Improving medical treatments through physicsECU medical physics research could improve antibiotic treatments by making drug-resistant bacteria easier to kill. Maschenik highlighted one of the selling points of attending graduate school at ECU is the medical physics concentration in the Master of Science in Physics degree program. “This was especially fascinating to me, because I saw potential to apply the concepts to medical physics research,” she said. “When spores germinate, their resistance to treatments lowers significantly, which makes them easier to kill. Holly’s research shows strong potential for success in medical physics.