University of Pennsylvania
School of Engineering and Applied Science


Department of Bioengineering
 

Bioengineering Senior Design (BE495-96)
 

Fall 2000 & Spring 2001


 

This course is a two-semester course for seniors in Bioengineering to complete a design project under the administration of an advisor.

 

The Global advisor is Dr. Kenneth Foster and the TA is Dan Pincus.

 

 

STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO CHECK courseweb.upenn.edu

FOR COURSE INFORMATION, DUE DATES, AND PAPER OUTLINES.

 

Project Assignment Table

Project Advisor

Project Title

Project  Description

Student(s)

Dr. Daniel Bogen 
215- 898-1880 
dan@seas.upenn.edu

Diagnostic "Toys" to measure cognitive function in children with head injury and cerebral palsy. 

(Up to 6 Students)

Description Not Available

Barry Lee
barrylee@seas

Joyce Yang
joycey@seas

Seema Patel
seemarp@seas

Akshay Sateesh
akshay@seas

Patrick Lee
leepc@seas

Ajay Abad
ajaya@seas

Dr. Kristy Arbogast 
215-590-6075 
kristya@mail.med.upenn.edu
AND 
Dr. Flaura Winston 
Trauma Link 
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) 

Occupant protection for sleeping children. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Research has shown that serious injuries and fatalities can be prevented in motor vehicle crashes with the use of seat belts and child restraint devices. However, those restraint systems are developed using crash dummies who sit in perfect upright position. Realistically, however, passengers do not always sit forward facing and upright. One example of this is children's desire to sleep in vehicles, especially, on long trips. Current restraint systems make this difficult and the awkward positioning of a seat belt compromises the effectiveness of the restraint system. The objective of this project is to design a restraint system that would be comfortable for children of seat belt age to sleep in and also be protective in the event of a crash.

Audrey Rosales
arosales@seas

Corinne Simon
cmsimon@seas

Dr. J. Baumgardner
(phone ?)
jbaumgardner@mail.med

Design of Device for Collecting Mixed Expired Gases

(Student Initiated Project)

Description Not Available

Julia Wisniewski
juliawis@seas

Dr. Gershon Buchsbaum 
215-573-4208 
gershon@seas

Application of visual system image. sampling, coding and representation and their application. 

(1 Student)

Simulation methods based on anatomy and neurophysiology are used to quantify visual system design principles and applied to develop image processing strategy and methodologies.

1

Dr. Britton Chance 
215-898-4342 
chance@mail.med

Functional brain activation in response to learning stimuli using electroptics technologies. 

(1 Student)

The currently available prefrontal imager has the capability of distinguishing the blood volume responses to learning and to a learned response. The students will use signal processing and imaging display technologies and participate in human subject studies under IRB protocols.

Matthew Samuelowitz
msamuelo@seas

Dr. Britton Chance 
215-898-4342 
chance@mail.med

The design of a portable NIR imager for skeletal muscle. 
 
 

(1 Student)

The possibility of imaging localized deoxygenation of human skeletal muscle offers an opportunity to develop new instrumentation and new approaches to muscle study using sophisticated signal processing and image display algorithms.

1

Dr. Britton Chance 
215-898-4342 
chance@mail.med

Monitoring attention in the human brain in "drivers". NIR optical image respond to brain function. 

(1 Student)

Design and construal of a system that automatically indicate attentive responses of alarm for inattention.

1

Dr. Britton Chance 
215-898-4342 
chance@mail.med

Design of an algorithm for quantitative measurements of NIR contrast agents in tissue. 

(1Student)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. Scott Diamond 
215-573-5702 
sld@seas

Device for specialized drug delivery

(Student initiated project)

The project seeks to understand the design parameters of an ultrasound
field on protein and enzyme diffusion and dispersion in excited anisotropic
fibrous media.

Jeffrey D. Gross
grossj@seas

Dr. Dennis Discher 
215-898-4809 
discher@seas

Atomic force microscopy experiments on single molecules.

(Up to 2 Students)

What does a molecule feel like when you touch it and pull on it? We are doing just that to single protein molecules using AFM.  The work  is relevant to cell, molecular and tissue engineering.

1

Dr. Dennis Discher 
215-898-4809 
discher@seas

Polymers for drug and gene capsules and also synthetic cells. 

(Up to 2 Students)

How do you engineer a membrane-bound microbag? We are extending our synthesis and extensively characterizing molecularly-assembled capsules that we already know to be incredibly durable and potentially important to new therapies.

Gregory J. Moy
gmoy@seas

Dr. Paul Ducheyne
215-898-8521
ducheyne@seas

Design and testing of controlled drug release materials. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Description Not Available

Melanie Gnazzo
mgnazzo@seas

Walter Blair Aughenbaugh
wba@seas

Dr. Paul Ducheyne1
215-898-8521
ducheyne@seas

Validation of an osteoblast cell-stressing device. 

(1 Student)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. David Eckmann 
215-349-5348 
deckmann@mail.med

Automatic infusion delivery system for trauma resuscitation. 

(Up to 2 Students)
 

The Institute for Medicine has recommended that the initial trauma resuscitation for battlefield injury be 250 cc of 7.5% saline solution delivered rapidly through an interosseous needle. The students will design a transportable, compact, and self-contained delivery system that can be used for this purpose.

Beney J. Lee
belee@seas

Dr. Dawn Elliott 
215-898-8653 
delliott@mail.med

Tissue Remodeling in a Tendon Explant Culture

(Up to 2 Students)

Design and fabricate system to apply controlled static and dynamic forces to tendon explants in a culture environment.

Adrianne Wenisch
adriann2@seas

Dr. James Gee 
215-898-9247 
gee@rad

Computational methods for MRI morphometry. 

(Up to2 Students)

Design, Implement and evaluate algorithms for quantitative characterization of anatomy as revealed on hi-resolution MRI studies.

Cristian Jurau
cjurau@seas

Dr. Daniel Hammer 
215-573-6761 
hammer@seas

Design of an artificial leukocyte. 
 

(Up to 2 Students) 

By attaching adhesion ligands to polymersomes, students will attempt to make an artificial while blood cell that can rollover endothelium under flow.

1

Dr. Peter Joseph
215-662-6679 
joseph@oasis.rad

Deconvolution of phosphor
blurring in a micro CT scanner. 

(1Student)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. Mitchell Litt 
215-898-7249 
litt@seas

Development of a testing apparatus for controlled studies of acupuncture effectiveness. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Description Not Available

Yvonne Chen
yvonnec@seas

Ameesha Patel
ameesha@seas

Dr. Edward J. Macarak 
215-898-8993
macarak@biochem.dental.upenn.edu

Design of an apparatus to apply hydrostatic pressure to several types of smooth muscle cells and evaluate their response. 

(1Student)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. David Meaney 
215-573-3155 
dmeaney@seas

Construction of a three-dimensional model of agarose and embryonic cells for testing under compressive loading. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. Joseph McGowan 
215-662-3070 
jmcgowan@seas

MR-compatible virtual reality goggles for functional brain imaging. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Description Not Available

Janine Lupo
janinel@seas

Likang Chin
likangc@seas

Dr. Joseph McGowan 
215-662-3070 
jmcgowan@seas

Development and optimization of radio frequency probes for imaging mice with MRI. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. Joseph McGowan 
215-662-3070 
jmcgowan@seas

Development and optimization of restraint, support and anesthesia systems for imaging mice with MRI. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. Tracy McIntosh 
215-573-2871 
mcintosh@seas

Analysis of functional neurological defects. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Design and construct/modify a device to evaluate neurological motor defects in rats and mice.

Tamar Mirensky
tamarmy@seas

Dr. Tracey McIntosh 1
215-573-2871 
mcintosh@seas

Brain surface sensor. 

(Up to 2 Students)

To construct a device to locate the position of a metal rod relative to the surface of the brain.

1

Dr. David Nunamaker
610-444-5800 (2274)
dmn@vet

Fish trap: Design, manufacture and testing. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Pond aquaculture has a need for a method of harvesting fish that doesn't rely on draining ponds. The fish trap must attract and retain fish for sampling or harvest without injury and allow grading for size.

1

Dr. Enyi Okereke 
215-227-8677 
okerek@mail.med

Design of an unconstrained total ankle prosthesis 

(Up to2 Students)

Description Not Available

Dinh Vu
dvu@seas

Grace Doe
gdoe@seas

Dr. Harold Riethman 
215-898-3872 
riethman@wista.wistar

Development of DNA chips for micro array analysis. 

(Up to2  Students)

Conditions for arraying DNA fragments at average spacing of 350 microns will be optimized using a robotic arraying device. RNA from tumor specimens will be analyzed to determine the quantitative levels of individual RNA's by hybridization to the 5000-element micro array grid.

1

Dr. Harold Riethman 
215-898-3872 
riethman@wista.wistar

Design and analysis of nanostructures formed by
branched oligonucleotides. 

(1 Student)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. David A. Roberts, M.D., Ph.D.  215-662-4034 
roberts@oasis.rad

Development of intravascular coils for use in magnetic resonance imaging angiography. 

(1 Student)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. David A. Roberts, M.D., Ph.D.  215-662-4034 
roberts@oasis.rad

Construction of dedicated coils for imaging of hyperpolarized helium gas ventilation. 

(1 Student)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. David A. Roberts,M.D., Ph.D.  215-662-4034 
roberts@oasis.rad

Evaluation of MR Characteristics of implantedvascular devices (e.g., stents, grafts, etc.)

(1 Student)

Description Not Available

1

Dr. Peter Scherer 
215-898-7214 
scherer@seas

Dr. Susan Margulies 
215-898-0882 
margulies@seas

Design of concentration/flux cell for testing/exposing respiratory epithelial cells to pollutant flow. 

(Up to2 Students)

Design and construct plastic flat-plate cell to deliver and expose respiratory epithelial cells to pollutants.

1

Dr. Peter Scherer 
215-898-7214 
scherer@seas

Math modeling blood velocity and pressure during vent ejection. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Theoretical modeling of blood velocity and pressure intra ventricularly during cardiac ejection and comparison with clinical and experimental measurements and other calculations.

1

Dr. H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr. 
215-823-4244 
schumacr@mail.med

Design of a gene delivery system to produce apoptosis of synovial fibriblasts. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Designing and testing of adenoviral or other vectors to introduce Fas ligand in vivo to induce aopotosis and suppression of synovitis. RA tissue implanted ub SCID mice will be the initial mode.

1

Dr. H.Ralph Schumacher, Jr. 
215-823-4244 
schumacr@mail.med

Designing an improved biopsy needle and positioning techniques for synovial biopsy without need for arthroscopy 

(Up to 2 Students)

Reviewing current techniques then developing and  testing new devices and methods.

1

Dr. Louis Soslowsky 
215-898-8653 
soslowsk@mail.med

Orthopaedic Biomechanics Design Project. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Design and optimization of components for a study of soft connective tissue functionality related to injury conditions. Integration of components into a protocol for tissue preparation, testing and processing.

Joseph W. Smith
jwsmith@seas

Jennifer Friel
jfriel@seas
 

Dr. Bernard Steinberg 
215-898-8548 
steinber@ee

Ultrasound disparity mapping. 

(1 Student)

Ultrasound images from HUP are studied to examine the correlation properties at the lesion/tissue interface. Methods of correlation image processing and classification will be studied, including neural networks. Parameters which may be used as discriminants of benignand cancerous tissues will be identified.

1

Dr. Bernard Steinberg 
215-898-8548 
steinber@ee

Precision Positioner

(1 Student)

A three dimensional positioner with 4micron accuracy will be put into operation. Control software will be developed. A series of tests will be designed and conducted to verify system performance and to perform controlled experiments in support of the ultrasound disparity mapping program.

1

Dr. J.K. Udupa 
215-662-6780 
jay@mipg.upenn.edu

Joint contact area assessment via 3D imaging. 

(Up to 2 Students)

Contact areas of skeletal joints are often determined by using  pressure sensitive film in cadavers, we havedeveloped a new method which can be used in live subjects, involving 3dimaging via MRI. The project is to develop a way of comparing the 2 methods, and determining to what extent they give comparable results.

1

Dr. J.K. Udupa 
215-662-6780 
jay@mipg.upenn.edu

Validation and clinical testing of a method of measuring brain tumor volume via MRI for assessing a therapy. 

(1 Student)

Methods have been developed for identifying and delinerating brain tumors via MRI to make these procedure methods available in a clinical gene therapy trail. They have to be carefully validated to test what precision, accuracy and efficiency can be expected for them.

1

Dr. J.K. Udupa 
215-662-6780 
jay@mipg.upenn.edu

3D Visualization of the soft and connective tissues of the foot via MRI. 

(1 Student)

Description Not Available

1

Joint Project: 
Dr. David Meaney 
215-573-3155 
dmeaney@seas
AND 
Dr. Douglas Smith 
215-898-0881 
smithdou@mail.med

Design of a neural tissue implants. 
 

(Up to 2 Students)

Description Not Available

1


Created: March 20, 2000
Last Update:  September 15, 2000
Updated By: Dan Pincus