My Internship
Internship Infographic.pdfMy internship is focused on developing PET imaging tracers for a variety of medical uses. PET imaging is a type of medical imaging that allows healthcare professionals to get target specific body organs/systems, and get more in-depth look at any abnormalities. This tool can help diagnose conditions such as cancer. For some types of cancer, PET imaging is more accurate than other imaging types (source: PET Infographic).
Some of the current projects in my lab include developing new tracers for people with Alzheimer's Disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Alzheimer's Disease affects more than 6 million people in the U.S., and CKD affects more than 37 million people.
Project Summary
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a clinical imaging technique that uses radioactive molecules to illuminate body tissues and processes to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. Due to the radioactivity associated with PET tracers, they are usually prepared using automated radiochemistry modules that shield workers from radioactivity. Commercially available modules are usually very expensive and difficult to repair. The goal of this project is to design, build, and test a low-cost, open-source alternative to commercial radiochemistry modules that is easier to customize and maintain.
We set out to design a system from scratch that could 1) distribute the radioactive solution across multiple reaction vials; 2) rapidly heat and cool reaction vials individually or simultaneously; 3) add multiple reagents to reaction vials in variable amounts. A schematic was constructed to select the most efficient combination of valves, pumps, and manifolds allowing for flexibility and remote operation while maintaining a modular cost-effective design. Several parts have been designed and produced in-house via 3D-printing, and a Raspberry Pi is being used to control hardware via the open-source programming application Node-Red.
This project is ongoing and future work will focus on programming of other components, followed by assembly and testing.
Learning and Skills
Throughout this internship, I would like to work on skills such as confronting failure, receiving criticism, communication and problem solving. I would also like to learn more about applying engineering and physics principles to improve/build tools for biomedical research, along with learning how to build upon current research in the scientific community. Having this experience - allowing me to receive feedback and test ideas - will contribute to any future jobs I have as an engineer.
So far, I have been able to connect the physics of PET imaging that I learned in class last semester with the work that goes on in my lab; this has given me a greater understanding and appreciation for the process that "creates" radiation. I've also been able to take the coding foundation that I have and apply it to the design of our new module. I have been challenged to think critically and trouble shoot over the past few weeks, and am already growing a lot as an engineer.
Completing each step of our module design has been exciting and rewarding, even in small ways. As we begin to get parts in and start to program them, we are celebrating small wins. Recently, we were able to program a simple initialization with one of our working multi-valve ports.
For the remainder of the internship, I would especially like to work on my problem-solving skills. I feel that I have very strong communication skills, although I would like to continue to grow in the area of public speaking. So far, I have had some opportunities to hone these skills, and I'm excited to see where I'll be at the end of the internship. I have had some opportunities to present my ideas and contributions to the team, and that has been great to practice presenting as a professional.
My contributions throughout the year played a huge part in impacting the project and my lab's overall mission. Without the work I have done during the internship, the project may not be where it's at today because I have been the main person programming and designing new parts in CAD. This has contributed to the lab's overall mission because, after the project is completely done, the lab can make PET tracers more efficiently, thereby increasing research output and progressing the development of new PET tracers for diseases.
I am proud of the progress I have made on the skills I set out to learn - confronting failure, receiving criticism, communication, and problem solving. While I still think there is room for improvement, I will especially focus on developing my skills to confront failures as I leave LHSI. In my future places of work, I will continue to challenge myself - even if it risks failure - because this is how growth happens.
The Workplace
I've seen my supervisor and other teammates display actions such as active listening, cooperation, and supporting each other. Tying in with teamwork, which is essential for a positive work environment, all of these actions are important pillars that hold up teamwork. As a future post-grad student working in a professional environment, I would like to also emulate these actions. In order to get there, I will have to work on developing these skills now so I can be prepared to be both a professional and a teammate.
My internship experience has been a little different than what I originally pictured it to be - my lab has a lot of projects that are starting up and ongoing, so I wasn't sure what project I would be working on - but I'm very happy with how it's turned out, and I am glad that I get to participate in so many projects. I feel very lucky that I am being seen as a valuable member of the team and that I have a very big role in the design and construction of the new radiochemistry module. I have also had the opportunity to work with a variety of people from different backgrounds and educational experiences. So far, I've learned that everyone has a different perspective on things because of their lived experiences, but that a great team is one that takes in all these perspectives. This is very useful because in engineering and other STEM fields, we are trying to solve problems that haven't been solved before, and that's hard to do without the input and insight from everyone on a team.
Since working with new coworkers at my internship site, I have learned to become more open-minded and adaptable to working with people from a variety of different backgrounds. I now value everyone's input and recognize that, as a professional member of the lab, the workplace is successful when everyone feels comfortable enough to contribute and share ideas. My workplace definitely values asking questions, letting people explore their own unique ideas to problems, and helping when help is needed. In my opinion, these values make an ideal workplace, and I am excited to take these experiences with me in my future places of work.
Success and Challenges
A recent success I had at my internship was finally getting an automatic syringe pump and a multi-port valve to connect to a programming system. I also set up a Rasberry Pi and am now able to control these devices with the computer we will use for the final product. With that done, the next step is figuring out how to code the other basic functions we want and to 3D print parts for testing. The challenges in this step are to overcome lots of trial and error, and to activelty troubleshoot as issues unexpectedly come up. To overcome this challenge, I plan record progress notes and write down what does or doesn't work. My internship team has been great about sitting down with me and discussing what options we have to overcome challenges and how we all can work together to keep moving forward.