I am incredibly proud to announce the outstanding achievements of our student researcher, Kendall Bradley, a junior at Marian High School. At the recent Northern Indiana Regional Science and Engineering Fair (NIRSEF) (Feb 28, 2026), Kendall’s hard work, analytical rigor, and dedication paid off in a big way. She took home a 2nd Place Ribbon, earned the prestigious US Air Force Office of Scientific Research Award, and was selected as a Finalist for the Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair (HSEF) competition finals from more than 200 participants!
If balancing high-level scientific research with high school wasn’t impressive enough, Kendall is also the captain of the 2A Girls Soccer State Championship team here in Indiana. She is a true champion both on the field and in the lab.
The Research: Advancing Biosensor Technology
For her project, “Stoichiometric Analysis and Surface Loading of IgG-Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates,” Kendall tackled a complex bioengineering challenge. The primary engineering goal of her project was to establish a foundational bioengineering workflow for designing gold nanoparticle-based biosensors. These biosensors utilize surface plasmon resonance to detect and quantify biomolecular interactions, specifically Immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding to Protein A or G, using UV-Vis spectrophotometry.
While the high loading of IgG on the gold nanoparticles and the use of 85% pure IgG presented some aggregation challenges during the initial assay, Kendall expertly navigated these hurdles. She successfully verified a workflow to ensure high IgG conjugation to the gold nanoparticles and accurately quantified the IgG loading per nanoparticle. Her experimental quantifications were a remarkably good match with theoretical estimates.
Looking Ahead
Kendall’s bioengineering work has real-world implications. Her validated workflow supports diverse applications, including point-of-care diagnostics using rapid colorimetric assays, selective antibody capture for protein purification, and targeted drug delivery. Moving forward, she has already outlined plans to reduce the IgG loading density to allow Protein G to act more effectively as a “bridge” between particles, showcasing her sharp analytical and problem-solving skills.
Please join the rest of the team and me in congratulating Kendall on her phenomenal success. We are incredibly proud of her and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next.
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