Adam Markowicz receives Kosciuszko Foundation Scholarship

It can be difficult to move to a new place and manage graduate-level studies all while keeping in touch with your roots, but bioengineering PhD student Adam Markowicz has seamlessly blended these facets of his life. 

As proof of this, Markowicz, who works in Professor Stephen Boppart’s Biophotonics Imaging Lab, recently received a Kosciuszko Foundation Scholarship. This national award provides funding for students with an exceptional academic record and a strong connection to the Polish-American community.   

“My parents are both from Poland, and when I was growing up I participated in social events in the Polish-American community,” Markowicz said. “When I moved here to Illinois, I found a much larger Polish population, especially on campus. I became involved with the Polish club, and I've traveled as frequently as I can to Poland.” 

At UIUC, Markowicz found a place to stay in touch with his heritage as well as a department where he could make a difference. His current work is centered on creating a polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography system that offers promising benefits for patients, especially children.

Chronic ear infections in children can be caused by biofilms, a collective group of surface-associate bacteria that are enclosed with a protective Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) matrix. Notably, biofilms are highly resistant to antimicrobial treatments because the EPS matrix serves as a diffusive barrier to antimicrobial agents. Ear infections are always painful, but can also lead to the development of a cholesteatoma, a noncancerous growth of white skin like material that can lead to hearing loss, speech impediments, and other complications.

Markowicz’s work will help to diagnose the type of ear infection present and its severity in order to help determine the most optimal treatment strategy, providing an important diagnostic tool to a population that often can’t communicate their needs or symptoms. 

“To commercialize something useful, you have to develop something useful as well,” Markowicz said. “I'm excited to work on a project like this from benchtop to bedside.”

Markowicz is optimistic that this project may offer commercialization options, and that his connections with Poland may offer unique benefits to that process.

“I’ve been becoming familiar with the entrepreneurship opportunities in Poland by attending conferences and becoming familiar with the academic works they’re producing to see if there's any opportunities for collaboration,” Markowicz said. “I am always very interested in commercialization. I'm always interested in seeing how our technologies can be translated from the university into commercial settings.”

Markowicz expressed appreciation for the Kosciuszko scholarship and what it means for him professionally and personally, emphasizing that one of the most rewarding aspects of receiving this scholarship was that he was in a position to apply for it in the first place.

A highly competitive student, Markowicz started college when he was sixteen years old, and had been contributing to research at the Minnesota Nano Center on fabricating microelectrode arrays for deep brain stimulation even before then. While he was conducting research and making connections in the Polish-American community, he also began to struggle with his mental health. Eventually Adam was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This OCD became debilitating enough that he chose to take a semester off.

“Although the time off from studying allowed me to recover enough to return to school after a semester, my life was still impacted by my OCD,” said Markowicz. “I had to adjust my expectations on what I could achieve. It was a task that tested my humility, especially when I saw so many of my friends excelling.”

Markowicz persevered with his education, working closely with his professors and utilizing resources at the university to meet his goals for his education and mental well-being. After three semesters of work, Markowicz completed his final semester at the University of Minnesota without using the university’s Disability Resource Center. This most recent scholarship is a testament to Adam’s continued success in balancing his academics, his mental health, and his heritage.

“At UIUC, I hope to build upon the momentum and continue to excel in the academics and research I am involved in,” he said. “At the same time, I hope to share my story with OCD and hopefully create a larger understanding regarding the disorder and to find ways to help others struggling through anxiety-related challenges.” 

If you or someone you care about is struggling with mental health, UIUC’s wellness and mental health services are here to help.