Year in Review

In the past year, I’d say I’ve grown the most as a researcher. Last summer the idea of doing research was a thought that never crossed my mind. However, after being accepted into Biomedical Engineering it was almost like I was woken up to the world of countless possibilities the major invited. I first heard about research at the beginning of my sophomore year in my Intro to Biomedical Engineering class after hearing my professor briefly touch on his own biomechanical studies. Later that week I decided to take a leap of faith and ask my professor if he had room for an undergraduate in his lab. At first, I thought the answer was going to be no because he said his lab was strictly graduate students. But, to my surprise, he seemed impressed with my confidence to put myself out there and said he could work something out.

Going in on my first day I was a nervous wreck. I was worried about all the things that could go wrong and nervous I’d embarrass myself with my lack of knowledge. However, my professor paired me with his research assistant, Carly. I quickly became more comfortable in my own skin and unafraid to ask questions. She made sure I understood what was going on and explained each step with patience and kindness. For most of the year I worked with Carly on a project she had started with another undergraduate the previous summer. I was able to give suggestions to troubleshoot problems we were having with a device Carly made and help make adjustments accordingly. She taught me cell culturing processes, how to use the microscope to visualize the cells, and put me in charge of processing the images taken for our experiment.

I’ve learned so many things from her this year, including how to be a good mentor. She demonstrated all procedures for me and talked me through them when trying them on my own until I was comfortable. She explained the science behind the experiments we ran and always made sure I knew why we were interested in studying it without coming off as condescending. I plan on continuing working with and learning from Carly next year as well. I hope to learn not only more about research, but also discover new things about myself as a learner.

Looking back, participating in undergraduate research did a lot more than simply expose me to research. It forced me to grow as a person by coming out of my comfort zone to ask to be in the lab, to be proud instead of embarrassed when I asked questions, to speak up when I have an idea, to practice my presentation and oral speaking skills, and so much more. I think this experience has shaped me to be a more well-rounded, mature student and person. I hope to continue practicing these skills and build up the confidence to try more new things instead of always holding back. This opportunity has also made me interested in possibly pursuing research as a career after graduation. It’s opened the door to a whole new world of topics to study and the opportunity to leave my mark on the world.

G.O.A.L.S.

Global Awareness

I am currently involved in Engineering Scholars at OSU. My first semester, we focused on the importance of realizing our impact on the environment and the world around us. Our teacher facilitated a class discussion where we brainstormed ways we as engineers could still live our lives while focusing on minimizing the negative blowback it may have on the earth. Human impact is a problem all around the world which makes it an issue of global awareness. We were also broken into groups and allowed to select one of the 17 sustainable development goals published by the United Nations that humans should work together and strive to achieve by the year 2030. My group chose the 14th goal, “Life Below Water.” This category pertains to all types of water from oceans, to rain, to drinking water. Personally, I found studying this topic fascinating because I feel it’s often overlooked just how much we as humans rely on water. Typically, I’d only ever heard concerns about marine wildlife when talking about water but water drives many, many other things such climate, trade, food, and the air we breathe. This opened my eyes to how much I, and everyone, take water for granted and made me more aware and cautious of my actions.

On another side, second semester of my sophomore year we focused on something completely different. Someone from the OSU Multicultural Center came in and gave presentations on inclusiveness. We talked about ways we identify ourselves and others such as gender, social status, race, ethnicity, etc… One of my favorite parts of the presentation was when we discussed privilege because in today’s world all I think when I hear that word is “white privilege.” The wheel below was included in her presentation and it came as a shock. I never realized all the different types of privilege one can have and how lucky I was to have so many of the advantages checked off in my life. It really opened my eyes to the little things most people have that go unnoticed and unappreciated because they can only see the one or two privileges they don’t have, rather than the ten they do.

 

Original Inquiry

So far, I’d say the biggest contribution I’ve made as an undergraduate student is through my work as an undergraduate research assistant. I worked in a lab with my Intro to Biomedical Engineering professor, Benjamin Walter, my entire sophomore year and even earned a scholarship from the university to continue my work over the summer. I plan on continuing to stay involved in some sort of research the rest of my college career and possibly even pursuing it after graduation. I’ve helped troubleshoot problems with a homemade apparatus we used on the first project I was a part of and gave suggestions on how to improve its functionality. This summer I’m heading my own project for the first time and will give a presentation about my outcomes in the fall. My project seeks to answer the question: How does the pericellular matrix effect changes in cell volume under a compressive load. The pericellular matrix surrounds your cells and is believed to be involved in a process called mechanotransduction which is when a mechanical stimuli causes a cellular response. For example, when you stand up you place a compressive load, or strain, on the intervertebral discs between the bones of your spine. I want to study in what ways the pericellular matrix permits or prevents the cells from experiencing changes in volume due to this load. In addition to this project, I’m also helping gather content for a review paper my professor and one of his graduate students are writing and may be named as a  co-author.

Academic Enrichment

I’ve been accepted into my major of biomedical engineering for a year now. Going into college I was an undecided engineering major. I knew I wanted to be involved in science, but I also had a love for math so I knew I wanted to be an engineer. Growing up in a family of all different types of engineers I always had the encouragement to become an engineer, but no real way to determine what kind specifically. Even in college I found it difficult to get a feel for the different fields through the general intro to engineering classes that were mandated. It wasn’t until the deadlines for applications were approaching and the pressure was on that I was able to dig deep and think about what major I’d really like the best. I’ll admit I was a little hesitant at first because this was a really big decision that had to be made in such a short amount of time. However, after my first semester in my major classes and participation in undergraduate research I new I’d chosen right. I loved taking anatomy and biology and learning how to apply the concepts I’d learned freshman year to real things in the lab.

I took a lot of AP classes in high school so I haven’t had to take an GEs yet in college. In the future, I plan on taking American Attitudes about Technology to fulfill my second writing requirement in addition to research ethics. I’ve read many reviews from students saying how these classes are the most applicable GE requirements for engineering majors and helped them achieve growth in their professional development. I believe my major and course load demonstrate academic excellence. Biomedical engineering is one of the most, if not the most competitive major on campus. In addition to the application you must answer several essay questions as only 80 students are accepted into the major each year. The average GPA of an admitted student is a 3.8 which is very high, especially considering the fact that I took all core classes my freshman year so I didn’t have any GEs to pad my grade.

Leadership Development

On campus I’m involved in Engineering Scholars (ES), the Society of Women in Engineering (SWE), the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), and TEK8. This year I applied to be an Engineering Scholars mentor. I will be assigned a co-mentor as well as a group of freshman mentees who are also enrolled in ES. My partner and I will be checking in on our mentees via email or text before all the big moments in their first year including move-in day, first exams, finals, winter break, etc to offer words of encouragement and to answer any questions. We are also supposed to be attending several events throughout the year with our mentees as well as larger gatherings with everyone in the mentoring program to get to know everyone better and build bonds. However, with the corona virus flaring up it’s likely most in person events will be postponed or made virtual. I believe this experience will help to build my leadership skills, maybe even more so due to the virus because it will require me to be more available for my students and more casual with meetings which will hopefully help make everything less awkward and make them feel comfortable opening up and reaching out if they’re in need of help. As far as SWE and BMES I don’t hold any leadership positions within the clubs but I think it’s still important to attend meetings and be there to vote on matters which will impact me.

TEK8 is another sort of mentorship program I’ll be involved in this year. TEK8 stands for “Translating Engineering Research  K-8.” Essentially, I will use my research experience this summer and use it to create design challenges aimed for kids in grades K-8. In the fall I’ll be taking a course designed to teach me how to effectively translate my research into something a younger audience can understand and learn from. Historically, there’s a lot less people of color pursuing jobs in the scientific/engineering career. Our goal is to expose kids in underprivileged Columbus schools to engineering and STEM concepts. We hope this early exposure will get them excited about STEM majors and show them career options they might not otherwise know about. I believe this opportunity will build my leadership skills in a whole knew way because I’ll have to learn how to communicate complicated scientific ideas into simple, yet fun demos and challenges kids will get excited about. These are skills I will keep with me in my personal and professional life.

 

Service Engagement

Over my two years at OSU I’ve done most of my community service through programs brought to me by Engineering Scholars. I’ve taken part in Community Commitment day in the fall where I was randomly assigned a group and was driven to a local business or property that needed assistance for the day. In my case, I ended up working to clean up community/school gardens both years but projects ranged anywhere from building fences to organizing donated clothes. I’ve also taken part in a similar event called Spring into Action which is held second semester. Some of the odd job service events I’ve volunteered for around Columbus are making Valentines day cards for residents of a retirement home, collecting donations for the Special Olympics, and running an engineering station for the Girl Scouts. When I’m home I volunteer at our local House of Bread serving meals to the homeless. I also helped clean up debris from the Memorial day tornados that devastated my town last summer. In the future, I plan on continuing to volunteer in the events organized by the university and my scholars group. After the corona virus is over and it’s safe to start volunteering again I plan on signing up to work at the House of Bread more frequently. Volunteering at this establishment in particular showed me that homeless people are still human beings like me and you. They tell jokes, and laugh, and seek companionship just like everyone else. It’s unbelievable the number of homeless people living just in my town and it’s heartbreaking to know many of them are veterans that bravely fought to protect our country. The least we could do it return is make sure there are plenty, well-funded establishments where they can go for a meal and a bed and more jobs for vets initiatives in the community.

Artifacts

Artifact #1

This is a ” My Intent” bracelet that I received my first semester at OSU. The bracelet was a gift from the Honors & Scholars program which allowed each student to send in a special saying or word that described one of your intentions in college. The token is meant to serve not only as a reminder to yourself of what you set forth to accomplish, but also to inspire others to live intentionally. My bracelet has the quote “Live A Little” inscribed on it. This is a saying my best friend and I used to say to each other in high school. We were the top two in our graduating class so, naturally we tended to put a lot of focus and time into our school work. We coined the term to remind ourselves to let loose a little and have some fun every once in a while. For me, this is an important thing to keep in mind, especially in college because I tend to get a little up tight and stress out too much about my classes. When I look at the bracelet it brings me back to some of the best memories of my life and I hope it will help me allow myself to relax and make even better, new memories in college.

 

Artifact #2

This is an advanced energy vehicle (AEV) that I designed and built with my engineering team second semester of my freshman year. Our assignment was to create an efficient AEV to act as a model for Smart City Columbus’ Transportation System. Our vehicle was required to maneuver through a series of obstacles on an overhead track within two and a half minutes while staying within a theoretical budget of $500, 000 for materials and energy usage. This project allowed to further my understanding of MATLAB and SolidWorks while working as a team to troubleshoot problems and improve our design. The concepts of weight and simplicity governed our AEV design. We found this approach cut down the use of unnecessary materials saving us money both during production and energy usage. Maintaining a simple design increased safety, ease of wiring, and reproducibility. By revising the code by the process of trial and error, we were successfully able to decrease run time and energy usage below the maximum allotted levels while maintaining a high accuracy level during the course run. In fact, we were so successful my team was among a handful of others invited to participate in an AEV Challenge where teams from all engineering classes designed and coded AEVs that would be run head-to-head.

 

Artifact #3

This is an image of a cell I processed from the first experiment I worked on as an undergraduate research assistant. I got involved in biomechanical research with my professor, Dr. Benjamin Walter, at the beginning of my sophomore year and am still working with him to this day. The focus of this project was testing how cell volume was affected by changes in osmotic pressure. We tested this by designing an apparatus that slowly changed the osmolarity of the solution running over top of a bead embedded with live cells. We imaged this process after staining the cells with a dye that made them appear the vibrant green color shown above in the image. It was my job to process the images to focus on several singular cells and use a pixel counter to determine the volume of the cell over time. I’m very glad I took a step out of my comfort zone and put myself out there to be a part of this experience. I’ve learned cell culturing practices, image processing techniques, and almost a years worth of general knowledge about lab protocols and procedures. I’ve also learned to never be afraid to ask questions and to speak up when I have an idea. I think this opportunity has allowed me to grow as a student in the lab, and perhaps even more importantly, to know myself and develop as a person. These are all skills I’ll likely use the rest of my career and I can’t wait to learn even more. My involvement in research has sparked curiosity in this line of work and made me consider looking into getting a permanent research job after college.

About Me

 

My name is Jordan Rife, and I’m currently a third year studying Biomedical Engineering at OSU. I’m originally from Dayton Ohio where I graduated as valedictorian of my class at Northmont High School. I ran varsity cross country and track during my middle and high school years. I also competed on the swim team my senior year. I was captain of my cross country team and selected to represent our team in SALT (students in athletics leadership team). Outside of school, I spent time showing horses in 4-H and held several leadership positions over the eight years I spent with my club. I also enjoyed spending time with my dog, Molly, and taking her on runs.

While attending Ohio State, I’ve joined the Engineering Scholars group which has provide me with many volunteer opportunities and the chance to explore the city of Columbus. I’m also involved in SWE (Society of Women in Engineering) and BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society). I got involved in undergraduate research at the beginning of my sophomore year and have spent a lot of my free time between classes there ever since. In the lab I help assist my professor with his work on biomechanical engineering topics and just received a scholarship from the university to continue my work over the summer. I’m grateful for this opportunity as it has provided me with lots of hands on experience I’ll take with me in my future career. While studying at OSU I hope to graduate with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and get involved in the field. If the opportunity arises I’d like to either obtain a research position or even continue my studies in graduate school. I hope to become even more involved on campus and take advantage of all the opportunities it has to offer as I become more comfortable with the course load get into my element.

Career

Resume

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Grh-3sSJjMAFKgYRZ9Xca2CqtuAkVXe_MWHs6uWUUUw/edit?usp=sharing

 

Summary of Applied Experiences

I started working as an undergraduate research assistant at the beginning of my sophomore year in AU19. I work in a biomechanical focused lab with my Intro to Biomedical Engineering Professor, Benjamin Walter. We mostly focus on projects studying how cell volume is effected by different types of compression whether it be by mechanical load, osmotic load, hydrostatic pressure, etc… By the end of my sophomore year, we were getting close to completing a final run that would provide the data we’d use when submitting the paper for review to be published. Unfortunately, the corona virus forced us to push the timeline back but when the time is right, I’ll help complete the run and help to write the paper on which I’ll be names a co-author. Near the end of sophomore year I wrote and submitted a research project proposal for which I was awarded a summer research scholarship from the university. My project aimed to answer the question: How does the pericellular matrix (PCM) effect changes in cell volume under load? This would involve degrading different proteins from tissue (PCM) surrounding individual cells and imaging them while they’re subject to different levels of compressive strain. I would then perform image processing on the resulting images and use the number of pixels in images of the cells to determine cell volume. Normally, this would be done in the research lab at OSU, but since undergrads weren’t permitted on campus this summer due to the virus we had to push back our timeline. I will be completing my experiment at the beginning of fall semester, virus permitting, but for now I’ve been reading prior works on the subject and altering my planned procedure accordingly. I’ve also been collaborating on two different projects in the process of writing papers to be submitted for review.

Technical/Transferrable Skills:

  • MATLAB coding
  • Excel spreadsheets and graphing
  • ImageJ image processing and data extraction
  • Oral Speaking/Presentations
  • Cell culture
  • Tissue Dissection
  • General knowledge of lab protocols and procedures

 

Strength Finder Test Results

  1. Achiever: “People exceptionally talented in the Achiever theme work hard and possess a great deal of stamina. They take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive.”
  2. Deliberative: “People exceptionally talented in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate obstacles.”
  3. Competition: “People exceptionally talented in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.”
  4. Relator: “People exceptionally talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.”
  5. Individualization: “People exceptionally talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how different people can work together productively.”