studies and general engineering applications (e.g., displays), X-ray scattering techniques of liquid crystal and other materials. Background  Professor Martínez-Miranda is one of the Department's undergraduate advisors. She is also active in mentoring-oriented programs such as the University's Materials Science and Research Engineering Center's Research Experience for Undergraduates (MRSEC REU), and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's efforts to increase and support underrepresented American minority Ph.D. students in math, science and engineering. Outside of the university she has been active with SACNAS (the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science), where she has been a member of the board and a judge of engineering posters at their annual meeting; and as a member of the NSHP (National Society for Hispanic Physicists), where she has served on the board since 1998 and was the president from 2003-2005. Current Research Projects  Professor Martínez-Miranda is currently studying the interaction of liquid crystal with nanoscale materials. Since nanometer-sized liquid crystal phases are found in the cell walls of all living creatures, her studies have implications in the healthcare field and the study of biological interactions, particularly where nanoparticles are used as carriers for the delivery of treatment. Teaching  Professor Martínez-Miranda contributed to the creation of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering's undergraduate program, including the design of two of its junior year materials labs. She also took part in a NSF-funded project to develop new laboratory experiments that effectively engage undergraduate engineering students in the scientific processes and exploration of concepts in nanotechnology. Education  Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 1985 Research Interests  Liquid Crystals for biological studies and general engineering applications (e.g., displays), X-ray scattering techniques of liquid crystal and other materials. Background  Professor Martínez-Miranda is one of the Department's undergraduate advisors. She is also active in mentoring-oriented programs such as the University's Materials Science and Research Engineering Center's Research Experience for Undergraduates (MRSEC REU), and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's efforts to increase and support underrepresented American minority Ph.D. students in math, science and engineering. Outside of the university she has been active with SACNAS (the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science), where she has been a member of the board and a judge of engineering posters at their annual meeting; and as a member of the NSHP (National Society for Hispanic Physicists), where she has served on the board since 1998 and was the president from 2003-2005. Current Research Projects  Professor Martínez-Miranda is currently studying the interaction of liquid crystal with nanoscale materials. Since nanometer-sized liquid crystal phases are found in the cell walls of all living creatures, her studies have implications in the healthcare field and the study of biological interactions, particularly where nanoparticles are used as carriers for the delivery of treatment. Teaching  Professor Martínez-Miranda contributed to the creation of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering's undergraduate program, including the design of two of its junior year materials labs. She also took part in a NSF-funded project to develop new laboratory experiments that effectively engage undergraduate engineering students in the scientific processes and exploration of concepts in nanotechnology.

Research Interest

Liquid Crystals for biological studies and general engineering applications (e.g., displays), X-ray scattering techniques of liquid crystal and other materials.