Christine Ortiz joined our faculty in 2000, after receiving the B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1992) and the M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University (1997).
Professor Ortiz infuses her life with an awareness of the importance of the social impact of her efforts in both the research laboratory and in the classroom. In every aspect of her professional life, she has distinguished herself as a leader and an innovator.
Her extraordinary research bridges biological engineering and materials science. Her use of high-resolution atomic force microscopy techniques to study bone and cartilage at the nano-scale is providing new insights into the functioning of these important biological systems, including an in-depth understanding of the molecular properties of aggrecans, molecules within cartilage that are responsible for important mechanical properties in joints. This innovation is leading to development of new medical treatments for pathologies of bone and cartilage such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Her work is at the leading edge of regenerative tissue engineering and has great promise for joint repair.
A second major research thrust in the Ortiz Group is directed at how biopolymers interact with various synthetic material surfaces. This is very important for understanding the interaction between human serum albumin (blood plasma protein) and polyethylene oxide (PEO). Her research is leading to strategies to mitigate the adverse synthetic material--natural material interactions in medical implants.
Professor Ortiz is also developing new protective materials for rescue, police, and military personnel. Inspired by the extraordinary combination of strength and flexibility of the dermal scales of ancient armored fish, she is studying methods for replicating and fabricating a similar bio-inspired synthetic material for use in durable, penetration-resistant armor to protect against ballistic and blast threats. Professor Ortiz employs force spectroscopy, nano-indentation, and instrumented impact testing of the tough nacre tablets of mollusks and certain fish to probe the molecular-scale mechanisms of adhesion between the biopolymer and the natural ceramic plates. High-resolution AFM morphological investigations are used to determine the molecular origins of these naturally evolved energy dissipating processes during deformation and fracture.
A successful research and teaching career gives Professor Ortiz an extraordinary position to have an influence on women and under-represented minorities. Professor Ortiz is a national leader in the field of diversity in higher education. She has been an invited panelist discussing Positive Actions---Mentoring and Empowerment at the workshop on Achieving Racial and Ethnic Equity in Chemistry sponsored by NSF, DOE, and NIH.
In 2008 Professor Ortiz founded and assumed the role of Director for the MIT Israel Program, a collaboration with the Technion in Israel. This program brings MIT students and researchers from the Middle East together to work on critical world problems such as solar energy technology and clean water. This program also has a significant cultural aspect that allows participants to learn about the geopolitical and social forces at work in the larger world and provide a context for technological development.
Professor Ortiz took on departmental leadership responsibilities when she became the chair of the Department Committee on Graduate Students. She innovated in this role, principally authoring a 75-page peer analysis document, developing a departmental strategic plan for international interactions at the graduate level, instituting a graduate student mentoring protocol, and coordinating a core curriculum performance analysis, all while meeting with and addressing concerns of student focus groups and formulating departmental roadmaps. She has systematically evaluated the program for creative opportunities to improve graduate student education and experience. Her work to shape our graduate curriculum is having an impact on such programs throughout the nation.
Professor Ortiz has won an NSF Career Award as well as an NSF PECASE Award. She was recently appointed to the prestigious editorial board of the journal Science.