CLUSTER 7: BIOENGINEERING/MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING: THE AMAZING RED BLOOD CELL
It has been an amazing first week here at COSMOS!!! On opening night students met their RA's, teacher fellows, professors, cluster students and said good-bye to their parents for next month as
they began their COSMOS Journey. After a fun evening of team
building and settling into their dorms students woke up early Monday morning to attend for their first day of classes. All students
attended a lab safety training to prepare and familiarize themselves with all the protocols and procedures for safe laboratory
conduct. In the afternoon, Cluster 7 (The Amazing Red Blood Cells)
learned about red blood cell transport, lineage and development,
structure and function from Dr. Vera who himself became interested in hemorrhagic shock as an EMT in Tijuana prior to pursuing
Medicine.
In our first lab, students got hands-on with using micropipettes
to transfer small volumes of liquids with accuracy and precision. On Tuesday, students were treated to a thrilling Discovery
Lecture on the Optics behind building Cloaking Devices and Invisibility Cloaks by Boubacar Kante. Dr. Kante developed the first nonmagnetic cloaking device by organizing meta-materials in small
arrays. In class we explored some of the research groups in the
Biomedical Engineering Department here at UCSD and discussed
possible ethical dilemmas the each research group might
face. Wednesday students worked in the lab most of the day and
had a chance to create "blood smear" slides and analyze the morphology and density of red blood cells under the microscope. Friday we will stain these cells to differentiate leukocytes (white
blood cells) and erythrocytes (red blood cells).
Guest speaker Sanjeev Bhavani, a cardiologist at Scripps Translational Medicine gave an engaging talk entitled "Digital Health, The
Future Today." He brought several devices including a cell phone
case that could read EKGs, a wired shirt with sensors that could
measure heart and respiration rate and even a digital pill that
emits an electrical charge when it is digested so doctors know if
patients have taken their medication remotely. Students discussed
how to develop apps to help patients suffering from a variety of
ailments utilizing this technology. Dr Bhavani is interested in TELEMedicine and delivering healthcare to individuals in rural ares that
do not have access to medicine. He started a health clinic in Kampala, Uganda where 1 hospital with 100 beds serves nearly 2 million individuals. He discussed the infrastructure challenges
for treatment and outreach.
In class today we are currently working on our Ethics essays
related to Science and Society. Students have chosen a variety of
topics in from the increasing the prevalence of nanotechnology in
our daily lives, designer babies, the need for TELE-Medecine in
developing nations, artificial blood, gene editing and the need for
privacy protection in the Healthcare System. All in all an action
packed in Cluster 7!!
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CLUSTER 7: BIOENGINEERING/MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING: THE AMAZING RED BLOOD CELL
Yet another action packed week for Cluster 7!!! In lab Friday, students
tested the effects of osmolarity on the morphology of red blood cells followed
by a fun filled COSMOS Olympics in the evening. Over the weekend, the students were able to take a well-deserved break from the academic rigors of the
week, such as their ethics essays. Saturday, the students visited the world famous San Diego Zoo, exploring the wonders of animals, including the zoo’s famous giant pandas. On Sunday afternoon,we took a trip to the La Jolla beach,
where we swam in the ocean, explored the shoreline, caught Pokemon, and
just relaxed outside. After an amazing weekend of fun, the students returned
refreshed and ready to dive back into the wonderful study of the amazing red
blood cell.
Monday morning we watched a fascinating TED Talk by Paul Root Wolpe
on the Ethical boundaries of Biomedical Engineering. Engaging conversations
were had on the ethical treatment of animals in experimental settings. Dr Vera also
elaborated on the structural make-up of RBC membranes and techniques used to
measure biomechanical stress in the surface of RBCs. On Monday, students also
engaged in labs involving the separation and centrifugation of red blood cell proteins. Techniques such as staining and gel electrophoresis were used to separate
and examine the composition of red these membrane proteins.
The Discovery Lecture on Tuesday was by the Dean of Biological Sciences
Bill McGinnis who spoke about the Developmental Biology and Evolution. In this
mind blowing talk, Dr McGinnis discussed HOX genes and the critical role that they
have played not only in development of organisms body plans but also in the evolution and diversification of Kingdom Animalia over the past 600 million years. These
modular genes determine where your arms, legs, eyes and hands will be placed on
your body and even how many there will be….just crazy!!
During our Spirometry lab, we measured our pulse and oxygen levels with
pulse oximeters. These functional objects are about the size of a key and fit snug on
your fingers, and they work by flashing lights through tissues to determine the saturation of saturation and heartbeat. We watched our heart rates change from 70
bpm to 140 bpm within five minutes of playing Jenga, literally…. OUR ADRENAL
GLANDS WENT CRAZYYYY!! Eventually, staring at numbers became boring, and we
decided to challenge ourselves by seeing how we can physically (and maybe mentally) manipulate the saturation of oxygen in our bodies and our heart rates. While
waiting for our samples to develop, students completed their Ethics papers and prepared for our Thursday excursion to the J. Craig Venter Institute. We will let you all
know about our experiences in next week's newsletter!!!
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CLUSTER 7: BIOENGINEERING/MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING: THE AMAZING RED BLOOD CELL
Another eventful week for Cluster 7!! Labs, field-trips, essays
and boba-tea. Over the past week, we finished our ethics
essays, began learning about Engineering and material science
and visited 2 of the most innovative institutions in the world
for Bioengineering. Over the weekend many students reconnected with family to tell them about all the wonderful experiences they have been having at COSMOS. This week our focus
has been tying to understand Tensesgrity! What’s that?
JCVI—On Thursday, we had an opportunity to visit the J. Craig
Venter Institute (JCVI). Venter is credited with sequencing the
entire human genome in 2000 using a method called “shotgun sequencing.” JCVI is a world class research institution, not
only mapping the diversity of the human genome but
attempting to sequence the DNA of all marine microbes, reverse engineering the Minimal Cell (the first artificial life form),
characterizing the genomes of unknown organisms, the human
microbiome and even reverse engineering bacteria to reclimate sewage to solve sanitation issues and provide clean water around the world. After a long walk across campus…
students learned about novel methods (RNAseq) for sequencing the genomes of microbes and had an opportunity to visit
labs talk to scientists.
Ghost Membranes and RBC Protein Identification—On Friday,
we conducted our last wet-lab before we move into the engineering phase of our projects. Students learned about how to
identify proteins extracted from RBC membranes using antibodies in a technique called SDS Page (immunoblotting)…more
commonly called Western blotting. Students also did a peer
critique of lab notebooks and learned a bit about keeping good
records and data analysis for labs.
Lectures and Labs—On Monday, Mauricio de Oliveria introduced us to the concept of tensegrity and its practical applica-
tions in bioengineering and modeling the dynamic behavior of
complex systems. Students built both simple and complex
tensegrity models using sticks and strings. These floating geometric forms use compression and tension to stabilize themselves. By building these models we can test the structural
integrity of these shapes and developing a better understanding of behaviors at the micro and macro level. On Wednesday,
Paul our TA gave an Introduction to Material Science 101. He
also discussed his work with NASA on the Superball Project. Paul reviewed Hookes Law, calculating tension and stiffness of materials as well as Young’s Modulus. Students tested
these concepts in our afternoon lab.
Illumina—Illumina is a global company specializing in the analysis of genetic variation and gene function through high
throughput sequencing. They are fueling groundbreaking advancements in life science research, clinical translational, consumer genomics, and molecular diagnostics. On Tuesday
afternoon, we took a tour of whole genome sequencers and
DNA synthesizers at Illumina which was an amazing experience
bordering on science fiction. State of the art labs, liquid handling robots and rapid prototyping of microfluidic glass slides.
Later, we attended a career opportunities panel where Illumina employees working in Genetic Counseling, Industrial Hygiene, Applied Mathematics, Validation Engineering, Technical
Support for Instrumentation and even the VP of Acquisitions
and Mergers discussed their career journeys.
All in all, an intense week for Cluster 7!! Tune in next week.
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CLUSTER 7: BIOENGINEERING/MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING: THE AMAZING RED BLOOD CELL
As we wind down our final week of COSMOS the sentiment is bitter-sweet. We have
been working hard on our projects and are excited to share them with parents and family this
Saturday! We are sad at the prospect of saying good-bye to the many friends that we’ve
made this summer. We’ve all learned a lot and are certain you’ll be amazed this weekend!!!
The end of last week found us learning about “ tensegrity" to model physical and
biological systems. On, Monday, Paul gave a fascinating talk on Duct Climbing Tetrahedral
Tensegrity robots (DUCTT) and advancements in robotics using non-linear dynamics modeled
from nature. He discussed his work with NASA building the braking systems for the Superball and shared his academic
journey as an undergraduate at UCSD as well as career advice for those interested in research. In lab, students used
short python scripts to control motors remotely and learned the essentials of PLM (pulse-width modulation) and “open
loop controls.” Students were able to modulate the voltage output of the motors and graph the relationships in Python. These skills are essential for understanding how to control machines with small scripts.
Tuesdays Discovery Lecture: Through the Nanoscale Looking Glass by Andrea Tao gave us insight into the dynamics of the nano-world. From the bio-physics of geko hands to designing nano-structures that emit varying frequencies of light due to surface plasmon resonance…the talk had something interesting for everyone. Wednesday found us
and working on our Final Project Presentation and building models in class. We did some peer critiques of our presentations to refine our proposals. Today we’re off to Birch Aquarium for some well deserved R&R before our final presentations tomorrow! Wish us luck and we’ll see you Saturday!!
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