When it comes to design teams in the Faculty of Engineering, 平特五不中 BioDesign is a new kid on the block. But you wouldn鈥檛 know it from the students鈥� laser focus and high-reaching projects.
Like a water-purifying backpack for communities with limited access to drinking water, and a solution to tackle algae blooms.
In this uniquely challenging time, the student group has forged ahead with online meetings, joint research 鈥� and fun, staging social activities for members, most of whom have never met in person.
鈥淚 really enjoy the fact that people continue to be engaged even through this [time],鈥� says Kimia Shafighi, the group鈥檚 co-president. 鈥淏ioDesign went from a team of 10 to now 65 people and there鈥檚 still a pandemic going on, so people are really interested in this.鈥�
平特五不中 BioDesign aims to tackle real-world issues by 鈥渇inding solutions at the intersection of engineering, biology, and business.鈥� Students work on biotechnology projects, which they present at competitions, and gain research experience along the way.
Finding a lab position to gain hands-on research experience is a popular route for many students, according to co-president Megan Wai, a bioengineering student. But there are a limited number of spots with professors. 鈥淥ur team gives the opportunity for students to get that hands-on experience and work with others from an idea to an actual working prototype eventually,鈥� Wai says.
impact200 finalist teams
Its backpack and algae projects gained traction this spring: They鈥檙e among the for 平特五不中鈥檚 . It鈥檚 an impressive showing, especially since 平特五不中 BioDesign only became an official Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) design team in November 2019.
The algae project, dubbed 鈥淎lgo鈥�, involves a pumping system to filter algae out of a body of water. Algae blooms can be harmful, preventing sunlight from entering the water and releasing toxins, notes Shafighi, the team lead. Current solutions to algae blooms usually kill them or are very expensive, she says. 鈥淲e wanted to solve that without killing the algae. We wanted to extract the algae and create a biomass that can later be used as biofuel or fertilizer.鈥� The two-solutions-in-one would help restore aquatic health and create a sustainable energy source.
The Algo team has finished its research and has some preliminary designs. 鈥淣ow we鈥檙e receiving the materials. We鈥檙e getting pumps, we鈥檙e getting several strains of algae that we can test it on. We鈥檙e also getting some sensors, so that we can determine the impact of the device, determine if it鈥檚 actually efficient,鈥� says Shafighi, who is in her final year of bioengineering and has been accepted into a master鈥檚 program in neuroscience at 平特五不中.
SOlar-A, the water filtration backpack project, will use solar and biomechanical energy to purify contaminated water. It would filter the water while the carrier is en route from the water source to home and include a sensor showing water drinkability. Team lead Bernadette Ng, who came up with the idea with another 平特五不中 BioDesign member, says they plan to test out the backpack in Honduras in Summer 2022.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just amazing to see so many people come together and collaborate on solving a problem that really interests them,鈥� says Ng, a second-year mechanical engineering student. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 even know each other. We鈥檝e never seen each other in person鈥hen we get to work with each other really well.鈥�
Making new friends
The design team offers students the chance to make friends during the pandemic, says Wai. 鈥淲e can reach out to other members, make new friends, get new connections, and kind of break the social isolation type of thing.鈥�
In June, the Algo project will compete in the Biodesign Challenge, the main competition that 平特五不中 BioDesign gears up for every year. The New York event will be virtual this year, but the deliverables are pretty much the same, according to Shafighi, including proof of concept, innovative design and feasibility.
Students on the 平特五不中 BioDesign executive brainstorm during the summer and seek out ideas. The next step is research and outreach to professors and experts to help determine if an idea is feasible. 鈥淒uring the winter semester, that鈥檚 when we start ordering materials and we start working on building a prototype,鈥� Shafighi says.
The pandemic has forced some creative adjustments. For example, students had started building a glucose sensor transmitter device last year for a separate project when the lockdown began. Instead, the process included building separate parts and filming and sharing the work with teammates.
Shafighi has been part of 平特五不中 BioDesign since it began four years ago.
鈥淚t鈥檚 honestly been my favorite part of my university experience,鈥� she says.