This academic year, several Biomedical Engineering (BME) undergraduates participated in the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship (DLA) Program conducting research in campus labs. Students, their projects and sponsoring labs follows. At the conclusion of the program this spring, students will share their findings during the DLA research symposium in April.
Three BME students are conducting research in the lab of Wyatt Shields, BME faculty member. Celeste Busch is studying the Effect of Nanoparticle Formulation on Macrophage Epigenetics; Gavin Channell studies Acoustically Purified Elastomeric Particles for Cell-based Cancer Immunotherapy; and Chris Orear is studying the Ionic Liquid-mediated Transdermal Drug Delivery for Skin Disease. Iris Li is Evaluating Neural Influences of Virtual Reality Training with Allie Anderson, BME faculty. Julian Conrad Oppenheimer studies Novel Soil pH Sensors for Monitoring Soil Nitrogen Cycle in the Mechanical Engineering lab of Gregory Whiting. Isabelle Racine studies Statistical Modeling of River Ice in Alaska in Mike Gooseff's Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering lab. Student Keri Spitler in the lab of Corey Neu is Characterizing mechanical stability through restoration of nuclear architecture.
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 YOU’RE@CU (Your Own Undergraduate Research Experience at CU). 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 part of the College's Active Learning Program, 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 17. The DLA deadline is May 15th.
BME students share about their experiences
I work with Dr. Ellyse Schneider, in Dr. Corey Neu's Soft Tissue Bioengineering Lab, to better understand how external mechanical forces affect genomic architecture and gene expression. This includes building a unique sgRNA library and utilizing the CRISPR-Cas9 system that was developed in the Neu lab.
This research has provided me with a unique opportunity to put into practice the knowledge I've acquired throughout my college journey, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Additionally, research has offered me invaluable experiences collaborating with peers that isn't possible within the traditional classroom. As this DLA program has allowed me to continue this research, it has given me invaluable practice presenting my research both written and verbally. Keri Spitler
My research in the Shields lab centers around delivering an anti-inflammatory drug transdermally to treat atopic dermatitis. To do this, we use hydrogels that contain drug and ionic liquids, which have been shown to disrupt the stratum corner and should allow the drug to penetrate further into the skin. The DLA program has been instrumental in funding and supporting my research this year, and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity they’ve given me to further pursue my interest in drug delivery.
Photo is of Chris Orear presenting his research at the 2022 ACS Colloids Symposium.
My work in the Shields lab is all about characterizing mechanical properties of polymers, and their ability to serve as biocompatible drug release mechanisms. My DLA experience has really interested me in graduate school.
The picture of Gavin Channell is in the clean room in the Colorado Shared Instrumentation in Nanofabrication and Characterization (COSINC) research facility.
My project in the Shields lab is on understanding and controlling how macrophage phenotypes are impacted by physical stimuli. I differentiate stem cells collected from bone marrow into macrophages, then associate them with particles I've made of different sizes, shapes, and materials, then study how they impact the cells’ phenotype, as well as their circulation in the body (of mice). The goal of the research is to make drug delivery to cancer more efficient to help eliminate the negative side effects of treatments like chemotherapy.
DLA has not only provided me with a way to practically apply information I learn in classes like biomaterials and biotransport, but I've gained many new connections in both academia and industry through the program and my lab that have led to several professional and grad school opportunities. Celeste Busch
At CU's Bioastronautics Labs under the mentorship of Allie Anderson, I work in a team to help fill in the gap of knowledge about tools to counter neural decrements for astronauts who undergo long duration exploration missions by quantifying the brain activity of subjects with fNIRS and EEG while completing tasks in VR. So far, I've spearheaded our rapid prototyping of testing equipment and part of our Excel and MATLAB data analysis pipeline.
Being in the DLA program has taught me instrumental skills for my career, from applying competitively to a research lab to keeping me accountable and thinking critically about my research, and this has connected me to a wonderful lab team! Iris Li
In the Gooseff lab, I am currently researching how to build a model to accurately measure the thickness of river ice in Alaska. This research can help showcase the evolving climate change in the world along with displaying the significant necessity that river ice poses for people in Alaska.
The DLA program has helped me to grow my technical skills while actively participating in a research lab. This opportunity has led me to explore more avenues within research that I never knew about. Isabelle Racine
The BME Program encourages its students to participate in a range of experiential learning opportunities, including research, during their tenure with CU.