JOURNEY OF THE FINAL PRODUCT

The last two weeks have been demanding as I have been rigorously researching on how to create my final product, which is the comparison of fluid dynamics among the various types of artificial aortic valves. Along with my final product, I have been successfully guiding potential ISM students for next year by advising them on their applications and interviews, as well as working on my own application for devoting another school year to enhancing my knowledge of cardiothoracic surgery. One of my main accomplishments over the past two weeks was thoroughly reading and researching multiple articles on aortas, aortic valves, thrombogenicity and fluid density tests. By researching these various aspects of aortic valves as a whole, I have gained a profound understanding so that I can proceed with the execution part of my final product. Another accomplishment for me this week was mentoring and recruiting other candidates for the Reedy ISM program next year. Multiple students asked me to proofread their application and essays and mock interview them. I believe this is an accomplishment because these students view me as a leader and an inspiration to them, and the level of trust and confidence I gained from helping them is good motivation for the future. Although these accomplishments were there, there were some challenges as well. Throughout the past few weeks, the recurring question that kept coming back was where will I get access to a machine that can test the fluid density of various artificial aortic valves? I hope to find this solution soon, hopefully gaining access to the machine at BHHP. In the next week, I want to be able to get more research done and hopefully start cotacting institutes to lend me the materials that I will need to conduct my experiment, as they are very expensive materials by themselves. I want to also continue watching many surgical procedures and gain the experiences of those of a surgeon.