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ANNA
IWANIEC:
Bioengineering
Graduate Student Working Close to the Heart
Spring
2002
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Prototype
designs demonstrating how helical bands can be used to create
a squeezing action were originally conceived to create valveless
pumps. Such design principles may lead to important biomedical
fluid displacement devices.
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The
graduate students working on their PhDs in Bioengineering
come to Caltech from a variety of disciplines
and institutions. Anna Iwaniec, however, is homegrown. After completing
her BS in Engineering and Applied Science (with honors), with
a concentration in Mechanical Engineering, she tinkered around
for a year in various engineering-type things. In contact with
Professor Mory Gharib, she returned to Caltech as an engineer
in his cardiovascular fluids dynamics laboratory. Her interest
and ability in mechanical design lent itself perfectly to the
design and testing of a few of Gharib's heart pump ideas.
Working
closely with the pumps simultaneously expanded and concentrated
her thinking about her future directions. What the world needs
now, she thought, were new paradigms in medical device and product
design.
Oftentimes,
medical devices are designed by doctors. I think that I can offer
new ideas to the industry by applying my engineering skills. It
is the combination of backgrounds that will allow for the development
of innovative designs.
Gharib
suggested that she apply to the new Option in Bioengineering.
World-class biological sciences research was happening a couple
of buildings away on campus and, if she could integrate the two
broad areas, maybe she could approach these same engineering problems
in radical ways and truly advance the work she was doing.
That
was the upside. The flipside was that a mechanical engineer now
had to take biology classes (a couple of buildings away) from
Caltech's superstars of anatomy, physiology, molecular biophysics,
neurobiology, and the like. Ouch. This was going to be hard and,
not surprisingly, it is.
I
was really nervous jumping into classes without all the background
that most of the students had, though I knew that the courses
would give me knowledge important for gaining a broader perspective
of my research.
But
Caltech seems to attract people who rise to the challenge and
make things their own.
How's
she doing? Nearly nine months into the program, Anna's excited.
The course work thus far is as interesting and fulfilling as it
is challenging, and there are great people all around.
No
matter how abstract the work at Caltech gets, you know that you
can always rely on fellow students and faculty to lead you in
the right direction to help you accomplish your goals.
We'll
get back to you in a few years to let you know where it's all
leading... ENG
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