After enjoying the summer of 2007 in the city of Rock and Roll working at the CDMC as an Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) student, Edgardo decided to take the Rapid down to University Circle and join von Recum’s lab as a graduate student. At the present time, Edgardo is continuing his 2007 summer project on tissue-specific detection using the tie promoter and a two-step genetic modification process on an E14 mouse stem cell line. The goal of the project is to produce endothelial cells from embryonic stem cells that are identifiable in-vitro and in-vivo. In the meantime, Edgardo is learning, with the help of Danny Gray, about cancer biology and prostate cancer to define his project for the upcoming years. He is interested in combining the focus of biomaterials and stem cells in the lab. During his free time, he likes to play soccer, write poetry, and read books on sustainable development