I find it kind of crazy that this is the final blog post. In these next two weeks, I have quite a bit of wrapping up to do, but I have plenty of time to do so and can't wait to get to the final product. Recently, I placed the Polytek order for my plastics materials (and made sure my final mold material would be able to withstand a drill). Who knew plastic could be so expensive...I finally completed the rest of my reimbursement forms, and I've also been talking to Severn's very own will Toomey about how to implement the LEDs into the design. It seems like soldering LEDs together in a string may be the best option, and I am still sticking with Arduino for the sequences. Thanks to everyone who helped me along the way, especially Mrs. Carsley, and if you are reading this I hope to see you at the fellows fair in late May!
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It's kind of crazy that fellows is over in just a month. This Thursday through Sunday, I visited MIT for a campus preview weekend, where I had many opportunities to learn about bioengineering and biotechnology research going on. A highlight in terms of learning more about my major was when I talked with a (course 20 major) student about bioengineering applications to neuroscience. She described a procedure where neurons can be stimulated with light to fire.
In terms of my project, I handed the model off to Mrs. Carsley and this week I will get it back, know what materials to get, and FINALLY order them. I've met with Toomey (also a fellow) to discuss the logistics of my LED light board and decided that it would be best if I sadder the LED's together behind the model instead of trying to put an Arduino board directly there behind it. This next and final month holds a lot of work for me finalizing the project, so I hope to do more than just one update. Over spring break, I finished the clay model of the two neurons. So as the physical part of my project was on hold for a little bit, I had some time to do more reading on Arduino. I figured out that. Also I ran into a slight issue because there was not enough storage on my computer to run the Arduino program, so I had to wait to get home from vacation to use the family computer to test some things out. I still need some advice about how to integrate the Arduino with the sculpture and how to run different sequences, but there are two people that I have reached out to, (who also happen to be fellows, Jeffrey and Toomey), that I think may be able to help me with this given their knowledge in programming, robotics, and Arduino. Below I've included a photo of me with the final block of clay I used to finish the two neurons, and Nia Savana, who helped me.
Based on my mid-year fellows review, here is how I will conceptually break down my project:
1. Biology research/background - the two courses I took over the summer to gain a better understanding of neuron function - additional research on neuron structure - anatomical sketches 2. Art, Sculpture, and molding materials and techniques - going from a 2D sketch to a 3D object - researching the proper materials I need for the specific shape and scale of the model - techniques on how to cast/make molds - making the mold as accurate as I need for teaching purposes and aesthetically acceptable - consulting outside help in this area 3. Programming/Arduino - figuring out how I could program LED lights to blink sequentially - purchasing an Arduino uno and having to learn to program with arduino Going a step further, the possibility of having different sequences to represent different situations: https://youtu.be/DeJ7KK4gFm0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW6wGkQkLPE 4. Combining all of these elements together in a functional model. I'm still kind of figuring this out. I have been working on the second neuron and hope to finish it by next weekend, where I will update this post with a photo! There are lots of things I have to catch my blog up on!! First, in mid January I met with a professional architect, Mr. Perry Carsley, who frequently builds models and makes molds to discuss my idea and which materials/methods would be best fit for the type of anatomical model I wanted to construct. Here are some notes I took: I have made the smaller half-neuron from my design sculpted out of sulfur-free polymer clay so it can have a silicone mold made of it. I need to construct the larger neuron, but I will be using the same soma (I will fill the mold twice to make two copies) which isn’t physically attached to the clay structure. I have also been learning to program using Arduino, bought an Arduino Uno, and have been working on sequential LED programs. I also made a few stop-motion videos with ideas for further applications of these sequences. From my fellows review board at the beginning of February, I gained some helpful insight regarding the presentation of my project and how to better organize the explanation fo the various parts. In the next few weeks, I will finish the entire clay sculpture of the neuron, and over spring break work with Mrs. Carsley and her husband to help construct the mold itself!
As I begin 2023, the second year in which I am working on fellows, I am excited to announce that I will be ordering materials this Thursday after meeting with Mr. Carsley during a period. I plan to purchase a 15lb kit of silicone for the mold, and a 15lb kit of polyurethane for the model itself. I need some advice about how to make the mother mold itself (probably with plaster), as well as using plasticine clay (non-water based) for part of the mold. I've attached an image of the polytek products I plan to order and will fill out a reimbursement form for those. As I wait for the materials to arrive, I'm going to keep playing with the Arduino coding and see if I can get an LED strip ordered!
It's as easy as ABC..... except when 'ABC' stand for, oh, I don't know, Arduino Board Connections. Because I have a meeting with Mrs. Carsley this Friday and with my mentor Dr. Martin next week, I have held off on purchasing materials so that I can start coding the sequence(s) I need on LEDs. But before I can start the coding itself, I've been playing around with my own Arduino board. Its been quite awhile since I last used it, so I have done some reading and practice on how to code with Arduino. What's great about this kind of work is that I can do it from anywhere... and don't have to wear gloves like I would to mix plastics around in a vat!
After preforming some vigorous mathematical calculations (repeated cylindrical volumetric estimation), I found a number based on the scale of the model for the volume that the model itself would take up, which is 400 inches cubed. The polyurethane that polytek markets is 26.9 in³/lb, so I plan to purchase the 15 lb kit, which I have filled out a requisition form for. I also calculated how much silicone I would need for the mother mold, and I plan to purchase a 16 pound kit. My next step is creating the polymer clay base structure that I’m making the mold around.
Amidst the copious time-demanding tasks required of the college applications, I have decided that it would be best to make myself a realistic winter timeline of everything I plan to accomplish from now until the New Year, taking into account the other college apps I still have to complete! So, I have attached a document with my plans/timeline and goal(s) for the New Year. I will also be meeting with Mrs. Carsley soon to discuss my project's progress.
I've sent off my current design plans (as well as my idea for how I want the model to be displayed using a metal stand) to Mrs. Carsley's husband, who frequently does model making. I've also included descriptions of how I need the materials I choose to perform, and plan to place my polytek order after talking to him (because believe it or not, plastic is pretty pricey). I still plan to use a brush-on model with a mother mold because I want my model to be around 2 feet long, but that may change after my meeting! Stay tuned!
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