This video describes some of what we do in the Whittington Research Group with making models of human disease outside of the body. We start with an overview of the work, and the rest of the video shows students at work. We describe our work using a Lego analogy, because we know a lot people are familiar with building models with Legos or blocks.
I am Dr. Catherine Whittington, and I teach and run a research laboratory WPI. I’ve enjoyed science for a really long time, but there also are plenty of other things I like to do. When I was younger, I took a lot of dance classes and did baton twirling for 15 years! In high school, I played the clarinet in band and also threw the shot put and discus in track and field. Now, I like to watch track and field on TV, along with football. I also enjoy cooking, traveling, listening to music, and reading (I’m in a few book clubs!). I got started in biomedical engineering when I studied it in college (Louisiana Tech University). I thought it sounded like a neat way to combine my interests in math and science, particularly biology. I also liked the idea of designing things to solve problems and help people. I got interested in materials and engineering toward the end of college, and decided that I wanted to be a professor, so I went to graduate school at Purdue University in Indiana. At Purdue, I worked on a project that was applied to wound healing, and after I graduated, I used my skills when working at a drug company on projects related to cancer. At WPI, I try to combine a lot of those skills to develop projects for my research group and also apply them in the classroom. I really enjoy teaching and working with students in the lab, because I want to help them learn new things and achieve their goals. Fun fact about me? I ran four half-marathons when I lived in Indiana, and for two of them I got to run on the track of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Learn more.
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