I’ve finished the preliminary stage of research on a suitable polymer composition for 3D printing microfluidics via UV-polymerization. I’ve characterized our pure components, identified key design parameters, and optimized photoinitiator concentration. Now the fun stuff: getting to crosslink my polymers, a.k.a. mixing it all together!
In my opinion, this is the most exciting stage because it lends itself to creative problem solving, the heart of engineering. I understand the properties my final product should have and what my starting materials are like. From there, I get to play with the ratio of each component to optimize the final product. While I don’t need to characterize every possible end-outcome, it’s nice to come up with some rules of thumb for those who might continue my work.
Right now, I have two major lines of experimentation that both look to address a cracking during curing issue in some compositions. There’s no clear frontrunner yet, but by the end of this week my group and I will have picked one for further study.
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My new compositions (right) eliminates cracking seen with previous compositions (left). |
I’ve been afforded a great deal of independence on my project and planning my workflow. My mentor checks in with me daily and I present to an advising group on a weekly basis. This is quite similar to the way I do research at Hopkins, but I still get a little nervous when showing my results.
It’s odd to think of research as my job rather than something I do on the side after classes. The work I do sounds as fantastic and complicated as the science stories I grew up listening to on NPR, but feels very natural and straightforward. All the Hopkins’ classes, design team meetings, and hours in the lab are coming together to inform my experimental plan and troubleshooting for this project. While I feel I could certainly stand to know more about electrical engineering, imec’s specialty, I believe my past experience has prepared me well for my work here.
On the contrary, I was unprepared for the weather here. Last week it was in the 90’s (Fahrenheit) and today the high is 68. During the heatwave Kirby, Sharada, and I escaped to the beach town of Ostend along with half of Belgium. Despite the crowd, the water was refreshing and watching Belgian’s on vacation made me nostalgic for summers with my family. Last weekend, I made it to London whose parks, museums, and signs in English were all fantastic. I’ve also taken the time to explore Leuven including some of the parks and the surprisingly vast M-museum, which showcases local art dating back to medieval times. This week I hope to take advantage of the weather and head to the local botanical gardens.
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Kirby, Sharada, and I at Ostend for a beach day. |
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