Computers, Cleanrooms, and Castles

Over the last few weeks, I have started working with more complex computational techniques including finite element analysis. To conduct finite element analysis, I am using COMSOL Multiphysics software and high-tech computer clusters. After I design an acoustic system, the procedure for finite element analysis involves creating a two-dimensional or three-dimensional representation of the system including geometry, physics, and boundary conditions. Finite element analysis works by approximating the solutions of the resulting differential equations numerically across a user-defined mesh. The final results involve detailed information about the system like pressure and physical stress for each element of the mesh.

Currently, my group is working on creating basic prototypes of the acoustic systems that I designed using additive manufacturing (aka 3D printing) and lab equipment. We are going to be testing these prototypes in a small lab at IMEC.

IMEC Academy also offered tours of the cleanroom and support area at IMEC 1. Fellow JHU intern Chris Argento and I decided to register for the only tour offered in English this summer. For the tour, we dressed up in white cleanroom suits and walked through a class 1000 cleanroom. While there, we learned about types of experiments they conduct such as lithography, nanofabrication, and etching. The cleanroom itself was huge and contained extremely complex equipment and sections designated as class 1. The support area tour gave an introduction to the equipment required to maintain the air quality and humidity of the room, the chemical processes used to neutralize the waste, and the safety procedures in place in a dangerous event like a fire or gas leak.

On the weekends, I have been taking both group and solo trips around Belgium to Antwerp, Brussels, and Ghent. Each city is different with its own distinct attractions and styles. Antwerp had several tourist neighborhoods lined with American brands like Subway, H&M, and McDonalds along with many residential areas. For Brussels, I have so far only visited Central Brussels where Manneken Pis, the Grand Place, and museums are the main attractions. Hopefully, I will have time to visit Brussels again on the evenings since all my weekends are booked! The highlights of Ghent were the architecture, Gravensteen Castle, St. Bavo’s Cathedral, and the Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen Nature Reserve. The city had many scenic walkways along the canals, and the view from the top of the Gravensteen Castle was an awesome sight.

The professional experience working at IMEC has introduced me to new engineering techniques, and the traveling and cleanroom tours have taken me to places that, prior to the program, I could only dream of visiting.

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

IMEC 1

Brussels Grand Place

View of Ghent from the top of the Gravensteen Castle

Belgium brews and summer views

Hallo from Belgium! We arrived in Leuven about a week and a half ago, and things have been going well so far. Our first few days were spent running around Leuven doing some administrative things and settling into our studios at Wisteria, a KU Leuven dorm building near imec. Each of us has our own bathrooms and kitchens, which I’m grateful for, and the rooms came furnished and stocked with some basic cookware and utensils. Michael, Chris, Lakyn, and I all live next to each other on the ground floor, and Lydia is living the penthouse life on the first floor.

We stayed in Leuven for our first weekend since we wanted to get a better feel of the city. A member of Lydia’s lab, Eric, was nice enough to give us a bike tour of Leuven and we got to see Stadhuis (Town Hall), Groot Begijnhof (a monastery built in the 1200s), Botanical Garden Kruidtuin, and Oude Markt (Old Market, also known as the longest bar in the world!). I loved seeing all the old Gothic architecture and seeing how easy-going Belgians are. There are always people sitting outside cafes, sipping on cold beers and talking with friends.

By Monday, we had fallen into our summer work routine. At 8:30 am, we bike from Wisteria to imec and work for a few hours until lunch at 11:30 am with some of our other lab mates. Occasionally, we join a few of them for coffee at Java – the Brody Café of imec – and return to our desks a little before 1 pm. Our workdays usually comes to an end at 4 or 4:30 pm. However, I suspect our afternoons at imec will become longer as our projects progress and more experiments need to be performed.

Leuven is a fairly small city – it has the vibes of a nice college town – and the cheapest and most convenient way to get around is by bike. Oude Markt is a great place to hang out and have a cold beer (surprisingly, the legal drinking age is 16 here) with friends after work. In fact, Lakyn’s lab organizes weekly dinners at Oude Markt, which we all joined in on this past Tuesday.

During our second weekend, we took a day trip to Antwerp. Antwerp is an old city with a lot of history, and it was super cool to see the different style of architecture, art, and beer this city had in comparison to Leuven. Unfortunately, some of the museums and churches we wanted to see were closed for that day, so we spent most of our time outside admiring the beautiful building facades. I think our bad luck was made up for by the food: fries and Belgian waffles. So yum! We got back to Wisteria around 8 pm and after walking over 10 miles, we were beat.

Even though it feels like we just got here, the time seems to be flying by fast. Many more weekend trips are to come, and I’m excited to see where our travels take us. Until next time!

Stephanie Cai is a rising junior BME with a focus area in Instrumentation. At Hopkins, she is a member of the Wang lab, a leader for Encore Music Group, and on the board for Society of Women Engineers. 

Weekend Trips to Bruges and Amsterdam

The recent personal highlights of my summer are trips to Bruges and Amsterdam. Two weekends ago, Chris, Lakyn, Stephanie, and I visited Bruges. Chris and I decided to stay overnight in a hostel. Since the weather that weekend was warm and sunny, the train to Bruges was packed with families and school groups heading to the beach city Ostend.

Bruges is the capital of West Flanders and the location where the movie “In Bruges” was filmed. The first and probably the most interesting attraction we visited was the Belfort. We climbed up hundreds of narrow stairs to view different exhibits pertaining to the history and function of the Belfort and culminating with a 360 degree view of the city at the top. While there, we purchased a museum pass that gave us access to several attractions in the city, notably the Groeningmuseum (art) and the Sint-Janshospitaal (a historic hospital that has since been converted into a museum). We also did a canal boat ride, and stayed out until dark to see the canals, the Historic Centre, and the Burg Square lit up at night.

The trip to Amsterdam this past weekend was the most exciting trip yet. I met up with Chris and a BME undergraduate from JHU. We decided to rent bikes, which turned out to be a great idea since there were thousands of bikers and lots to see in the relatively large city. After biking through several famous neighborhoods like The Jordaan, we got free entry to the number one museum in Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum. The Rijksmuseum was huge with artwork ranging from paintings to doll houses to furniture to porcelain. We visited all the exhibits except the “Gallery of Honor” which had about a three-hour wait. We rounded out the day with biking around Vondelpark and taking a canal boat ride. Chris couch-surfed for the night, while I stayed in a hostel.

On the second and final day in Amsterdam, we met up and visited the Anne Frank house (we snatched tickets online a few days before to avoid the long wait). The historical aspects of the place made it an especially intriguing place. We also found cheap student tickets to the Dutch National Opera and visited the Dutch Royal Palace. For dinner, Chris and I tried bitterballen, which are a Dutch snack consisting of a meat paste covered with breadcrumbs that're fried with a side of mustard. That, along with the Dutch version of chicken tikka masala, were interesting meals.

Back at IMEC, we fabricated my prototype using a special type of 3D printer that builds upside down using an ultraviolet laser to cure resin on a plate. It is extremely detailed (albeit expensive) with a precision of 25 microns. I recently received certification to work in the former Clinical Lab at IMEC to conduct the acoustical experiments on my prototype. I will be working with ultrasound transducers, acoustical waveguides, and oscilloscopes.

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

View from the top of the Belfry in Bruges

The Belfry in Bruges at night

Canal in Amsterdam

Figure Captions

· View from the top of the Belfry in Bruges

· Canal in Amsterdam

Groovin’ in Leuven

It’s been a crazy two weeks over here, getting accustomed to living in a new country with a different language, unexplored streets, and countless people to meet. Though it was a little rough at first, I think we’ve finally settled in here in Leuven and we’re starting to fall into a routine.

The first few days of work at IMEC involved a lot of training, reading, and getting to know the people in my lab group. I didn’t have the greatest background knowledge in my project before I came, but now I’m getting the hang of things and starting experiments next week. Our group is developing heart cell on-a-chip technology for the evaluation of pharmaceuticals in development—with lens-free imaging, contractile measurements with electrode arrays, and calcium imaging, one can analyze a drug’s effect on the typical behaviors of cardiac cells before putting it on the market. I’m excited to start working with electronics, as I’ve learned about them in various classes, but haven’t had a chance to get practical, working knowledge until now.

Besides the 9-5 weekdays at IMEC, we’ve been able to explore some new places. Leuven has fields and rolling countryside in addition to its bustling city center—when we first arrived to our dorm, we saw a couple of goats next door as well as a field of horses down the street. The city has amazing architecture, cobblestone streets, and countless shops and cafes. One of my favorite places that we visited in Leuven was Kruidtuin, Belgium’s oldest botanical garden. It had hundreds of different kinds of flowers, plants, and trees, and the weather was perfect to just walk around and take in the sights. We walked around the Groot Begijnhof, a neighborhood built in the 13th century that once served as a community for pious women and nuns. Within the heart of Leuven is Oude Markt, a street lined with bars, restaurants, and cafes that is always full of people, whether weekday or weekend, night or day.

This past weekend a few of us went on a day trip to Antwerp, a city with more cool architecture and statues. Though some of the museums we wanted to visit were closed, there was plenty of other sites to see, including the train station, which was gigantic and beautiful. We toured a brewery and spent the day walking around sightseeing, which wasn’t complete without a Belgian waffle ;)

Excited to see what else is in store for us here in Leuven! Thanks for reading! 

Lakyn Mayo is a rising junior in Materials Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and an IMEC intern with the Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology International Research Experience for Students program. 

Train station in Antwerp 

Belgian waffle topped with chocolate

Oude Markt

Just a Drop

I have certainly hit the cobblestones running in my first taste of Belgium. Within the course of a week I have moved into my apartment in the converted monastery of Wisteria, biked the storybook streets of Leuven, and sampled one of the local badminton clubs. Badminton is a very popular sport here, which is ideal for an avid player like me. This weekend four of us Johns Hopkins students visited Antwerp, arrived in the world famous rail station and toured the brewery of the local beer, “De Koninck.” We also enjoyed traditional waffles with dark Belgian chocolate drizzled on top, completing the cultural trifecta of beer, waffles, chocolate. Antwerp was a gorgeous, fashionable city, far larger and more tourist-oriented than our new home of Leuven. Already there are machinations for more trips on the days between our diligent weeks of work at IMEC.

In the laboratory at IMEC, I am working on microfluidic droplet technology under Yannick Vervoort, a PhD student who is collaborating through KU Leuven. In this technique, liquid droplets are captured in an emulsion within the micrometer-scale channels of a glass-silicon chip, where they can be manipulated and analyzed in various ways. In one application, numerous different genetically-engineered yeast strains can be grown in separate droplets and evaluated at rapid speeds. The process is orders of magnitude faster than traditional culturing of yeast in flasks. The ultimate goals of this application are characteristically Belgian: to identify superior yeast strains for the production of biofuels, chocolate, and beer.

I have completed most of the procedural and training tasks and have already begun my earliest experiments. My first challenge is to determine a method to extract droplets from the silicon chip, store them in a larger vessel, and then later reintroduce them for examination. This way we can process even more droplets! For now, I’m simply trying to avoid the rain droplets that fall frequently but delicately on the ancient city of Leuven.

Chris Argento graduated from Johns Hopkins with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and has continued on in the same department to pursue a master’s degree in the laboratory of Joelle Frechette.

Leuven badminton club.

Droplets travel through a microfluidic chip

Living in Leuven and Other Alliterative Accidents

Good morning America! Or, in a more accurate summary of my readership, hi Mom! My name is Lydia and I am one of the five Johns Hopkins students interning with the Inter-university MicroElectronics Center (IMEC) this summer through the Institute for NanoBioTechnology (INBT). I just finished my undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering (BME) and will be starting my Master’s in robotics this fall.

As someone who always wanted to study abroad, applying for the INBT internship program with IMEC wasn’t a hard decision. I’ve worked with robotic prosthetic limbs in the past and am hugely fascinated by the idea of interfacing the human nervous system with machines; I probably read a bit too much science fiction as a child. I was therefore thrilled to find out that I would be working with a new electroencephalography (EEG) headset for the summer. EEG is a non-invasive way to record brain signals. While it can be used to record all kinds of signals, I am most interested in how it could be applied to interpret motor intentions (i.e., this change of voltage indicates my desire to wiggle my robot hand). The headset I’m working with for the summer uses only four dry electrodes and can be easily put on and taken off quickly, so it could potentially be used in real-world settings outside the lab.

However, using dry electrodes instead of the more common gel-based ones comes with drawbacks. So far the headset can only distinguish between two motor classes, left and right. My goal for the summer is to introduce at least one more state, no movement, so the headset can also tell when no command is being sent.

I officially started with the rest of the interns on June 2, but in actuality, that first half week was dedicated to finding internet passwords, hunting down grocery stores and passing safety training. This week the work began for real. Reading someone else’s code is always a tricky business, so it wasn’t until this last Thursday that I really started changing things and trying new approaches. I had brief delusions of grandeur on Friday and thought I had solved the whole problem in my first week; not surprisingly, that did not happen. On the bright side, I still have something to work on for the next nine weeks.

Outside of work, Leuven looks so different from any American town I’ve ever seen. From an infrastructure perspective, the streets are narrower and the bike lanes are wider; from a historical perspective, more than half the buildings are older than the country I was born in. Fortunately I’ve met some really great people who have shown me and the other students around on our recently rented bikes. I share an office with Eric, a PhD student from Beijing, who took us on a bike tour of the city last weekend. We also went out to dinner twice this week, first with Lakyn Mayo’s lab (Lakyn being another INBT-IMEC intern), then with some other interns we met. It’s a really beautiful place to work, and I’m looking forward to exploring more.

Lydia Carroll is a 21-year-old biomedical engineer on her first excursion to the European mainland. In her free time she enjoys taking things apart, putting them back together, volunteering with the Maryland SPCA, and reading any paperback novel she can get her hands on. 

Lakyn and me after a night exploring Oude Maarkt.

Eric, our volunteer tour guide, showing us the KU Leuven library.

The convent in the center of Leuven. Built in the 1200s, for centuries it was one of the only places women could come and be educated. It now serves as dorms for one of the many local universities.