Her work on the sepsis device recently garnered her a first-tier Baxter Young Investigator Award , which supports research to develop therapies and medical products that save and sustain patients’ lives. She said the sepsis sensor could save lives by identifying the life-threatening complication much faster. Aid for SurgeonsTanak’s other sensor device is designed to help surgeons make rapid, informed decisions during parathyroid surgery. Bioengineering Success StoriesPrasad said that Tanak’s successes demonstrate the bioengineering department’s commitment to diversity and to providing students with meaningful research opportunities. Other authors of the parathyroid sensor study were Dr. Sriram Muthukumar, co-founder of EnLiSense, an Allen, Texas, company that develops lifestyle-based sensors and devices; Dr. Ibrahim Hashim, the A.J.