Materials Science and Engineering senior Rahaf Bashmail, will support research for Michael Bailey and the SonoMotion team (Applied Physics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering). Rahaf is passionate about pursuing a career in biomedical research and for innovative solutions to chronic diseases, which was one of the main reasons SonoMotion was his first choice among the internships offered. Rahaf shares, “This research group is involved in a range of research topics related to ultrasound-based detection and treatment of kidney stones which can lead to chronic kidney disease. Gaining knowledge and experience in 3D printing, acoustic measurement techniques and translational research techniques, in addition to designing experiments based on the specific testing objective are valuable skills to acquire for biomedical research.” Rahaf will be developing and testing software tools in MATLAB that could be applied to 3D data sets which have become critical as the project was changed to a software-based image processing project to allow for remote participation due to COVID-19.
For his senior project, Rahaf will be working with Professor Hinds on developing kidney dialysis systems using engineered membranes. The issues in both projects overlap and rely on foundational knowledge which he has already begun to acquire and he feels his participation in this project would enhance that knowledge, making his contribution a valuable one. Since Rahaf hopes to eventually work in the medical device industry, he will benefit from insights into the testing and designing process of medical devices and from practicing the communication skills needed when working with grad students and PIs.
Read about projects covered in part one and part two of this series.