This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
An ongoing challenge in bioengineering is to mimic the natural structures and processes of the human body effectively. For instance, to design replacements for segments of arteries and veins, bioengineers must first develop a thorough understanding of how real blood vessels behave.
This summer, Trustee Scholar Andrew Rau ’08 (Jackson Center, Pa.) is compiling data about the mechanical properties of blood vessels to advance biomechanical engineering studies in the field.
Rau is collaborating with Jenn Rossmann, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, through Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped to make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations.
Rau is reviewing research literature to understand assumptions made about blood vessels, what is known about them, and what studies should be performed next.
“The study of arterial and venous mechanical properties is an interesting field because the vessels themselves exhibit properties which do not fit in with any other fundamental material model,” he says. “The complex biostructure of the walls gives blood vessels unique dynamic properties which set them apart from other engineering materials, and determining those exact properties and structures is a very interesting field of study.”
Rau contacted Rossmann and expressed an interest in assisting with her research. A mechanical engineering major, Rau has never taken a course in fluid dynamics, so he is learning as he goes.
“Working with [Professor Rossmann] has given me a great deal of knowledge about fluid mechanics and its biological applications,” he says.
Rossmann believes Rau’s ability to learn on his feet is helping produce quality results.
“He has proven himself to be intrepid and very motivated to learn and understand,” she says.
Rau selected mechanical engineering because it offers a variety of applications, giving him the opportunity to explore areas such as heat transfer, fluid mechanics, bioengineering, and circuit analysis. The EXCEL experience may be a determining factor in whether he decides to pursue bioengineering at the graduate level.
“The EXCEL program has tremendous benefits,” says Rau. “It provides students with an opportunity to experience higher levels of application for their education, and provides preparation for graduate studies. It also provides professors with necessary help to advance the studies in their field of research.”
“Sharing my enthusiasm for these subjects with undergraduates, and enabling them to perform their own investigations, is terrifically thrilling,” adds Rossmann. “The EXCEL program provides the resources for these students to perform meaningful research as undergraduates.”
Rau is a member of the student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Kappa Delta Rho fraternity, and he plays intramural sports. He studied abroad during the spring semester in Brussels, Belgium with a group of Lafayette engineering students. Rau is a graduate of Lakeview High School.
Selected from among Lafayette’s top applicants, Trustee Scholars like Rau have distinguished themselves through exceptional academic achievement in high school. Lafayette provides them with an annual minimum scholarship of $7,500 ($8,000 effective with the Class of 2009) or a grant in the full amount of their demonstrated need if the need is more than $7,500.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.