By Alex Prideaux

My independent research is into the methane production of North American termites. In order to complete my research I required a ton of materials. Sensors, containers, switches, microcontrollers, and of course – the termites themselves (which are actually crazy expensive). The initial tests required housing different sections of termites in different containers to see if they would produce methane differently based on their diet. This quickly proved to be too big of a bite for me to swallow academically so I worked with Professor Kessler to refine the experiment into one that…. Still didn’t get quite the results we were looking for, but produced solid data, and more importantly, helped me understand exactly how to solve all the issues I was coming across. So the next version of this experiment should produce data I can actually publish. I plan on staying in the Rochester area post-graduation and continuing my research. I included the abstract and introduction to the paper I wrote on my research below.

Abstract

Termites produce significant amounts of methane as a byproduct of their digestion. Zimmerman et al. estimate that, globally, termites could produce as much as 1.5*1014 grams of methane per year. This experiment is designed to analyze the methane production of North American termites. To test this, Eastern Subterranean termites (Reticulitermes flavipes) were kept in a closed system that was regularly flushed with clean air. After flushing, the system was closed again, and methane was allowed to build up. While significant sources of error prevent the conclusions from this study from being completely reliable, the data collected in this way suggests that a moderate size termite colony could produce methane equivalent to about 40 Watts of energy. It is worth noting that this is significantly higher than the estimates in Zimmerman et al. showing the need for added testing.

Introduction:

This experiment used a two-part enclosure (figure 1). Termites lived and digested wood and paper in the lower container (no additional wood or paper was added over the course of the experiment), while gas was collected in the upper container. The upper container also held a methane sensor and a temperature/humidity sensor. The container would be flushed of methane before the test and then methane levels were allowed to build back up, this supplied approximate rates of methane production. The levels seen were consistent across most tests. There was a significant die-off of termites halfway through testing and tests after that point showed significantly lower methane production rates, but similar peak values. This, and the fact that observed rates far exceed those found by Zimmerman et al. indicates a number of flaws in the experiment. It seems there was gas escaping the current system leading to an equilibrium point of ~ 1700 parts per million of methane (PPM). There also seem to be factors that affected the readout of the methane sensor that falsely inflated the magnitude of readings. The most likely explanation for this is CO2 present in the system. 

1)    Zimmerman, P. R., et al. “Termites: A Potentially Large Source of Atmospheric Methane, Carbon Dioxide, and Molecular Hydrogen.” Science, vol. 218, no. 4572, 1982, pp. 563–565., https://doi.org/10.1126/science.218.4572.563. 

Alex Prideaux is a mechanical engineering major and journalism minor who wants to develop technologies and methods for: green energy production, low-resource food production, tech communication, problem-solving in early education, space missions, and storytelling through games like Dungeons and Dragons. He can be found dancing, working in his Hopeman office, or staring at birds in Genesee Vally Park. You can contact him at aprideau@u.rochester.edu or on LinkedIn

By Helen Shammas

Technology has revolutionized the healthcare industry, and medical device conferences have played a crucial role in advancing this technology. Medical device conferences provide a platform for healthcare professionals and technology developers to showcase the latest advancements in the field. As a student in the Center for Medical Technology and Innovation (CMTI) Biomedical Engineering Master’s  Program, I was particularly interested in MD&M West which is part of the largest annual advanced manufacturing event in the US and the conferences that showcase MedTech industry leaders and innovations. The conference included many events, including but not limited to networking opportunities, exhibits, workshops, and speakers.

One of the workshops that was interesting to me was a case study on medical devices and clinical trends. This workshop focused on what trends are driving some of the biggest changes in the industry, it spoke about the effects of our daily changes on the MedTech “ecosystem”. The speaker highlighted how the pandemic revealed how truly broken the supply chain system is, how many alterations had to be enforced within a very short period of time, and the increased demand for telehealth among health professionals. The case study also highlighted the trend for non-invasive solutions. This part was particularly relevant to my CMTI project which focuses on a non-invasive surgical procedure.

Another particularly interesting session was a speaker panel from Johnson & Johnson, the medical devices and pharmaceutical company. They started by talking about their different experiences and background but then gave a lot of amazing advice starting from how to get into a company like J&J, but also how to properly self-examine yourself and your efforts to further grow. They talked about how it is important to always work on your leadership qualities and never stop networking as leveraging internal relationships can often be the key to success. The setup of this session included some informal networking and two of the panel speakers were willing to have a lengthier chat with me after the session which was extremely informative and useful for my next steps.

The conference however was not only limited to these speakers and workshops. The exhibit hall was one of the biggest that I’ve ever seen. The variety of technologies was astounding, ranging from robotic arms and manufacturing setups to hydrophobic materials and lab equipment. Everybody was extremely friendly, and once they knew that I’m a student, they were happy to talk to me about what they do, their main products, and also about their life in the company, and if they had openings. More importantly, I went to the conference with the mindset of finding technologies that may be useful to my project or other projects in my class. This was indeed possible, and many representatives were happy to talk about their usual applications and the limits of their products. I did leave the conference with so much more information and well so many more brochures, booklets, and business cards for all these companies.

I wanted to thank the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for offering me the support necessary to attend this opportunity. This support is what helped me learn so much more about a side of the medical industry that I’ve never seen before. It allowed me to network with potential useful resources for my project and provided me with the opportunity to meet experienced leaders and entrepreneurs in the field.

Helen Shammas ‘23 is a master’s student in the Center for Medical Technology and Innovation (CMTI) Biomedical Engineering Master’s Program. She graduated last year from the University of Rochester with a major in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Chemical Engineering. She balances both her program and research at the Chia-Lung Lab with the simple connection of being extremely interested in orthopedics. After graduation, Helen is interested in pursuing a career in manufacturing and is interested in improving the translation from the lab to scale-up.

By Brandon Davis ’23 (PhD)

On Wednesday, March 8th, 2023, the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, MyHub, and the student organization for entrepreneurial trainees at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, SMD Entrepreneurs, hosted the second annual SMD Big Ideas in Science and Medicine Pitch Competition.

As a 6^th year biochemistry PhD Candidate, co-founder of RHM Innovations Inc., and founder and president of SMD Entrepreneurs, I designed this competition as an opportunity for experiential learning, to gain valuable experience pitching ideas and receiving feedback from scientific experts with years of business experience.  Our whole platform is centered around experiential learning: each month we have an interactive workshop or an invited speaker, who themselves received rigorous scientific or medical training, that has applied their skills to become successful entrepreneurs.  It has been very beneficial for our members to connect with people they can relate to and would like to emulate.

Although we’re excited about business development, SMD Entrepreneurs has something for everyone, whether it’s learning about investing, consulting, or making connections with distinguished scientists and industry leaders. SMD Entrepreneurs aim to show that entrepreneurship is a career path that trainees should consider.  In a world with increasing financial uncertainty, gaining entrepreneurship skills provides increased security that us trainees can provide interdisciplinary value to a variety of institutions in academia and industry.  As a group, we are rapidly growing and very excited to continue offering more experiential learning opportunities with cash prizes to our trainees.  For the second year in a row, I was thrilled to be the EMCEE and connect with so many talented and enthusiastic young entrepreneurs.

With the help of the SMD Entrepreneurs network, we were able to assemble a panel of distinguished judges for the competition, including Dr. Steve Feldon, Dr. Robert Hill, Dr. Ram Haddas, and Dr. Anthony Franchini. Six teams competed, giving a three-minute pitch of their venture or idea, followed by Q&A with the judges. The judges critically evaluated each team, and selected first, second, and third place winners.

The first-place prize of $500 was awarded to Phlotonics. Team members Daniel Steiner Ph.D, Benjamin Miller Ph.D., and Michael Bryan Ph.D, proposed multiplex, photonic integrated circuit sensors to drastically decrease diagnostic time and cost, while increasing information density and sensitivity.

Second place and $250 went to GutSounds’ Krish Jain (BS) for his proposal of a mobile application that leverages artificial intelligence to pre-diagnose and detect gastrointestinal issues through the analysis of abdominal sounds and visual aids.

Finally, third place and $125 was awarded to Michal Shaposhnikov (Ph.D) of DRUGS!, an informational tool for parents and children that allows anyone to explore the finer scientific details in a fun and collaborative experience.

This event would not have been possible without the help and support from many key collaborators: Eric Vaughn and Elaine Smolok of MyHub for their continued support and financial contribution to the competition; Kathy Driscoll, Heidi Mergenthaler, Erin Sefca, and Catherine Livingston at the Ain Center for sharing their resources and enthusiasm of bringing entrepreneurship to URMC; and our SMD Entrepreneurs institutional and community connections for helping us connect with our judges. The collaboration of everyone involved allowed us to showcase some of the innovative research happening on our campus.

Congratulations to the winning teams! You can watch the full video of the competition on Vimeo.

Brandon Davis ’23 is a 6^th year biochemistry PhD Candidate and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, co-founder of RHM Innovations Inc., and founder and president of student organization SMD Entrepreneurs.