Research on multiple sclerosis and protecting skin in frigid temperatures are highlights of BioExpo 2008

Testing the durability of throat cartilage in horses, which could advance a common surgical procedure for racehorses; an analysis of using a microbead spray to warm up skin in frigid temperatures: These were just two of the student projects showcased at the student-run 2008 Annual Bioengineering Expo at Cornell.

The event, hosted by the Institute of Biological Engineering in the Duffield Hall Atrium, March 5, featured a career fair, poster session, refreshments, speakers and a research poster competition.

Civil and environmental engineering student Samantha Passman '10 tested the durability of throat cartilage in horses. The information, presented March 5 in Duffield Hall as part of BioExpo 2008, could advance a common surgical procedure for racehorses.

Chemical engineering students, from left, Andy Wong '09, Max Kashdan '09 and Eric Chang '09 presented their analysis of a microbead spray designed to warm up skin in frigid temperatures.
 

Among undergraduates, biology and philosophy major Ben Solomon '09 won the $400 first-place prize in the Biological, Biomedical and Environmental Engineering Research Poster Competition for his presentation on his work in developing a mouse model for examining a receptor involved in the immune response of people with multiple sclerosis.

"The project was well done, and the data was compelling," said John March, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering and one of the contest's four judges. "The student had a strong grasp of the significance of the data ... and he apparently had done most of the work by himself."

Biomedical engineering graduate student Georgette Tzatzalos won the $200 first-place prize for master of engineering students with her biomaterials project that focuses on marking tumor cells.

Among other posters, civil and environmental engineering student Samantha Passman '10 explained how she ran mechanical tests to study the durability and flexibility of laryngeal cartilage in horses. Collapse of arytenoid cartilage near a horse's trachea blocks air and creates turbulence through a horse's airway, which not only reduces oxygen intake but also is the most common cause of poor performance in racehorses. The surgical fix for this condition, which involves placing sutures over the arytenoid cartilage and the nearby cricoid cartilage, fails 40 percent of the time. Passman hopes her research will be a step toward improving the procedure.

Another project, presented by chemical engineering students Eric Chang '09, Max Kashdan '09 and Andy Wong '09, tested the feasibility of a proposed invention, which sprays microbeads that can insulate and heat skin up to 130 degrees F and could be used by football players in cold weather or by search-and-rescue teams treating frostbite in the field. The students' analysis revealed the current design for this invention was not practical, as the heat would not last long enough to be of use in a real-world setting.

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