Thursday, March 20, 2014
Day 23
On this day, I was unable to attend internship so I went to school and worked on my JSHS presentation for research.
Day 21
On this day, the seminar topic was my favorite of all the ones I've attended thus far. It was on the usage of block copolymer self-assembly to adjust various material properties, and I found the speaker to be very engaging and extremely clear and thorough in his explanations.
I created solutions of ethylene diamine, the cross-linker, and 1-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride, the activator. Then I did research on how the ellipsometer works in an endeavor to fix it. This endeavor was not successful.
I created solutions of ethylene diamine, the cross-linker, and 1-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride, the activator. Then I did research on how the ellipsometer works in an endeavor to fix it. This endeavor was not successful.
Day 20
On this day, I continued to put wafers into solutions of phosphate buffer of varying pHs. In particular, I was looking at wafers that had been loaded with polymyxin B, a drug I investigated last time, and put them in a salt phosphate buffer solution in order to test their stability in physiological conditions.
This was something my mentor had actually already done previously, but she thought that the data seemed strange because the releasing curve was unusually steady. That's why I redid the tests in order to see if the same results would be achieved, and they were.
This was something my mentor had actually already done previously, but she thought that the data seemed strange because the releasing curve was unusually steady. That's why I redid the tests in order to see if the same results would be achieved, and they were.
Day 19
On this day, the seminar was particularly interesting and focused on producing thin film solar cells. The speaker was from IBM, which I was excited about since I know a lot of intriguing research goes on there. Although the speaker ultimately didn't go into great detail about what their final solution was -- most likely due to copyright issues -- I enjoyed hearing about their research and getting an idea of what they ended up doing.
In lab, I restocked some of the solutions like phosphate buffer and adjusted the pH to various levels in order to soak the silicon wafers and test what results. I also added salt to the phosphate buffer to more precisely mimic the physiological conditions the wafers would theoretically face in a real life application.
In lab, I restocked some of the solutions like phosphate buffer and adjusted the pH to various levels in order to soak the silicon wafers and test what results. I also added salt to the phosphate buffer to more precisely mimic the physiological conditions the wafers would theoretically face in a real life application.
Day 18
On this day, I loaded several wafers with drugs to test whether they would actually take to the wafers and what kind of stability the resulting product has. To do this, each wafer had its thickness measured at periodic intervals as the drugs were released in various pHs. The most important pHs to test are physiological pHs because these are the kinds of conditions the wafers would be exposed to in an actual application.
I also tested the spin coater to see how easily PGMA could be added to the wafer. Various rpms (rotation per minute) and rpm/s (rotation per minute per second) were tried out, but it was difficult to get a homogeneous layer. Instead, the wafer would be visibly covered in a non-uniform layer. However, rinsing the wafers in acetone would make this layer disappear.
Near the end of the day, I did some research on two possible drug candidates, polymyxin B and tobramycin, to see if they could be used for this application.
I also tested the spin coater to see how easily PGMA could be added to the wafer. Various rpms (rotation per minute) and rpm/s (rotation per minute per second) were tried out, but it was difficult to get a homogeneous layer. Instead, the wafer would be visibly covered in a non-uniform layer. However, rinsing the wafers in acetone would make this layer disappear.
Near the end of the day, I did some research on two possible drug candidates, polymyxin B and tobramycin, to see if they could be used for this application.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Day 16
I spent most of the day doing some write-ups on various medications that we are considering for usage with the wafers. This is exciting because it means we're now at the stage when we can actually load up the hydrogels with drugs and directly address a medical application. I closely examined three different specific medications and read many papers to learn about previous studies involving these compounds. In particular, I focused on the effectiveness and versatility of the drugs, keeping in mind that I needed to find something that would benefit from being released due to a change in pH.
Afterwards, I created some more prime layers under the new (time-consuming) synthesis and went to use the ellipsometer in order to measure the thicknesses of the different wafers following that procedure. Unfortunately, the ellipsometer was malfunctioning once again, and my various efforts to diagnose the problem were to no avail.
A little while later, I tried restarting the ellipsometer and, amazingly, it began working.
Afterwards, I created some more prime layers under the new (time-consuming) synthesis and went to use the ellipsometer in order to measure the thicknesses of the different wafers following that procedure. Unfortunately, the ellipsometer was malfunctioning once again, and my various efforts to diagnose the problem were to no avail.
A little while later, I tried restarting the ellipsometer and, amazingly, it began working.
Day 15
On this day, my internship was still closed because of the holidays, so I came to school again and worked under Dr. Kim in the nanotechnology lab. I read various papers to help figure out my next step with my research project, helped other people gain access to papers from scientific journals, and discussed the results of my microscopy imaging with Dr. Kim.
Day 14
On this day, I did not have internship because it was closed due to a combination of Finals Week and the holidays. Instead, I came to school and worked with Dr. Kim.
I had a paper for a research competition due very soon, so I spent the day writing and revising my work. In the afternoon, I stopped by the microscopy lab to prepare a sample for imaging in the hopes that the images I would take later could be used in my paper.
By the end of the day, I had finished my fourth draft of the paper and felt pretty good about the work I had done.
I had a paper for a research competition due very soon, so I spent the day writing and revising my work. In the afternoon, I stopped by the microscopy lab to prepare a sample for imaging in the hopes that the images I would take later could be used in my paper.
By the end of the day, I had finished my fourth draft of the paper and felt pretty good about the work I had done.
Day 13
It was a relatively slow day in the lab because some of the equipment was malfunctioning, which prevented me from carrying out the work I would typically do. Instead of getting to learn how to use the spin coater, which is something I had been looking forward to, I helped out with some contact angle measurements.
This entails first adjusting the pH of various solutions to ensure that they're sufficiently calibrated for usage with the machine. In total, I had to adjust three solutions with the brand-new (well, new to being used, as its off-color and dirt-crusted appearance suggested quite some time has passed since its retail days) pH meter. One solution in particular was frustrating to adjust because it kept bouncing a little too low and then a little too high, but I eventually got it.
Then I brought these solutions over to the contact angle machine. I have seen this used before and have helped a little bit with it in the past, but for the first time I was able to operate it alone, which was fun. I measured the contact angles of droplets under varying pH levels on the surfaces of the wafers, making sure to measure them both increasing in pH and decreasing.
After that, I helped out with general lab affairs, such as cleaning an enormous quantity of glassware.
This entails first adjusting the pH of various solutions to ensure that they're sufficiently calibrated for usage with the machine. In total, I had to adjust three solutions with the brand-new (well, new to being used, as its off-color and dirt-crusted appearance suggested quite some time has passed since its retail days) pH meter. One solution in particular was frustrating to adjust because it kept bouncing a little too low and then a little too high, but I eventually got it.
Then I brought these solutions over to the contact angle machine. I have seen this used before and have helped a little bit with it in the past, but for the first time I was able to operate it alone, which was fun. I measured the contact angles of droplets under varying pH levels on the surfaces of the wafers, making sure to measure them both increasing in pH and decreasing.
After that, I helped out with general lab affairs, such as cleaning an enormous quantity of glassware.
Day 12
On this day, I was absent from internship due to a research conference that I attended in Boston.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)