Kate McAlpine

Kate McAlpine is a senior news and feature writer in the Communications & Marketing group at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. She writes stories and web content related to several engineering disciplines, including for The Michigan Engineer magazine, and draws on her previous experience as a communicator for two massive high-energy physics research projects. She holds a double bachelor’s degree in writing and physics from Michigan State University.
close up of sensor
Health Lab
Stent sensor can warn of blockages in the bile duct
Currently, medical providers monitor biliary stent blockages through blood tests, meaning the problem must be significant enough for the body to notice. A sensor within the stent could enable doctors to recognize that bacterial sludge is accumulating and intervene before the patient begins to fall ill.
 Jianping Fu, Ph.D., Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan and the corresponding author of the paper being published at Nature discusses his team’s work in their lab with Jeyoon Bok, Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Health Lab
Human stem cells coaxed to mimic the very early central nervous system
The first organized stem cell culture model that resembles all three sections of the embryonic brain and spinal cord could shed light on developmental brain diseases
 Brain wiring diagram prosthetic hand
Health Lab
Simple neural networks outperform the state-of-the-art for controlling robotic prosthetics
Simple neural networks outperform the state-of-the-art for controlling robotic prosthetics
 nanoparticle biotics science zoomed in yellow green red
Health Lab
Nanobiotics: Model predicts how nanoparticles interact with proteins
Nanoengineered drugs that stop harmful bacteria and viruses could be on the horizon.
 Doctor looking at sample
Health Lab
Biopsy Alternative: ‘Wearable’ Device Captures Cancer Cells From Blood
By capturing more cancer cells than blood draw screening, this device could help doctors understand a tumor’s biology and make decisions about treatment.
 Image of amniotic sac tissue created from human stem cells
Health Lab
Using Stem Cells, Scientists Study the Amniotic Sac’s Earliest Stages
U-M scientists crated amniotic sac tissue from human stem cells. Learn how lab created amnion could assist with fertility medicine and large wound treatment.