Hi guys! It’s Rohan here with my first blog post as part of the SEED Program at the OEDK. We’ve just finished the third week of the program, and I can’t wait to share some of the details with y’all.

A little background about me – I am a Cell Biology and Genetics major with a minor in Global Health Technologies. Ultimately, my goal is to go to medical school and become a physician. I got to know about the SEED internship through Rice360 – I was interested in pursuing an internship in which I would be creating medical technologies for low-resource settings. On the first day, I realized that I was the only non-engineer in the internship. I was slightly apprehensive about this fact at first. How would I be able to keep up with my colleagues without much engineering experience? However, I pushed these feelings aside and leapt out of my comfort zone.

I ended up choosing a project proposed by Dr. Alfredo Gei, an obstetrician-gynecologist in the Texas Medical Center. He was having trouble visualizing the length of the cervix in pregnant women, a metric that is directly related to the likelihood of preterm birth. He wanted us to come up with an imaging method that would better allow him to see the external opening of the cervix during a transvaginal ultrasound, as well as a model to test this method.

This project was right up my alley! I am interested in the medical field, and this would be a great way to incorporate that interest into my work with SEED. Through this project, I met my teammates – Brooke, Precious, and Alinafe. Brooke is a mechanical engineer, Precious is a petroleum engineer, and Alinafe is a biomedical engineer. We have a group that is extremely diverse in disciplines, so we have a great opportunity to work together with our diversity of thought.

During our first week, we mainly did background research on our problem. We researched the mechanisms of transvaginal ultrasounds, previous cervical models, previous contrast agents for ultrasounds, and many other things. Ultimately, we decided to focus on the model of the vagina, cervix, and uterus first – without this model, it would be impossible to actually test our gel. Thus, we got to brainstorming, with a focus on our model.

We came up with many ideas during our brainstorming phase. We proposed 3D-printing a mold for the organs, which we would fill with silicone. We also proposed creating a cube of silicone, and then simply carving out the organs. We proposed making a negative mold of the organs and pouring silicone around them. Then, we found something that would make the whole process easier. There exists a material that can be used in a 3D resin printer that mimics human tissue better than many silicones. Being able to 3D print the organs would make the process much easier.

We then consulted with Dr. Meaghan Bond and Professor Jackie Foss from the Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies – my wheelhouse :). They gave us several ideas from other teams that created ultrasound models – they used different types of silicones, augmenting them with other materials to make them more echogenic in ultrasounds. They also gave us the advice to simultaneously work on two methods of production, in case one of them doesn’t work. With that in mind, we decided to work on these two methods:

1. Create a 3D model of the vagina, cervix, and uterus and print it out of the resin material
2. Create a negative of those organs, 3D print that, fill it with silicone, and pull the negative out

With a clear direction in mind, we set off. According to our research, we created models out of gelatin using the negatives that we were going to use in the future with silicone. Several articles claimed that a 17% gelatin mixture mimics human tissue well. Unfortunately, upon testing in Dr. Gei’s office, this turned out not to be true. We scrapped that idea and continued to iterate using other methods. We made a silicone model out of Dragon Skin Skin FX Silicone, meant to mimic human skin. 

Now, we are in our (hopefully) final stages of creating our model. We’re waiting for final edits from Dr. Gei before we print using our desired material and start assembling the model. From there, we can start working on the other part of our design – creating a better transvaginal ultrasound imaging protocol.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Hi, this is Harry Zhu speaking.

Back from my cozy home in Shanghai, China, I arrived in Houston to begin my new quest for engineering design. As I just got off the plane and exited the airport, the Houston summer temperature gave me a hard strike. The heat was in waves and smashed on my face. Experiencing summer’s welcome, I arrived at the apartment. Looking at the empty room, I realized my journey had started from now.

As a Rice student, I am familiar with the campus, but only during the school year. The summertime campus is strangely quiet. There were so few people around and most places were taken over by energetic squirrels. As I stepped into the OEDK, the once-crowded place was echoing with silence. Waiting in the classroom, I met my fellow Rice co-workers and students from Nigeria. As the icebreaking session started, everyone shared their own story with the entire group. The joy, excitement, and laughter soon filled the OEDK, bringing the energy back to OEDK once again.

Nervous yet more exciting and curious, the project revealed one by one. At first, the project for building a water sample collection system for a Rice research professor caught my eye, since this project required various knowledge in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. However, after listening to Dr. Holmes’ in-depth explanation of the Big-S project, I chose to work on this project to renovate the farming technology of the next generation. I met three other Rice students who also chose this project: Alexis, Brad, and Madison.

Our team gathered the next day and started discussing what our goal was in this project. We soon understood that we were working on a fast-paced project that required fast prototype iterations. Without much hesitation, we started to reach out to our client and started to get a more in-depth view of the project. Combined with the research we had done; our team was able to start doing simple idea testing and prototyping in the second week.

As the program progressed, I also attended various lectures about how to make me a more successful engineer and workshops on attaining the important knowledge for prototyping. Besides working, we also had fun networking lunches with industry-leading researchers and Rice alumni. The conversation with the Rice 360 program leader gave me more insight into how to develop the team’s project.

Also, one of the extra benefits I didn’t realize while selecting this project is that our team can eat all the harvested microgreens! The taste of the radish microgreen is amazing. The mildly spicy flavor with the fresh taste makes me unable to resist eating more.

Although this is just the beginning of the internship, I can feel how this is different from the usual college class. The fast and intense pace makes the collaboration between teammates more important. Just from the past two weeks, I already learned a lot about communication with clients, data collection, and variable-controlled testing methods. Starting next week, our team will test our prototypes and start to collect data. I am looking forward to learning more knowledge and making more connections in the rest of the project time.

On a sunny Monday morning I parked my bike outside the doors of the OEDK for the thousandth time. I stepped through the doors like I had done so countless times as a student. However,  this was the first time I was an intern in the OEDK. It honestly didn’t feel very different. When I met all the other interns and faculty on the first day during the various icebreakers, I almost felt like I was back in ENGI120 as a freshman. During the afternoon of the first day, we were assigned our projects.

As Dr. Holmes revealed the names of the interns assigned to each project, I was quite nervous as I believed that the project I was assigned to would define my 7-weeks in the SEED Internship. When my name appeared under the River Sampling project I was relieved because this was one of the projects I was interested in working with. Amongst my name were the names of three other interns I had not met before. When we got together for the first time I learned that one of them, Brandon, was a fellow Rice student, while Motun and Dara were international students. I was excited to work with them on this project as part of team FlowMetrics. This was beginning to feel very similar to my first day in ENGI120 nearly two years.

As we went over the goals for this project and for the internship as a whole, I began to wonder, what do I want to achieve?

While the ultimate goal is to produce a design that meets the intended objects, I thought about my personal goals for this internship. Unlike in ENGI120, I was not working towards a grade. Unlike my involvement in my Rice Flight design club, I was not working towards a competition. Unlike in those endeavors, I was not bounded by a mark on a transcript or a number on a judge’s scorecards. I could make the most of this internship as an opportunity to work on technical and personal goals.

As I pondered my goals, I thought, “well obviously, I want to become a better engineer”. Then I began listing all the circuit-building, coding, and other technical skills I wanted to develop. However, I realized that being a good engineer was more than having technical expertise. In fact, if I was assigned to a different project I may not have had the chance to develop this specific subset of skills I was keen on.

I needed to find goals that would transcend this specific project. I decided that figuring out what made this internship opportunity unique. I looked around at my fellow interns. Around half of them were international students from various countries in Africa. Despite being in a brand new environment, all of them seemed very comfortable and were confidently talking with us Rice students. I would have definitely been more shy and nervous if I were in their shoes. I had my first goal; I scribbled down “Become more confident in meeting and learning from new people”. There was definitely a lot I could learn from the unique experiences of my fellow interns.

Then I remembered how relieved I was when I was assigned to the River Sampling project because its scope would allow me to develop the technical skills I was interested in. Would I have been as happy if I was assigned to a different project? I realized that, I would likely have been disappointed and disheartened with a project that was unrelated to electrical engineering and would have failed to make the most of the internship. My next goal was thus to become more open to different opportunities even if they are different from what I want or expect.

This seemed to be a good starting point. In our client interviews, team discussions, and research sessions that took place during the rest of the week, I found ways to actively work towards those goals. I hope that as we work on the brainstorming and prototyping phases over the coming weeks, I will be able to develop these goals further and improve my contribution to my team!

Hi everyone … I am back Penina here!

It’s already week two and days are moving so fast… turns out that the busier you get time just seems to fly. There is a lot to be grateful for this week because, for the most important part, me and my teammates have at least managed to get somewhere with our project. Since we are carrying on a project that was done by a former OEDK fellow. Our job is to make an even better version of it and carry where our fellows left off. So, after being able to rebuild our prototype and finally keep it up and running. We are now pacing down the road of modification and refining the design.

Morning Standup Meetings
Every morning, our team gathers for a standup meeting led by Dr. Holmes. These sessions are a great start to the day, as they encourage us to embrace and learn from the failures we encounter in our prototyping journey. This positive approach to challenges fosters a growth mindset to help us know where we stand, plan where we want to be at the end of the day, and motivate us to keep improving each day.

As part of the Summer Experience in Engineering Design, we were able to engage in two workshops this week that I truly enjoyed. First, we got to participate in the Soldering workshop and it proved to be very fruitful even though I have had a couple of soldering experiences, I got to relearn the topic and gained more insight into soldering, and to my surprise, it was a short and sweet lesson I go to enjoy to its fullest and come up with my a successful electrical connection. Secondly, we had a Team Communication Workshop where we learned the importance of team communication to make the working environment friendly and productive.

Networking Lunch with Alumni
I had the privilege of attending a networking lunch with several Rice University alumni. Hearing their stories and advice was inspiring and provided me with insights into various career paths and opportunities in the engineering field. I also enjoyed getting to know them and talking about their life experiences and culture. It was a fun and enjoyable lunch where we grew the network of people who can help us and who potentially have the chance to help them back.

Cultural and Spiritual Exploration
Visiting the Houston Museum of Natural Science for the first time was an extraordinary experience, I underestimated the fact that the museum was the first stop I had to visit outside Rice University but still I was just excited to go out. Trust me I was very impressed with everything about the Museum. From the grand entrance to The Burke Baker Planetarium I saw amazing stuff about astrophysics, the physics of the cosmos, the life cycles of stars, black holes, and the fundamental forces that govern the universe. Onto the Morian Hall of Paleontology featuring a colossal dinosaur skeleton to the Morian Hall of Paleontology with its towering T-rex and Triceratops, the museum captivated me from the start. The Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals dazzled with its stunning array of gems, minerals, and meteorites, while the Cockrell Butterfly Center offered a serene, magical environment teeming with butterflies. The Hall of Ancient Egypt showcased impressive artifacts, mummies, and interactive elements like virtual mummy unwrapping, adding a sense of mystery and reverence. The Burke Baker Planetarium and Space Exploration exhibit sparked wonder about the universe and humanity’s space missions. Special exhibits and interactive displays throughout the museum catered to all ages, making it both educational and engaging. Overall, the visit left me with a deeper appreciation for the natural world and a desire to return and explore more and more….

I also got the chance to board the Metro bus and Train to and from the Lakewood Church on Sunday. Which was very exciting plus I got to see Pastor Joel Osteen live and enjoy his sermon and of course the church was huge and beautiful in each and every way, and it surely made me wanna go back there again and again😊.

Reflections
This second week has been a blend of hands-on work, skill-building, networking, and cultural immersion. Each experience has contributed to my growth as an engineer and as an individual. I’m excited to continue this journey, tackling challenges and celebrating successes along the way.

Stay tuned for more updates as I navigate through this incredible internship at OEDK!

INTRODUCTION

The week started really well and has been very fruitful and educational. I have learned so much from my fellow team members. Every morning at 10 a.m., we have our usual stand-up meeting where we discuss what we have been working on the previous day. It is a routine that we observe every day without needing to be reminded. Dr. Holmes and Dr. Fumi have been leading these stand-up meetings. As I mentioned, we accomplished a lot this week, and here are some of the highlights.

Throughout this week, we engaged in different activities and projects that significantly improved our skills and knowledge. We collaborated on different kinds of tasks, which not only nourish our teamwork but also allowed us to learn from each other’s abilities. These communications have been instrumental in our professional growth and have promoted a supportive and dynamic work environment.

BRAINSTORMING CONCEPTS OR IDEAS

One of the highlights was brainstorming ideas to help us to come up with a better prototype. This was a fun activity where we wrote down whatever came to mind without being criticized. Ideas were written on sticky notes, and after 15 minutes, we gathered and posted them on the board for allocation. These allocations were based on the materials we were going to use in our project, the purpose of the model, methods, and so on.

PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT

Materials were gathered, and a circular container was chosen. We had to mold the vagina and the cervix. After this, gelatin was made, and we placed the molded prototype into the gelatin, which was then put into the freezer to cool. After many hours, it was removed, but we faced the challenge of part of the cervix falling into the frozen gelatin and it was something that was really hard to sort. This didn’t stop us; we still had to come up with a solution to make our prototype work. In addition to these prototypes we made, we also made a 3D model of a vagina, cervix, and uterus that were in good measurements to show our client Dr. Gei.

               

                                                                                                 The above pictures shows the molding of our prototype and the mixing of gelatin with water

IMPACTFUL MEETINGS

We had a Zoom meeting with Jackie Foss and Dr. Bond, during this meeting we asked many questions about the materials they use for ultrasound models and not only that they also shared the literature for us to read and use. It was a very helpful meeting, and we learned a lot from it. A meeting with Dr. Gei was conducted to test our prototype. This meeting was also successful, and we learned a lot from him. Even though our prototype was a bit faulty, we are confident that we will reach a stage where the prototype will be very useful for educational purposes.

WORKSHOP EXPERIENCES

We had a great workshop that involved soldering conducted by our team leads. We had to solder components on a circuit board. This was very fun for me because I enjoy working with electrical stuff. I love fixing electrical things and am always curious to know more about them. This workshop was both educational and inspiring for me.

                                                                                                                      The above pictures shows me during workshop where we were soldering components on a circuit board and our final product

ENHANCING SKILLS IN FUSION 360

My knowledge of Fusion 360 has been improving each day. I stayed for 30 minutes each day after the knocking off from work to improve my skills in Fusion 360, and I have seen a lot of development. I am also really glad for the skills I am learning from my fellow teammates.

TEAM LUNCH AND NETWORKING

Finally, one of the highlights we had was a team lunch where we met different people from various sectors. One of the people I met was Kim Denney. She taught us a lot about how to thrive in a working environment and shared inspiring stories about her own experiences. It was truly wonderful to meet these people and learn from their insights.

Overall, this week has been a testament to our collective effort and dedication. We are excited to build on this momentum and continue striving for excellence in our future endeavors.