projects

Optical Metabolic Imaging of T Cell Activation

Principal Investigator: Dr. Melissa Skala

Postdoc Mentor: Dr. Alexa Heaton

Selected as 2021-2022 Hilldale Research Fellow

Currently working on a study of in vitro and ex vivo T cell activation and characterization from tumor-bearing and no-tumor mice.

August 2020 - July 2022

Independent Study, Hilldale Fellow - Skala Lab BME 399

Blood Sampling Device for Premature Infants

Current Advisor: Dr. Tracy Jane Puccinelli

Past Advisors: Dr. Megan McClean, Dr. Shaoqin Sarah Gong

Drawing blood samples from a sick patient may result in anemia, particularly in small premature infants that need electrolyte determinations frequently. The device would draw up a 0.3 mL - 2 mL blood sample. The plasma layer would be removed and saved and the red blood cells layer returned to the patient. Other team members included Kylie Gaspar, Thor Larson, Derick Peters, and Tsani Rogers.

September 2020-May 2022

Biomedical Engineering Design BME 300, 301, 400, & 402

Alternative Mechanisms of Notch Activation in Neurons

Principal Investigator: Dr. Carlos Lois

Co-Mentor: Laura Luebbert

Selected as Genentech WAVE Fellow

WAVE Fellows will have the opportunity to conduct research under the guidance of Caltech faculty working at the frontier of their fields. Fellows will work with their mentor to define and develop a research project and carry out the work over a 10-week period during the summer. Throughout the program, participants submit two interim reports, a research abstract, and a final paper. At the conclusion of the program, students give a poster presentation at one of several SURF Seminar Days, symposia modeled on a professional technical meeting.

June 2021 - August 2021

California Institute of Technology WAVE Fellows Program

Treatments for Traumatic Brain Injuries

The goal of this project was to create a communication piece for the general public (individuals without a STEM background) about the new treatment methods for traumatic brain injuries. This science piece shares scientific research, methods, and concepts with language and supporting materials that are accessible to general audiences.

June 2020 - July 2020

Bioscience Research Discussion INTEGSCI 375

Synthetic Bone Graft and Bioreactor

Advisors: Dr. John Puccinelli and Dr. Amit Numinkar

Bone grafts are commonly done to strengthen and repair a broken and unhealthy bone. NP Biomedical requested a synthetic bone graft to fill a bone defect . The bone graft must maintain mechanical stability similar to native bone in vivo for at least two weeks. A bioreactor was constructed to hold the bone graft and test for 2 weeks. With face-to-face instruction suspended on March 23 through the rest of the semester, the final fabrication steps of the bioreactor and synthetic bone graft could not be completed. Other team members included Samuel Ferris, Joshua Giarto, Andy Paulson, Tsani Rogers, and Gabrielle Snyder.

January 2020 - May 2020

Biomedical Engineering Fundamentals and Design BME 201

Cast Saw Cooling Device

Advisor: Dr. John Puccinelli

During the removal of the cast, oscillating cast saws are used to cut through the plaster or fiberglass material. As the saw is cutting through the material, friction between the blade and cast material generates heat and the blade can reach temperatures of up to 101°C. As temperatures as low as 44°C and 60°C can result in second and third degree burns respectively, there exists a need to design a system that prevents heat damage to patients’ skin. Other team members included Xu He, Noah Nicol, Caleb Ravn, and Rebecca Swanson.

The team's webpage can be found here.

September 2019 - December 2019

Biomedical Engineering Design BME 200

Synchronization of Neurons and Neuronal Rhythms in Structured Networks

Principal Investigator: Dr. Hermann Riecke

Angelica had the opportunity to participate in the Quantitative Biology Undergraduate Research Program at Northwestern University. She was mentored by Dr. Hermann Riecke and two Engineering Sciences and Applied Math graduate students, Brita Schneiders and Xize Xu. Her project focused on modeling a neuron network in MATLAB to better understand how the brain fundamentally functions.

June 2019 - August 2019

Northwestern Univeristy Quantitative Biology Undergraduate Summer Research Program

Portable Coliform Incubator

Advisor: Dr. Gregory Harrington

In her Introduction to Engineering 170 course at Wisconsin, Angelica and her team tasked with constructing a portable, rechargeable incubator to hold Coliform tests to monitor water quality in Zapote, Guatemala. The team was limited in time, weight, and had $100 to construct the incubator. Other team members included Reegan Chisholm, Ian Henry, Courtney Mohs, Chris Yang, and Vishnu Yarlagadda.

September 2018 - December 2018

Interdisciplinary Engineering Design Practicum INTEREGR 170