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This academic year, numerous Biomedical Engineering (BME) undergraduates participated in the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship (DLA) Program conducting research in campus labs. Students, their projects and sponsoring labs follow.  At the conclusion of the program this spring, students will share their findings during the DLA research symposium in April.

Two BME students are conducting research in the Mechanical Engineering lab of Wei Tan, BME faculty member. Kevin Leidig is working on Thin Coating for Metallic Vascular Stints while Meredith Overton is developing Design and Fabrication of Novel Vascular Grafts. Shreeya Roy and Mahi Kathait are working under Distinguished BME faculty member Rob Davis (Chemical & Biological Engineering) on Droplet Motion in Microschannels and Collsions of Liquid Coated Particles respectively. Under the mentorship of Alaa Ahmed, BME faculty, Matteo Coscia is wokring in Effort Landscapes in Motor Learning. Zoe Danilchick is working in Understanding Lithium-Ion Solid-State Batteries and Energy Justice Concepts under Michael Toney's Chemical & Biological Engineering lab. Karisma Win Ka Leung is working under (MCEN) in Design & Engineering for Social Impact: Industry and Educational Trends. Ariana Morales Garcia is working on Biodegradable Polymers based on Glucose and Plant-based Materials under BME faculty (MCEN,ATLAS). Meenakshi Skandarajan is working under Carson Bruns and Joshua Coffie (ATLAS) on Long-term Nti-photocarcinogenic Efficacy of Invisible Intradermal Ink in Murine. Mackenzie Weber is working under BME faculty, Torin Clark (AERO) in Transitions in Availabilty of Visual Cues on Human Spatial Orientation Perception. Julia Keefe is working under BME faculty (CHEN) on Modeling TREM2 dynamics with OPA using long timescale molecular dynamics. Alena Tucker is working under (MCEN) in  Benchtop in vitro characterization of cerebral blood flow patterns.

CU DLA is open to all students in the College of Engineering and Applied Science and pairs undergraduate researchers with graduate student and faculty mentors on a variety of topics.  CU DLA is just one of the research programs available to students in the College, other programs include the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) and FUTURE (Fundamentals of Undergraduate Research Program).  Participating in research provides hands-on learning and has been found to improve analytical, critical thinking and communication skills. Students benefit from the mentoring and networking opportunities from joining a research team.  And conducting research may inform students' long-term academic/career decisions.  

These research programs are directed by Sharon Anderson.  "Students who have taken part in these undergraduate research programs tell us that they feel the experience was extremely valuable. It is often mentioned that when they are applying for internships and/or full-time positions that the conversation around their research experience often dominates the conversation. Even if they are not applying for a position that has anything do with the research that they did," said Anderson. "Employers are interested in students who have experiences like these as they demonstrate that they have worked on teams, have communication and problem solving skills in their repertoire."

Application cycles for both the SPUR (Summer Program for Undergraduate Research) and DLA research programs are occuring this spring.  The SPUR deadline is March 10. The DLA deadline is TBA. 

BME students share their experiences in DLA

Zoe Danilchick -

I am involved with the DLA program, working in the Toney Group, investigating sodium-ion solid state batteries and the formation of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI), which is an irreversible process that forms a passivation layer on the electrode. For my DLA project, I construct and cycle cone cell batteries with sodium and silicon as the electrode materials. I analyze the resulting electrochemistry data to examine when the SEI forms and how it affects sodium-ion battery cycling performance.  

The DLA program has been an incredible way to introduce undergraduate students, such as myself, to getting involved with research here at CU. My experience with DLA has allowed me to get involved in research in areas, such as electrochemistry, that I would not otherwise encounter in my coursework. It has been incredible to be involved with the Toney Group and learn about sodium ion batteries and other technologies. 

Kevin Leidig -

In the Tan Lab, I am working to develop a reliable method to dissolve a metallic stent out of a tissue sample. This will allow us to take cross-sectional thin slices from explanted tissue samples that can be analyzed through histology to measure the success of the stent coatings. 

The DLA program has helped me develop my technical skills through lab work which complements the theory I am learning in the classroom. I’d like to thank the program for helping fund my research and supporting us undergraduate researchers through the DLA student seminars.

Alena Tucker  -

My research project involves an in vitro model of the Circle of Willis that includes a 3D-printed planar phantom model of the Circle connected to a series of tubing that together represent the complex vessel network that supplies blood to the brain. With this setup we aim to investigate blood rerouting and drug delivery processes that occur in the event of a stroke.  

This research has been an incredible learning experience for me so far, and I'm excited to present my research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research this semester.  

The DLA program has been a great opportunity to surround myself with fellow undergraduate researchers and get the most out of my research experience.   

Shreeya Roy -

Our lab researches droplet motion in microchannels, exploring how factors like size and viscosity affect their movement. This work contributes to potential advancements in drug delivery and lab-on-chip technology through data analysis, imaging, and computational modeling. 

Mahi Kathait  -

My current research work in the Davis Group involves experimentally investigating collisions of liquid-coated particles. The DLA program has been a great introduction to undergraduate research and what that is like at CU. The subject of research is a lot less daunting after having the structured guidance provided by DLA. 

Meredith Overton -

My research focuses on preparing a vascular graft with a novel bilayer structure, where each layer has specific material properties to achieve a mechanical or biological response seen in the layers of native blood vessels.  

Professionally, the research has helped me become more confident in my engineering abilities as I work independently on the project, while also reinforcing my collaborative skills as I work with the research team. 

DLA creates a fantastic structure for introducing undergraduates to research, and for me, it was incredibly helpful in finding a project to work on. DLA helps bridge the intimidating gap between the mentors and the undergraduates. 

Matteo Coscia -

I am working in Dr. Alaa Ahmed's lab where I am training an AI agent to control an arm to reach toward a target, with implications in rehabilitation of patients affected by injuries or neuromuscular disorders

Julia Keefe   -

My project focus is on triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2), a macrophage surface receptor that is a target for inhibiting immunosuppression in cancerous tumors. To study this, I am leveraging physics-based models, including molecular dynamics simulations and static protein-protein docking, to investigate the effects of cancer associated variants on the dynamics and structure of TREM2 along with endogenous direct ligands upregulated in cancer, Apolipoprotein E and Cyclophillin A.  

My research experience has provided me with the skills needed to become a successful scientist moving forward. In addition to the hard research skills, my experiences working in the Sprenger lab for the last year and a half have taught me the processes that being a graduate student involves from grant applications and conferences to papers and presentations.  

The DLA program has given me the opportunity to dive into my love of research. It has provided me with a supportive learning environment to develop and harness my research skills alongside mentors providing advice and support. While deepening my skills in planning and executing a personal research project, it has also given me the ability to improve my technical writing and presentation abilities. This program has shown me what entering a career in science is truly all about while providing me with the skills, experience, and mentors I need to succeed in the STEM field post-graduation.  

Mackenzie Weber  -

My research focuses on the difference in spatial orientation perception between motions that are passively experienced versus actively controlled. 

In January, I attended the NASA Human Research Project Investigators Workshop in Galveston, TX, and presented research findings from another project I have been involved in during my time in DLA (A picture from this conference is attached, as well as one of me if you'd rather use that one) 

 As for DLA as a whole, being in the program has helped me define my academic and professional goals more than any other single experience ever has. 

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What brought you to the ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø and attracted you to the BME?

      The classes I was able to take in biomedical engineering during my undergraduate studies really excited me, and it felt like whether it was studying medical devices or biomechanics the work that was being done in this field was on the cutting edge of science which I absolutely loved. It also felt that the work done in this field would be at the forefront of improving quality of life for people of all ages for years to come, and I knew I wanted to pursue a graduate degree to deepen my understanding and skillset in the types of projects that biomedical engineers get to do. As I was looking at different graduate schools, CU really stuck out to me. There was work being done here in all spheres of biomedical research, from immunoengineering to human movement and as somebody who did not have an incredibly specific idea for what research I wanted to do for my thesis the breadth of options was incredibly attractive to me. I also had several friends who had done their undergraduate studies here at CU and they absolutely loved it, with no shortage of incredible stories to tell about favorite professors or moments in class that really made them fall in love with their profession. At the end of the day, I realized it was the only place I wanted to pursue my degree and I've been beyond happy with my decision to do so.

Tell us about your research. What is it that you study?

    I'm working with Dr. Cara Welker out of the Welker Lab to examine the mechanics of gait for individuals with above-knee amputations. Using motion capture data collected and made available through an open-source format in order to make this type of research more accessible, I am determining the differences in mobility between several groups of people who use a prosthetic lower limb to ambulate. I've been able to take that motion capture data and extract joint moments and angles from the lower body, from which I'm able to compare to healthy individuals and determine specific areas where movement is limited. From there I am working to suggest improvements to prosthetic design in order to help improve the mobility for people with these amputations.

How did you first get involved in your research and what drew you to it?

      I took a class with Dr. Welker called Modeling of Human Movement where we learned about the different ways that we can study how people move and how to help them move better. During the course of this class we were introduced to this dataset and I was instantly inspired by the potential for research based on it. As I researched individuals with amputation further, I found that the tools that medical professionals and insurance companies use to assess their movement were outdated and frequently miscategorized people's movement groups. These groupings determine the access that people have to different prosthetics and physical therapies, as well as any financial assistance they might receive to help them try to live a more normal life. I also found that there was little to no research holistically examining their gait and thought that it was incredibly important to have a better understanding of how these individuals move so that we can get them the help they need.

What kinds of challenges do you encounter in your research?

      A big problem in biomedical engineering studies is a lack of availability of large datasets, as it can be difficult to collect data for all the myriad problems that humans face when it comes to their mobility. It is a big part of the reason why we need more biomedical engineers out there doing the work and collecting the data so that we can better understand these problems and how to treat them. Another challenge I've faced personally is the scale of this field. Some of the problems we deal with may only affect a few specific individuals, while others have global ramifications. I have found it important to try and stay grounded in the reasons why we do the research we do. Finding some type of personal connection to try and solve even some of these issues that seem gargantuan in scope one step at a time has really helped me move forward in this field with a little bit more confidence that what I am doing will have an impact.

What advice would you share with a student interested in studying biomedical engineering or your specific field?

      First of all, I would say go for it! Even if you feel that you do not have the background you need or that you do not have a specific area that you want to study, there is so much work to be done in this field and if you have the passion for it there is somebody out there who can help you get there. The work I have gotten to be a part of within this field is absolutely the most rewarding and interesting of anything I have ever done, and I cannot wait to continue to explore everything that this field has to offer. Everybody has some type of connection to a biomedical problem, whether it be a family member who got sick, a friend who was on crutches for a little while, or any of the larger problems that we can see in the world. Studying and working in this field allows you to be at the forefront of people trying to find solutions to these problems, and if that sounds like fun to you then biomedical engineering is a phenomenal way to get involved.

As a PhD/Master student, what role has mentoring played in your work?

      One of the best experiences I have had as a master's student is getting the opportunity to TA for an undergraduate class. In my experience it is very difficult to see the applications of the things we are required to study beyond homework or tests, and it was a lot of fun working with younger students and getting to show them some of the applications of the math we learn to solving real-world problems. I find it very important to focus on the why aspect of the things we learn, and hope I was able to get that across to the students I had the pleasure of working with. I hope to do more work with younger students in the future, who knows maybe I will even have my own class one day!

How would you like your work to help society?

     Since I was a little kid I always liked the idea that if you attack a problem from the right angle, there is a solution waiting to be found. Engineering has allowed me to expand on that notion, identifying the specific problems that people face and finding solutions that help improve the quality of their lives. If I am lucky enough for my work to have an impact on society, I hope that it is to encourage others to spend the time and the effort it takes to understand the problems that people face and how important it is to help each other solve as many of them as we can. 

What do you love best about attending ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø?

      It is really hard to pick just one thing, the amazing programs this school has to offer, the incredible faculty on staff here with real-world experience across industry and academia, being this close to the mountains, it has all been incredible. But I would have to say my favorite thing about CU has been the sense of community I have felt in my time here. Students and faculty alike have been incredibly welcoming to me, and it has felt as though everybody here genuinely wants me to succeed. Whether it has been providing me with resources to find an area of study that I am passionate about, pointing me in the direction of industry experts with the answers to my questions, or even just organizing fun events to make CU feel more like home I truly feel that the community here is one of a kind. 

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Laurel Hind is studying the signals that regulate the immune system and contribute to disease, supported by a major grant awarded to promising early-career faculty.

Hind, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø, has received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award. This highly competitive program supports faculty with potential to become leaders in research and education.

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ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø’s   played a key role in studying tiny bioglass lenses that were designed to form on the surface of engineered microbes, a scientific breakthrough that could pave the way for groundbreaking imaging technologies in both medical and commercial applications.

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