Kristi Anseth, associate professor of chemical engineering at CU-Boulder, is among 100 top young innovators "who exemplify the spirit of innovation" in science, technology and the arts, as featured in the November/December issue of "Technology Review."
The list of innovators -- which is grouped in software, biotechnology, World Wide Web, materials science and hardware categories -- was culled from 600 nominations by a panel of distinguished judges. The panel of judges included David Baltimore, Nobel laureate in medicine and president of the California Institute of Technology; William A. Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering; Alfred R. Berkeley, head of the NASDAQ stock exchange and other top academic officers and venture capitalists.
The nominees, all under the age of 35, were evaluated on their accomplishments and their "potential to make an impact in the future," according to the magazine, published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Anseth, 31, is known for her work in developing new techniques and materials that show promise for faster healing of severe bone fractures and regeneration of cartilage in ailing joints.
Her work involves the use of ultraviolet light to make repeating chains of complex molecules called polymers into putty-like, three-dimensional "scaffolds" that can be implanted into areas of bone or cartilage injury. The polymers degrade over time as healing takes place.
The new process, patented by Anseth and licensed by a major Midwest biotechnology company, has shown promise in animal studies at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
The magazine's profile of Anseth states: "Anseth's ability to wring the most out of materials is evidence of a 'superior creative genius' according to Robert Langer, an MIT professor and the father of modern biomaterials."
Anseth received her doctorate from CU-Boulder in 1994 and did post-doctoral research with Langer at MIT. She returned to CU-Boulder to join the chemical engineering faculty in 1996.
Anseth's research also has earned her a prestigious David and Lucille Packard Fellowship, a National Institutes of Health FIRST Award and a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation, all totaling $1.2 million over a period of several years.
To view the issue of "Technology Review" online, go to .