I like the emphasis on practical skills. Last semester I wrote a full-length proposal in NSF format. I thought that was actually very helpful.
Joshua Kays, BS in BME 2014
Josh Kays is a senior Biomedical Engineering major and a student in Professor Orla Wilson‘s Senior Design class.
As part of his Senior Design project, he works in Justin Hanes’ lab at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researching nanoparticle drug delivery and how to cheaply and easily measure the pore size of tissue or gel based on how nanoparticles are moving. While there are techniques to measure pore size, such as SEM or mercury perfusion porosimetry, they are very expensive and not necessarily as accurate in terms of in vivo conditions.
“My project involves looking at these particles in their natural state, in their medium, tracking them under the microscope and from that data getting their pore size,” Josh says. “My junior year I wanted to something more focused. I had taken Biomaterials the year before with Dr. Mao, and I liked that kind of work, so I wanted to look at that nano level or gel design and Dr. Hanes’ work stood out to me.”
After graduating, Josh will work at Graybug, a biotech startup company working on drug delivery for the eye. He plans to pursue his Ph.D. after working for a year or two.