About Me: I presently teach science to approximately 100 seventh grade students per year in the city of Quincy, MA. My classroom from early on has been referred to as “organized chaos” with performance based learning being my preferred teaching method. Students routinely employ the engineering design process using primarily found materials. Cardboard and duct tape are two of our most commonly used items. Our curriculum is presently in transition but is heavy on energy and environmental science the latter of which is of great personal interest. I have been exposed to so many amazing trainings and collaborations over my career, the latest of which is at WPI! In my personal time I am passionate about gardening and have worked to establish an ecosystem that is sustainable for nature and for personal consumption. I also enjoy scuba diving locally and abroad with my husband of many years as well as collaborating with him on 3D-designs and laser-cut projects.
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| Diving in Playa Kalki, Curacao SP 2024 | Engineering with Cardboard | Onions and Native Flowers |
About the Lab: Professor Zheng’s lab is trying to develop a “smart” tool for aspirating cerebral blood clots for ischemic stroke patients with greater “safety and efficacy”. The success rate for blood clot removal, the 2nd leading cause of death globally, is presently quite low, 25%-for first attempts and can also lead to more serious problems. Many disciplines are working together to accomplish this goal. Our primary part in this process is to make then test pressure impacts on “phantom” arteries, a component of the benchtop design. Side projects will include testing recipes for making stiff and soft blood clots and maximizing efficiency and identifying protocol for the aforementioned procedures.
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| Our Goals within the Larger Goals |
Project Title: Engineering Bench-Top Testing of Interventional Devices for Cardiovascular Disease with Professor Yihao Zheng with Graduate Student Brianna Raphino.
Weekly Updates:
Week 1 Weekly Overview: The goal this week is to orient ourselves to the campus and all it has to offer (especially the RET-STEM WPI Resources). We also visited our individual labs to grasp an understanding of our roles for this collaboration. Each week offers extra-curricular activities as well (WPI lab tours and tours of local facilities from an engineering perspective (Polar Beverages, Polar Park, Worcester Museum, etc).
Week 1:
Participants were introduced to the overarching goals of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Research Experience for Teachers – (WPI – RET) program as well as the individual research projects. There are four individual projects at work: Magnesium Production and Recycling for Clean Energy, Antibiotic Resistance in Myobacteria, Removing PFAS from Contaminated Soil and of course our project, Engineering Benchtop Testing of Interventional Devices for Cardiovascular Disease.
Research Proposal: The domain of this research is Biomedical Engineering, specifically for cardiovascular disease. The research being conducted is to improve the efficiency and accuracy rate for removing blood clots via a procedure called a thrombectomy (via aspiration) by designing a bench-top testing device using “smart” technology; one that relies on fiber-optic pressure devices rather than fluoroscopy.
The current model-arteries are warping during benchtop testing due to pressure changes in the walls. Our goal is to design an ideal simulated artery for testing, as well as develop a quantitative protocol for testing pressure changes in said arteries. Specifically we will establish a baseline pressure for measuring inner and outer diameter (and length) changes of the “arteries” at repeat intervals. We will rely on outside assistance to develop a 3D mold that improves on the existing design and are aiming to expedite the curing rate by manipulating temperature to increase the efficiency of data-collection.
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| Inherited 3D Mold for Making Single Silicone Arteries
The silicone required for this experiment reacted negatively to the filament materials. |
Inherited 3D Mold for Making Single Silicone Arteries
Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA), a water soluble thermoplastic filament, was used to create inner cavity of artery. |
1st of 7 iterations for Making Multiple Silicone Arteries
Steel rods were used to replace the PVA which instantly showed more consistency in the artery walls. |
In the Lab:
After completing the mandatory lab safety training… in our personal lab we were immediately exposed to various works in motion such as refining recipes for making blood clots, observing the fabrication of the silicone-arteries on the existing 3D printed mold, learning to use various tools required in the testing process such as operating the pressure-pot, measuring pressure with the Kyphon™ Balloon Kyphoplasty tool, a quick overview of how the benchtop design works and a run-down of the existing procedures and protocols in place toward the end goal. Professor Zheng and his assistant supplied us with reading materials and visuals which provided valuable background information. Utilizing time away from the lab, and the talent of my husband, I was able to provide the team with modified prototypes of 3D printed artery molds which when tested offered consistent simulated-artery thickness (a limitation of the current mold) with the ability to print five (to the existing 1) prototypes per round. The design will be further tested in week two.
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| Ingredients Needed for Making Simulated Blood Clots | Close up Views of the Benchtop Design | Close Up View of Simulated Blood Clots |
Classroom Connections:
I am able to witness authentic research at work in Professor Zheng’s lab with our project and another project at work, the HydroFlex Internal Polishing system and can bring these observations back to the classroom. I am also learning the various pathways my lab partners and mentors traveled to become WPI graduates and the various summer programs offered for secondary students at WPI: the Frontiers Class for rising 10th, 11th and 12th graders; the Launch for rising rising 9th, 10th and 11th graders; and College Credit Jump Start for rising 11th and 12th graders (https://www.wpi.edu/academics/pre-collegiate/summer-programs).
Wow of the Week!:
The collaboration needed to accomplish the end goal, a benchtop cardiovascular testing device, is massively important. This week alone we relied on the background knowledge of the lead professor as well as our PhD candidate/lab mentor to wrap our head around the project, expert 3D print capabilities of an outside party, and ultimately the collaboration of the Mechanical & Materials Engineering lab with the Biomedical Engineering and Robotics Engineering lab.
Week 2 Weekly Overview: Time was spent updating our individual websites as well as completing our lab proposals.
- research workshop: Students of WPI culminate significant projects with science poster presentations. There is an art to the poster creation process of which we will be introduced to this week.
- professional development: We discussed two significant projects completed by WPI students: the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) where students work in small groups to address real world problems merging science and technology with societal needs and the major qualifying projects (MVP) an independent project, based on the students major, completed in their senior year.
In the Lab:
Background research on published papers, materials, specs, safety, procedure-refinements, etc. is ongoing. The team reviewed the procedure for testing the new, 3D printed “artery-molds” while debugging possible pitfalls. The focus this week is primarily on designing a test for the silicone arteries to ensure ongoing production. Four single artery-molds were loaded with SYLGUARD™ 184 silicone mix and put into the pressure chamber and two, 6″ muti-molds were tested as well with the same product. Both were left to air dry for 24 hours. This is the start of ongoing testing. Our “product” will work in conjunction with the work done in last year’s cohort which was attaching the fiber-optic sensor to the interior wall of a catheter for better sensing of blood clots. This was an arduous task as the interior of the catheter has a Teflon coating which is notoriously adverse to adhesives.
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| SYLGARD 184 Silicone Elastomer (2-part using a 10:1 ratio) | Pouring Silicone Mix into Multi Artery Mold (home trials) | Vevor Vacuum Pump Removes Air Bubbles from Silicone |
Classroom Connections:
I plan on mimicking an activity we participated in this week which is creating asset maps with students using Coggle, Lucid, Lucid Spark, Bubbl.us, Canva, Mural, etc. Apple’s apps: Good Notes, Notability, Apple Notes, etc. can be used as well. The message is, everyone is a learner and a contributor and brings meaningful experiences to the table.
Wow of the Week!:
I marvel at the amazing work accomplished by students in various disciplines viewed via their MQP-posters. There is evidence across the campus of extraordinary work being done!!!
Week 3 Weekly Overview:
This week I updated our “lab notebook” with picture and text evidence of our engineering process for developing silicone arteries. I also gave a presentation on our progress as well as heard from our peers via their slide presentations. We are individually contributing a spec to major, ongoing science and engineering outcomes. This week we also visited the human-computer interaction and human-AI interaction lab which was fascinating.
- research workshop: Our research workshop involved project presentations to inform our peers of our work and to glean helpful insights.
- professional development: This week we discussed the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, of which there are 17, and how they connect to our projects. We also discussed inviting industry people to view student progress mid-way or at the end of major science and engineering projects.
In the Lab:
I started the week with loading five, brand-new (seventh iteration) multi-artery molds of which I documented methodically by labeling with pertinent information such as preparation techniques, ratio of silicone mixes, de-gassing data, time-curing data, etc. It has taken three weeks to get to this point. I also helped set up and test the new 3L- Vevor vacuum pump which is necessary for removing bubbles from the silicone molds. I talked with my lab mentor on the history of the original artery mold and techniques for the direction the newer molds were taking, and I consulted with my teacher mentor as to how our project was unfolding. The bulk of our time to date has been focused on the engineering of molds to produce usable arteries for testing. We are at a bit of a cross road. Do we continue perfecting the artery making process or ignore artery perfection and begin testing individual arteries for pressure parameters (changes to inner and outer diameter, length, bend, etc.) or do we double down. I am reminded of our ultimate goal of securing viable silicone-arteries to begin testing with the benchtop device. I will consult with my lab partner when he returns at the end of the week before deciding.
This week I also met with Professor Zheng to glean insight on specific techniques for testing/measuring the arteries using a high speed camera, the AMscope dying techniques (to measure number of pixels which relate back to diameter), bend-patterns when under pressure, tensile tests and more. “Accuracy and consistency are the two main parameters we should focus on,” in testing said Dr. Zheng. We also discussed making authentic blood clots in Gateway Labs, WPI’s core research facilities. Dr. Zheng wants a lab procedure for making blood clots using biological materials; my lab mentor Brianna will do this using an article Dr. Zheng co-authored on the topic. The goal is to produce blood clots using components of real blood (minus the red blood cells and with the addition of CaCl as a coagulant) ranging from the hardest in consistency, to softest, with two in-between textured clots. These clots will then be added to the benchtop system and aspiration techniques can be studied. In conclusion, some questions we still need to answer are what materials and in what combinations produces the best “phantom” arteries for testing with blood clots? What is the best procedure for making these arteries?
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| Five, Brand-new (seventh iteration) Multi-artery Molds | Setting Up for the Day | Silicone Arteries |
Classroom Connections:
I have already printed the 17 United Nations Sustainable Global goals mini-posters for display in my classroom this fall!!! I also plan to task students with creating science posters as a refresh over traditional lab reports. I am committing to connecting my students with industry for at least one of our major projects this school year using the myriad of STEM connections provided through this collaboration. I plan to use the Onion Model as a framework for problem solving.
Wow of the Week!:
Being part of the research process has further enlightened me to the tediousness of processes. Research seems to advance notoriously slow due to a variety of factors: supplies, funding, accessing expertise, communication, etc., all of which take time. My lab mentor stated research progresses incrementally: 10%, 10%, 10%, 15%, then 80%, etc. (i.e. slow progress then wow!!!). Patience and trust in the process is mandatory and there are no limitations beyond what one puts on themselves. It has also been impressed upon me that no progress is made in the science lab without serious math and coding!!!
Week 4 Weekly Overview: Monday morning started with a beehive of activity. Aarushi, a rising senior who is part of MA Academy of Math and Science at WPI and is tasked solely with making simulated blood clots from bean paste, borax and distilled water, organized the lab. Thank you Aarushi!! Daniel, a new addition and a bright, rising 11th grader, came in to assist us in the lab over the next few weeks. My lab mentor Brianna and I made a game plan for the week. I also met with my teacher mentor regarding my lesson plan idea I will carry out with my students this year. Another task was to work on my personal progress report and our combined poster draft.
- research workshop: My partner Michael and I presented a rough draft of the poster and viewed posters from the other research groups. This proved to be a very valuable feedback session! We also discussed ways we can stay connected and connect our kids to scientists such as the ones at WPI.
- professional development: This week we reviewed 3-Dimensional Teaching and identified tier words for our standard tied to our lesson plan.
In the Lab:
This week we continued making arteries as many arteries as possible which is not very fast as each batch requires washing the molds free of silicone (a few hours process if done properly) using soap, water, Isopropyl alcohol, etc, weighing and mixing the elastomers, screwing each mold with 6 screws, washers and bolts, pouring the mix, vacuuming the pour (3x-each), documenting and then waiting for the silicone to cure which is a 24 hour process. We then must remove each of the five-arteries, from each of the five molds an entire challenge in and of itself as the walls are approximately 0.4mm thick and any hastening results in a ripped artery. Then the cleaning process begins again. We changed our silicone ratio to better match the material properties of a real artery but are finding they come out a bit tacky so we are testing final cures under different heat settings by placing the rods with silicone in the oven for short periods of time. We ended the week by establishing a protocol for measuring the artery diameters under a high-speed camera which we will officially start next week.
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| Daily Ritual: Fill Molds, Wait 24 hrs, Repeat | Trial and Error (lots) | Artery Fails |
Classroom Connections:
There are multiple ways to stay connected with WPI after the RET experience from virtual meetings with lab mentors, scientists, sitting in on science meetings, etc., to WPI visits, having our lab mentors visit our schools, etc. We can also cross-collaborate if needed.
Wow of the Week!:
Do not be afraid to network and ask for help; a shout out to (Dr. Zheng, Brianna, Jim B., Neehal, Rohit, Jack, our RET participants and leaders, and more)!
Week 5 Weekly Overview: This week we updated our websites with documentation and updated and produced new lab protocols for our project. I also participated in the Soft Robotics Lab tour as well as an additional tour of the other robotic labs. Later in the week I sat in on a robotics meeting where researchers meet weekly to update their findings. There were amazing project presentations related to cardiovascular disease and ‘mine’ detection efforts in Africa. My partner and I also toured the IEEE poster session at WPI which was fabulous; so much talent at work!!!
- professional development: This week we heard from an instructor on the topic of AI and education and continued to refine our lesson plans.
In the Lab:
Daniel was tasked with sanding the seams of the test arteries with a 230 grit sandpaper and to test the arteries for leaks so we could officially begin testing. We now have 30 unique test sets (approximately 150 arteries) for testing. This does not include almost as many arteries developed in trying to perfect the development of consistent arteries. We also established a refined protocol for measuring the outer artery diameter using the camera and visual testing but after hours of preparation ended up abandoning the technique for using the AMscope MU233-FL. The microscope ultimately allowed us to capture magnified images that provided much more detail and accuracy. The process was tedious. We established a system of measuring the artery at rest (static) at six intervals along 2cm of the artery (under magnification), we then slid the artery down and repeated the process with another 2cm segment. We then turned the artery ¼ turn and repeated the entire measuring process. We then took the same artery and inflated it and repeated the aforementioned processes. It took one entire day to measure 20 arteries; each artery was measured 24 times (static and inflated) at two different positions. Ultimately over 800 measurements were painstakingly taken. Photo-evidence was captured and organized onto a slide presentation for visual analysis and ease of transferring data. We then represented the data graphically. Early results show amazing consistency in the outer diameter of the silicone arteries. We will continue our measurements of the remaining arteries before starting the whole process again to measure inner diameter using the dye technique. Our mantra is to constantly revisit the goal, test, iterate, test again, and ultimately analyze the data.
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| We Developed Multiple, Detailed Protocols | Attaching the Artery to the Pump was an Engineering Challenge | The Final Testing Set up Replaced a 4g Clip w/a <1g Plug & Ring |
Classroom Connections:
Employ the science and engineering practices in my lesson plan connecting to a real world problem while framing it as a task (i.e. stage 2 UBD GRASPS).
Wow of the Week!:
My absolute favorite part of this week, besides being on our way to accomplish our goal of making consistent arteries for testing in the benchtop device, was touring the Soft Robotics Lab. Here the students manipulate silicone (my favorite new material), rubber, cloth, origami designs, etc. which could have massive applications. Neehal, who led the tour, is researching how to use soft robotics to make affordable prosthetic devices. We continued our tour to view other facets of robotics study which included meeting Pepper, an emotional support robot, the drone lab, a pass by the micro-robot lab that studies swarm intelligence and viewed submarine robots and more. This tour combined with a tour later in the week at of Gateway Labs, particularly the nano-lab where work is being done on the nano-scale with photovoltaics for cleaning lead out of fresh water and printable-flexible circuits, stretchable thermoplastics and pneumatic technology that could literally be the skin and muscle of future robots!!! My mind was blown!!!
Week 6 Weekly Overview: This week is all about preparing for our research poster presentations on Friday; our last day of the program (we must consolidate five weeks worth of trials, errors, progress, protocols, training, tours and more into a 48” x 36” template). Our deadline for the poster is Tuesday at 2pm and then it will be sent off to the print-lab. We have an exciting field trip planned to Polar Park (not to be confused with the Polar Seltzer facility tour we took a few weeks ago). Here we will be privy to the engineering side of the ball park. Our final poster presentation will be on Friday where we will meet with industry people to glean insight and connections from companies such as: Abbvie, AMD, Mass Clean Energy Center, Spark Photonics and St. Gobain R&B. The day will culminate with teacher focus groups to assess the implementation and experiences of the WPI – RET workshop.
Our experience will continue on through the school year as we maintain connections to our labs and pilot our lesson plans. The year will be sprinkled with meetings and visits (from our school to WPI and vice versa) and will once again culminate in a STEM Showcase next spring where we will display our posters and lesson plans to a broader audience.
research workshop: We practiced a technique called elevator pitches to prepare us for our poster presentation on Friday. The tasks we complete in our individual labs are difficult to explain as we are trying to synthesize volumes of information that the layperson may have little or no background knowledge of so the technique can be useful. We had to prepare a 10 second, then a 2 minute verbal-presentation to our peers. The language must be inviting as the goal is to engage viewers of your work in conversation.
professional development: This week we further developed our lesson plans by focusing on rubrics and equity in the classroom. This PD provided a lot of valuable resources and room for discussion. One of my favorite takeaways on the topic of equity was a quote from Pedro Noguera in his video titled: Where the Promise of the American Dream Falls Short in Schools was, “Adjust the system to the students, not the students to the system.” I also found the following image brought up in discussion today to be powerful:
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In the Lab:
This week in the lab we tested the remaining 10 of 30 arteries which allowed us to update our data representation and it also confirmed what the data already showed that the artery-making process we established was a success! We spent the bulk of Tuesday documenting all of the work we completed this past five weeks on our final poster. We also organized the many lab protocols we wrote during this lab experience; 10 in total. These protocols along with all of the work we completed will be handed to the next person(s) so the end goal of testing blood clots in the benchtop design can be met. With only two more days in the lab and time permitting we will direct our efforts toward testing the inner diameter of the trial-arteries using the AMscope again. We need to establish yet another protocol for this new test.
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| Testing Protocol w/AMScope Microscope (1300+) Measurements | Sample Microscope Picture | The Initial Data Shows We’re on Route to Meeting Our Objective |
Classroom Connections:
I am in the midst of designing my lesson plan and look forward to implementing it in the classroom. The MA Curriculum Framework – 2016 Science and Technology/Engineering Standard I will focus on is: 7.MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for protecting an ecosystem. Discuss benefits and limitations of each design. The analogy drawn here is that just as we help protect humans with creative collaboration and advanced technology we can apply the same logic to help protect ecosystems which ultimately benefits us. Access to this lesson will be made available soon (see below).
Wow of the “Weeks”!:
Wow!! These six weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. The days were long, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm with a 2 hour (+) round-trip commute daily but I can honestly say the end goal of the WPI – RET program, exposing teachers to the science and engineering process, and our goal of producing silicone arteries that maintain their structural integrity under pressure were accomplished! Our work allows advancement in the utilization of the “benchtop device” as a model for smart technology aimed at making the removal of blood clots in ischemic stroke patients safer and more ethical. In addition, I am walking away with a multitude of resources for use inside the classroom and have an instant network of professionals and professional resources to continue to collaborate with. I am grateful to the National Science Foundation for funding this program, to the talented students and staff at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, for the supportive cohort I partnered with and finally to my husband for his ongoing support in all of my endeavors.
Final Poster:
Lesson Plan:
Graying the Green: An Argument for Coastal Resiliency