I am proud to share that our team won the senior design capstone project contests in a three-way tie on April 28, 2023, during my senior year. This accomplishment has solidified my confidence in my abilities and my dedication to my field.
Winning the senior design capstone project contest was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my senior year. The three-way tie was an incredible accomplishment for our team, and it solidified my confidence in my abilities and dedication to my field. Our project, "Predicting Renal Stone Formation through Urinary Calcium Monitoring in Microgravity," was one that we were all passionate about, and we poured all of our energy and knowledge into creating a functional and effective solution.
The context of our project was the prolonged exposure to microgravity environments, which results in elevated urinary calcium concentrations and increases the incidence of renal stone formation. We discovered that calcium levels that exceed 250mg are considered high risk for kidney stone formation and that there are no current treatment or diagnostic methods for astronauts who develop kidney stones while in space. This presented a significant challenge that required proactive measures to prevent and manage this condition for the well-being of astronauts undergoing long-term spaceflight missions.
Our proposed solution utilized Gold Nanoparticles (AuNP) conjugated with Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to achieve a higher affinity towards Ca2+ ions. We found that urinary calcium concentration can be consistently used to determine a low, medium, and high risk of renal stone formation based on optical assessment of the color change induced by chemical reaction with AuNP. Our design was also reasonably integrated with an application that allowed for control of the device and storage of urinary calcium measurements using a tablet.
Our device goal was to provide early detection for kidney stone formation based on significant variation of calcium concentration in urine samples. This device can be used by astronauts who will follow NASA guidelines for preventive measures based on the concentration of calcium in their urine, including additional exercise, hydration, and dietary intervention. We envisioned our product to be marketed as packaged in a radiation proof container with at least six months of supply for long-term astronaut testing.
The experience of working on this project was both challenging and rewarding. We faced several obstacles along the way, including difficulties in designing and assembling the device and in conducting experiments to validate our hypothesis. However, we persisted, and our hard work paid off when we were announced as one of the winners of the capstone project contest.
In retrospect, this project was an excellent opportunity for me to apply the knowledge and skills that I acquired throughout my academic journey. It also allowed me to work collaboratively with my team members, share ideas, and learn from each other. I am grateful for this experience, which has prepared me for the challenges that I will face in my future endeavors.
In conclusion, winning the senior design capstone project contest was a significant milestone for me, and I am proud of what we accomplished as a team. Our project not only addressed an important issue but also provided a potential solution that can improve the well-being of astronauts undergoing long-term spaceflight missions. This experience has taught me the value of hard work, perseverance, and collaboration, and I will carry these lessons with me as I embark on my future endeavors.
University Honors Capstone Reflections
Semester 1
Reflection #1
Explain your proposed project and its importance?
I am on a biomedical engineering capstone team partnered with NASA, and we are tasked to successfully fabricate a system, medical device, or medical procedure that mitigates the development of kidney stones in the urinary system when astronauts are exposed to microgravity environments. During spaceflight, many people know how no gravity is not healthy for our body, especially our bones. The calcium from our skeletal system is never used in space and "sheds" off into the bloodstream and is then filtered by the kidneys. Unfortunately, the Ca2+ binds to oxalate in the urine causing an exponential growth rate of kidneys that are uncomfortable and extremely painful to excrete. This project is crucial because it determines on whether NASA and astronauts will be able to conduct longer and further extraterrestrial spaceflight missions. Like the Orion missions to Mars.
What issues will you address in the development of your project?
Some issue we plan to address is determining the best way to detect kidney stones before they become larger than 3 mm. Once they break this threshold, usually surgery extensive medication, or returning the astronauts home are the next steps that must be taken. So detecting abnormally high levels of calcium accumulating in the urine is a huge factor to consider. From here, a biosensor can inform astronauts to alter their diet and exercise routine to naturally dissolve and treat the kidney stones before they develop wider than 3 mm.
What interests you about your capstone project?
I am interested in this capstone project because this problem has never really been fully addressed; not even by NASA, however, I am eager to learn the different solutions, ideas, and medical device treatments that our team brainstorms. This can give NASA a huge boost in solving the kidney stone complication during spaceflight thus more advanced devices can be innovated in the future.
What skills or abilities do you want to hone in the development of your project?
Some skills I hope to hone in on are time management, presentation, authentic research, communication, creativity, Excel data manipulation, and SolidWorks CAD drawing. Eventually, our team will utilize these skills during the prototyping phases of our medical device.
How does this project connect to your core values?
My core values are communication, creativity, and adventure. This project aligns perfectly well with me since I am already very fascinated with space and how the environment affects the biology of our bodies. Our team is doing a good job at staying on task and ensuring that the necessary deadlines are met. I look forward to putting some creative thought into our project that helps us stand out when presenting to NASA and our peers.
What are three words that come to mind as you create your project?
Space, Detection, Engineering
Reflection #2
Reflection #3
Semester 2
Reflection #4
What is the biggest obstacle you have encountered this far in your project?
So far the biggest obstacle that our team has encountered is the physical detection and set thresholds for calcium ion concentration in urine samples. Our team has bounced from electrode probes, electrical potential difference methods, spectroscopy, nanoparticle manipulation, and optical imaging. Unfortunately with all these options, the problem arises of feasibility. What can we do within our budget but also serves as a decent form of detecting our necessary calcium concentrations.
What has gone well with your project?
Some parts that have been going well are our team collaboration. Compared to last semester, our team has done an exceptional job at communicating and completing assignments on time. Although there are some areas of improvement and instances where not everyone is on the same page, compared to last semester there has definitely been some significant improvement. The project is still in the planning stage and design has not started at the moment.
What kind of roles have you taken on during the creation of your project?
Some roles that I have taken on are lead Solidworks designer, presentation creator, and devil's advocate. My goal is to help our team stay organized, have detailed work, and consider the possible options or design potential. Lately, the device casing design has not been consistent due to the consistent changes to how we hope our device will address the medical device problem. With microgravity environments, many physical assumptions that we presume on Earth are not applicable in space. Therefore, there are several regulations, requirements, and additional considerations that our team has taken into account. As primary design lead, I am responsible for ensuring the feasibility and practicality of the project's development.
How has this project reinforced your goals?
The development stages of our project are helping us reinforce our goals by applying biomedical engineering applications to real-world scenarios. The application of calcium concentration detection in the biomedical and cellular engineering traits aboard the international space station is an impeccable goal. Our team works diligently to perform FDA, ISO, ASTM, and IEC standard examinations and testing of our prototype subsystem components to ensure that the device is properly built and documented. Some future goals that may develop are full prototype testing, application of gold nanoparticles for calcium concentration detection, and refining the design and modeling of our prototype for easy user use and compatibility with WMS ISS systems.
What would you do differently if given the opportunity to start over?
Truthfully, I believe that the research, background intuition, and beginning engineering design phase were instrumental in placing us in the design stage our team is currently in. I would not say that I would prefer to start over if the opportunity were to present itself, but it would be ideal to understand specific resources, people, and website references earlier on so that our team could begin the design stages sooner. Ideally, more dedicated research and understanding of how the problem could be addressed through different prototype procedures would be a great opportunity at the beginning of our capstone advancements.
Reflection #5
Reflection #6