Experience

Duke University Pratt School of Engineering

• United States
• Higher Education
• 300 - 400 Employee

• Truskey Lab - Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Aug 2022 - Present

  - Conducting shear flow simulation experiments on iPSC-derived endothelial cells to induce and measure eNOS (nitric oxide synthase) expression for atherosclerosis research - Differentiating iPSCs and magnetically sorting endothelial cells using CD144 and CD31 antibody beads - Constructing flow chambers and perfusing media to simulate blood flow force in vessels - Utilizing RT-PCR to quantify eNOS RNA and Western Blot to identify eNOS protein presence, comparing results for static cells versus cells exposed to flow for 24 hours- Conducted extensive immunostaining experiments on iPSC-derived smooth muscle and endothelial cells that had been base edited to correct the Hutchinson Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) point mutation - Analyzed Ki-67 antibody expression to understand proliferation levels in these cells compared to diseased HGPS cells to interpret base editing effectiveness- Constructed tissue-engineered blood vessels with iPSC-derived smooth muscle and endothelial cells- Deepened my understanding of lab protocol execution, sterile technique, reproducibility of results, and data analysis and interpretationPublications: Co-authoring “Chapter 39: Micro-physiological Systems for Screening Environmental Toxins and Pollutants” for the book titled, "Body-on-a-Chip: Design, Systems, and Applications" by Anthony Atala and Y. Shrike Zhang Show less

• E-Team Peer Advisor

  • Aug 2021 - Present

  - Mentoring first-year engineering students in their transition to Duke through one-on-one interactions, programming, content creation, and campus outreach- Building and facilitating student-professor interactions to help create future successful Duke engineers

• Trahey Lab - Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • May 2022 - Jun 2022

  - Designed and constructed a Doppler String Phantom machine to simulate blood flow through a vessel - Evaluated the string phantom with ultrasound transduction to assess velocity and direction of flow- Implemented tools such as Fusion 360, 3-D printing, Arduino, soldering, laser cutting, and mechanical design to drive rapid prototyping



Abbott

• United States
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Operations Intern, Cardiac Rhythm Management

  • May 2023 - Aug 2023

  - Utilized Creo CAD software to design an aluminum and Teflon fixture integral to the manufacturing process of a specific pacemaker model - Reduced the risk of surface scratches on the pacemaker device and consequent scrap costs, which previously amounted to approximately $10,000 - Implemented Excel code to streamline the tracking and automatic recording of scrap cost data for pacemaker components, leading to improved organization and time efficiency - Used Creo to redesign a testing plate in the manufacturing lab to optimize its usability and drastically improve ergonomic safety for the operators Show less



Massachusetts General Hospital

• United States
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Undergraduate Neurology Research Intern

  • Jul 2021 - Aug 2021

  - Studied examinations of patients with Primary Progressive Aphasia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases to gain an understanding of their speaking, reading, word recall, and memory skills as well as their decline over time - Translated medical journals into simpler language to promote broader public accessibility and comprehension - Studied examinations of patients with Primary Progressive Aphasia, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases to gain an understanding of their speaking, reading, word recall, and memory skills as well as their decline over time - Translated medical journals into simpler language to promote broader public accessibility and comprehension