This week, I made good progress on my research project. My project is to make a 3D-printed mouse holder for Faxitron imaging. I obtained a base structure from the Rodeo Lab at HSS and modified it for the amputated mice that are used in the Bostrom Lab to explore the potential of bone regeneration. To do this, I brainstormed structural design ideas with Dr. Yang and Dr. Chen and edited the original structure on Fusion 360 software. I was then able to 3D print my design on the Ultimaker printer in the lab; it took ~4.5 hours to print the structure. The next steps for this design process are to connect all of the components and give it to other members of the lab to image with to test the consistency of the imaging orientation with the device, compared to without the device. I will likely have to use an iterative design process to find the right dimensions and structure for the lab's needs.
This week in the OR was a little slow because there were some surgery cancellations, but I got to watch two total hip replacements. For these surgeries, the plastic shields were not utilized to create a physical sterile zone, so I was able to get a much better view into the hip cavity to observe what Dr. Bostrom was doing. This allowed me to gain a new appreciation for the surgery and better see the similarities between knee and hip replacements. I also went to a couple of talks this week, one at HSS titled The Role of Subchondral Bone in Osteoarthritis Development, which relates to the work the van der Meulen lab does back in Ithaca. As well as the talk by Dr. Denise Howard, who is an obstetrician, who discussed some of the challenges that remain in women's healthcare.
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