Extraordinary Women in Science Extraordinary Women in Science

Katherine Vorvolakos
don’t notice it, because they are actually having
fun,” she says. She especially loves the freedom that
an academic environment offers: taking an idea or
theory and immediately testing it out in the lab.
A native of Greece, she completed her
undergraduate degree in chemical engineering
at the National Technical University of Athens
in 1994. She continued her studies at Columbia
University and was subsequently a postdoctoral
fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center. In 2006, she was one of only 23 researchers
in North America to be awarded the W. H. Coulter
Foundation, Early Career Award in Translational
Research, a $200,000 grant for assistant professors
in biomedical engineering departments.
After Katherine Vorvolakos ’95 earned her
undergraduate degree in chemical engineering
from Poly, she went on to earn a PhD in the
same discipline at Lehigh University. Her
dissertation focused on the adhesion and friction
of polymeric interfaces, the science which applies
to everything from contact lenses to automotive
tires. Katherine’s interest in science was fostered
early; her mother was a science teacher in the
NYC public school system, and she is a graduate
of Brooklyn Technical High School with a
concentration in chemistry.
After defending her thesis in 2003, Vorvolakos
taught chemistry and calculus at CUNY’s College
of Technology and LaGuardia College, respectively.
She was offered appointments at both schools, but
left to return to the laboratory, having accepted a
position with the Food and Drug Administration’s
Center for Devices and Radiological Health (FDA-
CDRH). The center is responsible for regulating
the marketing of medical devices, including, but
Debunking
the Myth
Katherine’s interest
in science was
fostered early;
her mother was a
science teacher
in the NYC public
school system, and
she is a graduate of
Brooklyn Technical
High School with
a concentration in
chemistry.
not limited to, pacemakers, dialysis machines,
prosthetic joints, breast implants, artificial
intraocular lenses, optical medical equipment and
contraceptive devices. Within CDRH, she holds
a dual appointment: in the Office of Device
Evaluation, she regulates medical devices by
critically reviewing safety and effectiveness data
provided by industry; in the Office of Science and
Engineering Laboratories, her regulatory work is
supported by laboratory science which attempts
to address individual and industry-wide medical
device issues. Her focus area is hydrogels and
elastomeric materials, both of which abound in
medical devices.
“I enjoy the broad industrial perspective I’m
offered at FDA, as opposed to working for a
single commercial company. Watching laboratory
science, clinical trial design, law, ethics and the
Cherry
Chen’s Long
Journey
to Academic
Success
It’s decision time for Cherry
Chen ’07 CBE!
Growing up in Tianjin, China,
Cherry Chen never dreamed
it would come down to this: a
Cherry Chen choice between Johns Hopkins
and Columbia University to
continue her postgraduate
education—an enviable position for a young lady who just a few years ago
spoke little English and had no idea where she would be attending college.
But college was a long way off when Chen, just 16-years-old, left her mother
in China and traveled halfway around the world to Queens, New York, in
search of an education. Living with her grandmother, Chen studied at John
Bowne High School, enrolled in after-school English classes and immersed
herself in a new culture. It was at Bowne that Chen had her first exposure
to Poly. “I met an admissions representative from Poly at an open house,”
she remembers. “I always knew I wanted to study engineering, so Poly was
of interest to me.” Learning that Poly was about to introduce a new degree
program in chemical and biological engineering, Chen did her homework
on the school and was convinced the University was right for her. In June,
she became a member of the first graduating class of Poly’s chemical and
biological engineering program.
Mary Cowman, director of Poly’s Othmer Institute for Interdisciplinary
Studies and associate professor of biochemistry, marvels at Chen’s
courage and stamina. “I predict Cherry will be a leader in her field,” she
says. “She is one of the top five to 10 students I have seen in 25 years at
Polytechnic. She has the brilliance we find in the very best students, but
also the fire of intellectual curiosity and a wonderful work ethic.” Jovan
Mijovic, head of the department, calls Chen a rare jewel. “She is very
bright, very energetic, enthusiastic and responsible,” Mijovic says. “She
has proven to be equally adept at experimental and computational work
and has been on the Dean’s List throughout her studies.”
Chen, a Promise Fund scholar, works in a local doctor’s office to
support herself and as a research assistant in the Department of Chemical
and Biological Engineering. This experience has her thinking about a
career in academia or pharmaceutical research. But for now it’s decision
time and Chen has decided to stay in New York City and pursue a joint
master’s/PhD program in chemical engineering at Columbia University.
“Poly gave me a solid foundation in chemical and biological engineering,”
Chen noted. “What I learned here will be invaluable as I move on to
graduate school and my professional life.
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