Priscella Asman fell in love online – more than 6,000 miles across the North Atlantic Ocean while sitting at a computer in Ghana – with the biomedical engineering program at the University of Houston.

Of all the concepts that a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering has to grasp, grasping is at the top.

Struggling to climb out of bed each morning after a restless night’s sleep with stiffness that, at times, slows movement to a standstill is a reality for many Americans. Compounded by uncontrollable muscle movements, basic tasks such as bathing, dressing and eating become arduous efforts that take twice as long as they once did. This is an overly simplistic portrait of the challenges experienced by individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

A researcher with the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering has won a grant to make brain surgery for patients with severe cases of Parkinson’s disease safer and more effective.

The grant goes to Nuri Ince, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. Awarded by the National Science Foundation, it is valued at $330,000 for three years of work.