Fluid Mechanics Research

OVERVIEW

My work is a follow-up to the research that Ph.D. student Lucy Fitzgerald was working on. Lucy was able to successfully implant a very small sensor into the airway of a rabbit and have it detect when an asthma attack was occurring. The first live testing of this kind of device!

Professor Daniel Quinn and I want to make this type of tracking 1) able to predict an asthma attack BEFORE it happens and 2) non-invasive.

Current Work

Currently, we are working on combining the 2 types of predictors for asthma attacks (biosignals & Environment) into a mechanical device. This is a two-part monitoring system that will involve sending real-time retrieved and collected data to the Internet of Things along with using an on-person audio device to pick up on signals of impending trouble breathing such as increased coughing or wheezing.

This past semester I even got the opportunity to give a demo of the lab setup and the work that I do to a few groups of middle school girls in partnership with the Society of Women Engineers!