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IADR/Kulzer Travel Award – A motivation to advance research
By means of the IADR/Kulzer Travel Award Kulzer enables young scientists to attend the world’s largest congress in dentistry, the IADR General Session, in order to present their research work to a large professional audience.
Even though in 2021 it was not possible to travel to the congress due to the pandemic, Kulzer is maintaining its financial support to recognize the important contribution of young researchers to dentistry.
In this interview, winner Lohitha Kalluri from the University of Mississippi, talks about her research work and what winning the IADR/Kulzer Travel Award means to her.
Interview with Lohitha Kalluri
Lohitha Kalluri from University of Mississippi, Jackson (USA) won the IADR/Kulzer Travel Award for her study on “Parameter Screening for Preparation of Electrospun PLGA/SEP/HAp Composite”.
What were you examining?
We are developing and optimizing a novel biomimetic electrospun membrane for guided tissue regeneration/guided bone regeneration (GTR/GBR) applications. Our pilot data demonstrated that multiple factors such as concentration of reagents and electrospinning parameters could affect the mechanical stability of this GTR/GBR membrane. As mechanical stability is one of the essential requirement for GTR/GBR membrane products, we are using design of experiments (DOE) to optimize the mechanical properties of this electrospun membrane.
What was the result of your research?
We successfully prepared the proposed electrospun nanofibrous membrane and screened the significant parameters affecting the mechanical properties of our membrane using Taguchi orthogonal arrays design.
What surprised you about your work?
Honestly, there were a lot of surprises during the initial stages of development of this electrospun membrane. One that surprised me most was that the order of dissolving the reagents in solvent played a key role in the development of this electrospun membrane.
How long did you research it?
We are working on this project since 8 months.
What are you researching now?
At present, we are researching on improving the mechanical properties and water contact angle of this novel GTR/GBR membrane.
Why did you apply for the Travel Award 2021?
International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is the largest international conference among dental research community and is a great opportunity for me to present our innovative work on an international platform. Also, it is a good networking opportunity to meet and communicate with dental researchers from more than 50 countries. So, to avail this opportunity, I applied for the Kulzer Travel Award 2021 to support my travel and registration expenses for attending the IADR 2021 meeting.
What does the award mean to you?
I am extremely thankful and honored to receive the prestigious Kulzer Travel Award 2021. This appreciation and support motivated me to further advance my research with novel techniques and ideas for developing and improving the dental materials. Also, I am thankful to Kulzer for generously awarding the cash prize despite the virtual platform. It would support me to present more innovative data in the next IADR 2022 meeting to be held in Chengdu, China.
Kulzer will again present the IADR/Kulzer Travel Award in 2022 and sponsor young scientists to take part in the 100th IADR General Session & Exhibition from June 22 to 25 in Chengdu, China. Here you will find more details on the award and the application procedure as well as information on the selection process:
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