Student in Laboratory of Implanted Microsystems Research. Working on cell culture, sensor coatings, and biocompatibility of implanted devices. Previously studied clean room and ink-based sensor fabrication techniques.Read more about LIMR research at: https://engineering.purdue.edu/LIMR/

Graduate teaching assistant for Graduate-level course Implanted Devices. Gave lectures on implant immune response, maintained course webpage, and provided students with feedback on quizzes and projects.

TA for Senior Design. Assisted senior BME students in project planning and provided feedback on assignments related to medical device regulations, patent law, financial planning of projects, and device design and testing.Helped manage a symposium for students to demonstrate their projects to family and friends at the end of the semester.

TA for Junior Professionalization. Managed class website, reviewed students' resumes, and graded weekly assignments for 100+ students. Course content included communication skills, applying for jobs, and technical communication.

As a summer intern, I returned to my previous gene-editing research. My work focused on creating porcine cells that over or underexpressed specific immune-related genes. I also assisted in several other ongoing projects in the lab. This gave experience with cytotoxicity assays and flow cytometry. I also learned about 3D bioprinting.

As a summer intern, I worked using CRISPR to knockin and out genes related to the bodies immune response in pig cells. The goal of this work was to make the pig cells that were used for bioprinting tissues less noticeable to the human immune system so they could be used for Xeno transplant. I also did some work with perfusion of 3D printed constructs and tissue, as well as spheroid (spheres of cells used for printing) formation, and immunohistological staining.

This project focused on developing riboswitches to quantitate levels of vitamins B9 and B12 in human urine. Early detection and treatment of B vitamin deficiencies in pregnant women is important for preventing birth defects such as spina bifida. I was directly involved with our team efforts to test and identify several promising candidate riboswitches for this project. I also assisted with team public relations as we worked with the local community and non-profit organizations to increase scientific literacy in Terre Haute, Indiana. During the early stages of project development and design, we researched regional health challenges and focused on addressing the nutritional needs of pregnant women as a goal. Key concerns included the development of tools for vitamin detection, which can be used in a variety of settings and locations.I oversaw the organization of the laboratory space used by the iGEM team as well as transcribing the protocols, notes, and results from all experiments. In addition, I was responsible for conducting a variety of experiments including DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), plasmid engineering using Gibbson assembly, DNA analysis using agarose gel electrophoresis, DNA purification using mini-preps, and bacterial gene transformations. I played an important role in our team effort to connect with the surrounding community including visits to a local hospital to consult with professionals working with pregnant women and new mothers and assisting in our team presentations on synthetic biology to local youth and families at museums. At the end of this paid internship, I traveled to an international research competition in Boston iGEM Giant Jamboree 2017 and presented our experimental findings along with Rose-Hulman teammates.