Lab Work, Presentations, Paris, and London

My research in the last few weeks have primarily been experimental testing of acoustical systems in the Clinical Lab and 3D printing additional lenses to test. I worked with a function generator to create sinusoidal waveforms in bursts that lead to an ultrasound transducer to create far field plane waves in water. The waves pass through the lens and the amplitude of the resulting waver were measured using a hydrophone. The signal was observed and recorded along with the input signal and the trigger using an oscilloscope. I conducted further processing and analysis of the signal using Python. For the 3D printing, I am learning and working through the entire process of using the high quality ultraviolet printer including designing the CAD files, cleaning the final product, and curing the resin. We are printing two additional lensed to test.

Last week, the other JHU interns and I created presentations for a review meeting so others in the Life Science Technologies department at imec and in the Institute of Nanobiotechnology at JHU could learn about what we are working on. It was an enjoyable way to showcase my project and see what the other JHU interns were working on in the newer labs. At the end of the internship, I will also give a small presentation to my group at imec to show my work through the last two weeks.

On the weekends, I am continuing to travel to nearby areas of Europe. The last two weekends have included trips to France (Paris and Versailles) and England (London). My trip to France was generally short and rushed in order to fit in both Paris, Versailles, and the train rides there and back in only two days. I still did have the opportunity to visit the major tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Palace of Versailles. However, two days was not enough to see the less-touristy areas of Paris and gain a true understanding of the culture there.

The past weekend, I traveled to London with Chris Argento. We had a four-day weekend due to holidays in Belgium last week, so we had ample time to visit amazing attractions like the British Museum, Houses of Parliament, and Tower of London along with exploring various neighborhoods, parks, and restaurants. Of all the cities I visited, London had by far the best food and public transportation. The city was very comfortable and exciting at the same time – definitely a place I would go to again.

All that remains are two weeks at work and a trip to Prague. Then, this amazing program is over, and I have to find another reason to go back and live in Europe!

Michael Signorelli is a second-year Biomedical Engineering undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University

A famous Full English Breakfast at Regency Cafe

View from the Eiffel Tower

The London Eye at night