NEW ANSWERS

During the week of March 20 to March 26, there were many accomplishments with the progression of my final product, which is writing a publication on the fluid dynamics of various different types of heart valves, such as biological (cow and pig) and mechanical valves. Following the experiment of the fluid dynamics test, I will be comparing the results and writing an original paper and getting it published on the web. One of the main accomplishments this week was finding a place to potentially run the fluid dynamics test. In the past week, I contacted Dr. Lynn Huffman, a cardiothoracic surgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. I previously interviewed Dr. Huffman in December, and with this connection, I was able to get some idea of where to conduct the fluid dynamics test. Dr. Huffman told me to look into the UT Dallas Department of engineering, where they have a vascular mechanobiology laboratory and are happy to help new research. The main question that I had this week was whether or not I was going to get access to a lab. I hope to find a confirmed answer in the following week. Other than my final product, the biggest challenge in the past week has been trying to work out another surgery visit with my mentor, since the past several weeks Dr. Brinkman has had a medical student shadow him. In the next upcoming week, I hope to begin writing my publication and devise an experimental process for the fluid dynamics test. Also, I will be contacting the UT Dallas Department of engineering and figuring out whether or not I can use the laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Brinkman.