What: I conducted undergraduate research with Prof. Xuanhe Zhao and Hyunwoo Yuk from MIT Zhao Lab.
Lab's Mission: Advance science and technology on the interfaces between humans and machines for addressing grand societal challenges in health, etc.
My role: Develop hydrogel coatings that create a seamless interface between electronics and biological tissues. These coated probes could then be used to measure neuron pulses in the brain and spinal cord, which would help neuroscientists learn more about the nervous system and possibly develop cures for diseases like Dementia.
Results: After about a year of experimenting with, fabricating, and characterizing various materials, I was able to develop hydrogels with enhanced properties. They were tough, conductive, elastic, and biocompatible.
Skills: Mechanical fabrication and characterization, experimental design, technical writing
Lessons: Engineering Research + Medical Applications = Magic! The possibilities are endless. Though I have shifted from materials to biomechatronics research, I hold this experience in high esteem because it was one of my first times exploring the potential that research has to improve health technologies.
Awards: MIT Lincoln Labs Undergraduate Research and Innovations Scholar
Presentations: EECScon: MIT's premier undergraduate research conference (poster)
Lab's Mission: Advance science and technology on the interfaces between humans and machines for addressing grand societal challenges in health, etc.
My role: Develop hydrogel coatings that create a seamless interface between electronics and biological tissues. These coated probes could then be used to measure neuron pulses in the brain and spinal cord, which would help neuroscientists learn more about the nervous system and possibly develop cures for diseases like Dementia.
Results: After about a year of experimenting with, fabricating, and characterizing various materials, I was able to develop hydrogels with enhanced properties. They were tough, conductive, elastic, and biocompatible.
Skills: Mechanical fabrication and characterization, experimental design, technical writing
Lessons: Engineering Research + Medical Applications = Magic! The possibilities are endless. Though I have shifted from materials to biomechatronics research, I hold this experience in high esteem because it was one of my first times exploring the potential that research has to improve health technologies.
Awards: MIT Lincoln Labs Undergraduate Research and Innovations Scholar
Presentations: EECScon: MIT's premier undergraduate research conference (poster)
