{"597987":{"#nid":"597987","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Dance Moves Allow Student to Explain Her Thesis","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPh.D. student Chandana Kolluru is a finalist in an international dance competition \u0026mdash; a competition with a scientific twist. She\u0026rsquo;s dancing her thesis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=a0HeB9HU1qA\u0022\u003Evideo submission\u003C\/a\u003E, Kolluru performs an Indian classical dance to demonstrate her work to help create an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=msS04cMF8l0\u0022\u003Eeffective, safe microneedle patch for polio vaccination\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u0026ldquo;Dance Your Ph.D.\u0026rdquo; competition is hosted annually by Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I have\u0026nbsp;always loved to dance,\u0026rdquo; said Kolluru, who learned Kuchipudi dance as a child in southern India. \u0026ldquo;Now I\u0026rsquo;m learning it again with my daughter, who is also in the video. The competition is a perfect opportunity for me to combine two things that I am passionate about:\u0026nbsp;my research and dance.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPolio is a highly contagious disease that can cause lifelong disability. It primarily affects children and is still endemic to three countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;As part of the polio elimination strategy, my Ph.D. thesis involves optimization of formulations to develop a polio vaccine microneedle patch that is\u0026nbsp;safe and\u0026nbsp;stable. We are creating something that doesn\u0026rsquo;t need to be refrigerated, dissolves quickly upon administration and doesn\u0026rsquo;t leave behind dangerous, sharp needles.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe six-and-a-half-minute dance is based on a simple concept: no children should be dancing only in their dreams. It begins with two kids happily playing and dancing, only to be later attacked and paralyzed by polio. The remainder of the performance explains the research and concludes with vaccinated children fighting off the disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I dream of a polio-free world,\u0026rdquo; Kolluru said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKolluru is in Mark Prausnitz\u0026rsquo;s lab in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The group garnered headlines around the world earlier this year after a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2017\/06\/26\/microneedle-patches-flu-vaccination-successful-first-human-clinical-trial\u0022\u003Ephase I clinical trial, conducted by Emory University and Georgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E, tested a flu vaccination using Band-Aid-like microneedle patches.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/news\/2017\/10\/finalists-are-pick-your-winner-year-s-dance-your-phd?utm_source=general_public\u0026amp;utm_medium=youtube\u0026amp;utm_campaign=dance-phd-2017-15968\u0022\u003EThe public can vote until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, October 30\u003C\/a\u003E. A panel of scientists will judge the entries on their artistic and scientific merits. The overall winner will screen their dance at the annual AAAS meeting in Austin, Texas, in February 2018.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Performance based on microneedle patch for polio vaccination is a finalist in international competition"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EPh.D. student Chandana Kolluru is a finalist in an international dance competition \u0026mdash; a competition with a scientific twist. She\u0026rsquo;s dancing her thesis. In the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=a0HeB9HU1qA\u0022\u003Evideo submission\u003C\/a\u003E, Kolluru performs an Indian classical dance to demonstrate her work to help create an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=msS04cMF8l0\u0022\u003Eeffective, safe microneedle patch for polio vaccination\u003C\/a\u003E. The \u0026ldquo;Dance Your Ph.D.\u0026rdquo; competition is hosted annually by Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ph.D. student performs an Indian classical dance to demonstrate her work to help create a safe microneedle patch for polio vaccination. "}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2017-10-27 19:02:58","changed_gmt":"2017-10-27 19:29:17","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2017-10-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2017-10-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"597995":{"id":"597995","type":"image","title":"Chandana Kolluru","body":null,"created":"1509132529","gmt_created":"2017-10-27 19:28:49","changed":"1509132529","gmt_changed":"2017-10-27 19:28:49","alt":"","file":{"fid":"227976","name":"Chandana.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chandana.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Chandana.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":133330,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Chandana.jpg?itok=bdexwczy"}},"593003":{"id":"593003","type":"image","title":"Microneedle patch in the lab2","body":null,"created":"1498529255","gmt_created":"2017-06-27 02:07:35","changed":"1498529255","gmt_changed":"2017-06-27 02:07:35","alt":"Microneedle patch being examined in the lab","file":{"fid":"226048","name":"microneedle-patch8925.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-patch8925.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/microneedle-patch8925.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":187555,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/microneedle-patch8925.jpg?itok=_JkQfzIb"}}},"media_ids":["597995","593003"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/news\/2017\/10\/finalists-are-pick-your-winner-year-s-dance-your-phd?utm_source=general_public\u0026utm_medium=youtube\u0026utm_campaign=dance-phd-2017-15968","title":"Vote Here"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2017\/06\/26\/microneedle-patches-flu-vaccination-successful-first-human-clinical-trial","title":"Microneedle Patches for Flu Vaccination Successful in First Human Clinical Trial "}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1240","name":"School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"},{"id":"1237","name":"College of Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"494","name":"Microneedle"},{"id":"4251","name":"dance"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nNational Media Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nmaderer@gatech.edu\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-660-2926\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}