Cornell Young Email & Phone Number

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

I work in the Project Management department through the District of Columbia Power Line Undergrounding (DC PLUG) group, a $500 million multi-year program initiative focused on the underground placement of the District of Columbia's most vulnerable distribution power lines.• Design electrical and preliminary civil schematics for a multi-year program focused on the underground placement of the District of Columbia’s most vulnerable overhead distribution power lines.• Serve as lead engineer on multiple large-scale distribution feeder projects, directing engineering tasks for contractors, project management consultants, and construction managers• Serve as technical representative for Pepco in evaluation of bid proposals submitted in response to request for qualifications to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in the procurement of civil design contracts

Washington, District Of Columbia

I work in the Distribution Engineering department, primarily focused on new business - electrical, customer service connections for new and extensively renovated construction projects. • Designed/modified engineering and construction plans for electrical power distribution projects to service residential neighborhoods and commercial properties in response to customer class of service applications• Provided customers with company standards, policies, rules and regulations for service being provided• Performed network power flow analysis, short circuit and voltage drop calculations, feeder balancing, transformer loading, fusing requirements, and cost estimates• Collected field data to update Geographic Information System (GIS) based graphic work design system and provide design plan to service customers in a dynamic electrical distribution network with continuously changing conditions • Managed multiple projects and coordinated with work management for scheduling of design construction completion

Chicago, Illinois

Research Title: Using Accelerometers to Assess the Daily Use of Upper Limb ProsthesesUpper limb prostheses enhance the quality of life for individuals with amputations by improving their ability to efficiently perform activities of daily living. However, lack of quantitative assessments of upper limb prostheses in a home environment limits the capability to design and develop advanced prostheses ideal suited for the amputee population. The aim of our current study was to quantify the usage of myoelectric prostheses in a simulated home environment using commercial accelerometers. Accelerations were collected from the healthy arm and the artificial limbs of three trans-humeral amputees using triaxial accelerometers with low-energy Bluetooth capability. These accelerometers also acted as beacons on various objects within the home environment to infer locations of prosthesis use. Activity levels of the limbs were calculated from the recorded accelerations using custom algorithms, while locations of the activity were inferred from the signal strength between the devices on the body and those in the environment. Preliminary results indicate that we can reliably detect activity levels as well as locations of use of the prosthetic arms. This study suggests a methodology for quantification of upper limb prostheses in a home environment using simple commercial wearable sensors.• Developed a methodology for the quantification of upper limb prostheses using commercial wearable sensors.• Characterized outcome measures with specific activities performed to provide better functional capability for current and future devices and to equip physicians and therapists with vital information to assess whether the use of prosthetic devices for patientsare being maximized.• Demonstrated that accelerometers are an effective method to quantify activity level as well as location within a sensoredenvironment

Evanston, Illinois

Research Title: Characterizing the Geometric and Material Properties of Rat WhiskersA rat’s vibrissae (whiskers) are highly sensitive touch sensors that allow the rat to tactually perceive its world. If we had a mechanical model of a rat whisker, we could better understand the process of tactile perception. To develop such a model, we need to characterize the geometric and material properties of rat whiskers. Previous studies have shown that whiskers consist of three main components: the cuticle, the medulla, and the cortex. The aim of this study was to determine the densities of two of these components: the medulla and cortex. Whiskers were obtained from an albino rat. Whisker masses were measured using Mettler-Toledo microbalance. To obtain whisker length, whiskers were imaged on a flatbed scanner and measured using the software Reconstruct™. Whisker diameters were observed under an Olympus BX60 light-transmitting microscope and again measured with Reconstruct™. These findings will be key in the development of more effective mechanical model that helps to understand neural signals transmitted to the rat’s brain. Improving our understanding of sensorimotor integration may ultimately assist those disabled by stroke and brain injury.• Characterized mass and geometric properties of Sprague-Dawley rat whiskers immediately following euthanasia to build a more accurate mechanical model of the whiskers• Examined densities of the two main components of rat whiskers, the medulla and cortex, and demonstrated that the density at the tip of the whisker was greater than at the base of the whisker

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Research Title: Soft Machines in Surgery

Atlanta, Ga

Research Title: Sensitive Detection of Protease Activity in Complex Cells and Tissue A key step in early cancer detection would be the development of a clinical device that is capable of measuring cathepsin activity. Cysteine cathepsins are a potent class of collagnases and elastases that are significantly upregulated in cancer. To provide a foundation for such a device, my research focused on eliminating the need for bicinchoninic acid assay (BCA), determining the minimum number of cells needed for detection of cathepsin activity, and to expedite the gel electrophoresis process. BCA assay was used to determine protein concentration of cells. Based from experimental data, a function was derived, correlation protein concentration to cell number. Cathepsin activity was measured using zymography, a process that typically requires 22 hours. The following cells types were used during experimentation: RAW 264.7 mice leukemia macrophages, and MDA-231 & MCF-7 breast cancer lysates.• Fabricated a device using cathepsin zymography to detect cancer as early as possible and developed an apparatus for stabilization of multicellular biological machine using cancer cells that overexpress enzymes (cathepsins) to optimize assays prior to future application of these machines• Decreased electrophoresis process from 2 hours to approximately 30 minutes using method of miniature gels and decreased total zymography process from 22 hours to approximately 18.5 hours• Eliminated the need for assays by instead using the minimum number of lysed cells needed for detection of cathepsins

Atlanta, Ga

Research Title: Sensitive Detection of Protease Activity in Complex Cells and TissueIn order to provide stability to a multi-cellular biological machine areas of appartus development (complex interactions) and enzyme proteases (remodeling) were studied. This project uses cancer cells which overexpress these enzymes (cathepsins) as a model system to optimize assays prior to application toward these future machines.

Master Of Science - Ms, Engineering Management

Bachelor Of Science In Engineering (B.S.E.), Mechanical Engineering

3+2 Dual Degree Engineering Program

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.), Applied Physics

3+2 Dual Degree Engineering Program