By Kate Stuart
The pace and depth of scientific discovery have always been driven by technologies that give scientists new ways to understand health and disease. This has been true for centuries, from the invention of the microscope to today’s advanced research tools. While these modern technologies have transformed biomedical research, many are built on complex physical and mathematical principles that can be difficult to master. Because graduate training is necessarily limited in time, most students only develop deep expertise in a small number of these technologies.
Stanford Moore Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry Richard Caprioli had this in mind when establishing an award for technology education, wanting to give graduate students in the biomedical sciences the opportunity to attend hands-on courses and other focused training experiences in emerging technologies. Thus, the Richard M. Caprioli Award for Technology Education was born.
“Throughout my career, education has been one of my highest priorities, be it in the classroom, the research laboratory, and beyond. I have always believed that the best way to learn a technology is by using it,” Caprioli said. “Hands-on experience helps students understand not only how a technology works, but also its strengths, limitations, and the questions it is best suited to answer. This philosophy is well captured by the saying often attributed to Benjamin Franklin: ‘Tell me and I will forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn.’”
This year’s inaugural awardees provided three graduate students with the opportunity of a lifetime. Three graduate students from the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology were selected from among the pool of competitive applications and received the funding from the technology education fund to attend specialized training to further their research: Han Noo Ri “Nury” Lee from the lab of Julie Bastarache; Zachary Lehmann from the lab of Matthew Tyska; and Isabella Silvestri from the lab of Krishna Mudumbi.
The Caprioli award funds a training opportunity for selected graduate students in the biomedical sciences who seek hands-on training and education in new technologies outside of those found in their graduate research environment. The scholarship funds travel and other related costs associated with attending the workshops and short courses that provide the outside training. The award supports each trainee’s primary research while broadening the technical expertise they can apply to their work.
While incredibly beneficial for the individual awardee, the extra training is an added boost to all members of their labs and the Vanderbilt University research community as a whole.
“The Caprioli fund is a unique resource for our graduate students to receive critical, personalized training in areas outside the expertise available at Vanderbilt,” Walter Chazin, senior associate dean of biomedical research education and training, said. “It not only is an immense opportunity for these highly motivated students, but it also provides a significant knock-on effect for other students, staff, and faculty who benefit from the technology that gets brought to campus when the student returns. This is a truly innovative gift.”
Bastarache, a professor of medicine and Lee’s faculty mentor, agreed with Chazin’s sentiment. “I am grateful for the Caprioli award to support Nury’s thesis work and expand her skillset. With this support, Nury was able to travel to Huntsville, Alabama, to receive in-depth training on the use of the Synvivo microfluidic cell culture system,” she said. “This has allowed Nury to build a ‘brain on a chip’ and test specific hypotheses relating to the brain microvasculature, elevating her science and its impact. Nury has been able to teach this skill to others in the lab who are studying microvascular responses in other organs including the lung. The impact of the Caprioli award far beyond a single graduate student and her project.”
The three inaugural recipients reflected on their learning journeys.
Interested in becoming a recipient of the Richard M. Caprioli Award for Technology Education yourself? Apply today! Applications for the 2026 cycle are open through Aug. 31, 2026.
Isabella Silvestri, Cell and Developmental Biology, Krishna Mudumbi lab
Silvestri arrived at Vanderbilt with no experience using light microscopy to answer biological questions, yet she joined the Mudumbi lab, a group focused specifically on the application and development of single-molecule microscopy techniques. To advance her understanding and effectively apply these techniques, Silvestri was encouraged to seek out hands-on training in microscopy, which led her to apply for the Analytical and Quantitative Light Microscopy course offered at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The comprehensive and intensive AQLM is designed to train microscopists in the necessary foundational understanding of microscopy with a strong emphasis on bridging the knowledge gap between hands-on experience and theoretical understanding.
Receiving the award allowed Silvestri to visit the MBL, a historic hub of scientific training and a highly stimulating intellectual environment. There, she connected with experts in light microscopy and peers with similar curiosities and spent countless hours in the lab building microscopes on rails and gaining hands-on experience in widefield, confocal, and super-resolution techniques.
“AQLM was the most enriching experience of my graduate education to date, and funding from the Richard M. Caprioli Award for Technology Education made my attendance possible,” Silvestri said. “Importantly, AQLM gave me an appreciation for the physics and engineering behind the techniques I employ every day. Dr. Caprioli’s legacy demonstrates that scientific advancement requires both technological innovation and the training of skilled practitioners. AQLM embodies those values, and I am grateful to the Caprioli award for enabling an experience that has so greatly advanced my conceptual understanding of microscopy.”
Nury Lee, Cell and Developmental Biology, Julie Bastarache lab
As a fifth-year Ph.D. student in cell and developmental biology, Lee was seeking hands-on training to master SynBBBTM, an advanced 3D blood-brain-barrier-on-a-chip model, to advance her dissertation research on the mechanisms underlying sepsis-induced cognitive deficits in the aged population. While her work primarily uses mouse models of sepsis, a major goal for her is to increase the translational relevance of her findings through the use of primary human cells.
The SynBBBTM workshop she attended thanks to the Caprioli award provided hands-on training with several blood-brain barrier microfluidic platforms. One of the highlighted platforms, SynBBBTM Radial Chip, features a circular, “brain-slice” design that supports physiologically relevant flow patterns and an expanded assay area for studying BBB transport and inflammatory responses. This technology is particularly relevant to Lee’s research because it enables investigation of the endothelial glycocalyx—a polysaccharide structure in blood vessels—under dynamic flow conditions, a critical feature of the brain vasculature that cannot be replicated in conventional static cell culture systems.
Lee gained practical experience in device setup, troubleshooting, experimental design, and outcome measurements, obtaining specialized technical skills that will help accelerate the incorporation of human-relevant BBB models into her dissertation research and support future studies of sepsis-induced BBB dysfunction.
Lee summed it up: “Beyond its impact on my individual project, the workshop provided valuable opportunities that will benefit the broader Laboratory of Science and Translation in Critical Illness. A major advantage of the SynBBBTM platform is its adaptability to model multiple organ systems using similar engineering principles. As our multidisciplinary research group investigates critical illness across the brain, lungs, and kidneys, the knowledge and techniques gained through this training can be shared across multiple ongoing projects.”
The support that enabled her participation in the SynBBBTM workshop not only enhanced her technical expertise and expanded her professional network but also introduced innovative methodologies that have the potential to strengthen the translational impact of research conducted throughout her laboratory.
Zachary Lehmann, Cell and Developmental Biology, Matthew Tyska lab
Now in his fifth year in the Tyska lab, Lehmann needed advanced imaging training to unlock new quantitative approaches for his microscopy-based research. Working with his faculty mentor, the cell and developmental biology student proposed attending an immersive physiology course (also at the MBL) to propel his critical thinking and scientific approach to the next level. Lehmann ended up walking away armed with a deep appreciation for what’s possible in modern cell biology.
“I was exposed to several cutting-edge technologies, and the course reframed the way I think about science,” Lehmann said after returning from the training this July. “Participating in the course allowed me to establish dozens of new connections with amazing scientists, all at different stages of their careers. I am extremely grateful for the award and feel very lucky for the doors it has opened to me.”
Apply for the 2026 cycle of the Richard M. Caprioli Award for Technology Education
Applications for the 2026 cycle of the award are open through Aug. 31, 2026.
You, too, can support curious, driven students
To contribute to the Basic Sciences Research Award for Technology Education fund please visit vu.edu/caprioliaward.
Support for the Richard M. Caprioli Award for Technology Education will fuel the momentum of Dare to Grow, a $3.2-billion comprehensive campaign that is currently underway, marking the most ambitious fundraising effort in Vanderbilt’s history. Learn more at vu.edu/daretogrow.