| Affiliations: | STEM Research Leadership |
| Project Leader: | Sarah Hargett
Biomedical Engineering |
| Faculty Mentor | Akhilesh Gaharwar, PhD |
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Meeting Times:
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Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. Times TBA |
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Team Size:
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3
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| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Exposure to biomedical engineering, potential co-authorship on publications or conference presentations based on project results, learning skills in polymer synthesis/mechanical testing/blood clotting analyses/etc.
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Team Needs:
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Should be okay working with/seeing blood. Willing to learn new skills. Willing to work with others. Basic chemistry (identifying functional groups, molarity calculations, etc.) is expected. Team members will be expected to attend weekly lab meetings with the larger lab group (unless class conflicts) and weekly team meetings (time TBA based on team’s availability) to check project progress and decide next steps. |
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Description:
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This project is focused on developing hemostatic (blood-clotting) materials for two main applications: postpartum hemorrhage (life-threatening bleeding resulting from childbirth) and internal hemorrhage resulting from blunt abdominal trauma (injuries that don’t break the skin, resulting in bleeding into the abdominal cavity). All members of the team will learn polymer synthesis techniques and the methods for fabricating the designed hemostatic materials. We will initially focus on characterizing and mechanically testing the polymeric hemostatic materials, followed by benchtop blood clotting analyses. Afterward, we will explore in vitro (cellular) assessments to understand the biocompatibility and impact of the material on cells. |