This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only.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.
Jenn Rossmann, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) major research instrumentation acquisition grant to enhance her research in the study of blood flow through vessels.
The NSF grant, amounting to $139,530, begins Sept. 1 and lasts until Aug. 31, 2008.
The grant will be used to acquire a 3D Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system for making measurements of fluid flows. This is done by making a model of a realistic blood vessel with a test fluid, such as water mixed with glycerol. Then seed particles are put into the fluid and consecutive pictures of the model are taken in a very short time apart, so the movement of the particles can be measured. A laser is used to illuminate a small area of flow at a time, measuring the speed of the fluid and monitoring its motion.
“PIV is a state-of-the-art technique, and it will be great to expose students to this technique in both classes and experimental research,” Rossmann says.
Rossman’s research involves modeling the flow in blood vessels affected by diseases like atherosclerosis and/or aneurysm. Most of Rossman’s work is computational, and the PIV system will allow her to perform physical experiments on vessels similar to the ones she has modeled numerically on the computer.
She hopes the results will corroborate each other and lead to a richer understanding of the dynamics of blood flow in these vessels, which can have implications for diagnosis, treatment, and patient health.
She began her worklast year withmechanical engineering graduateBrent Utter ’06 (Concord, N.H.). As his thesis advisor, they developed a method for surgeons to more accurately assess whether a brain aneurysm is in danger of rupturing. This summer, she continued worked with Trustee Scholar and mechanical engineering major Andrew Rau ’08 (Jackson Center, Pa.) in EXCEL research.
EXCEL scholars and honors students will work with the system during Rossmann’s continuing research, and many mechanical engineering, civil/environmental engineering, and mathematics majors will be exposed to the PIV system during coursework.
“Providing our students with exposure to and experience with this sort of state-of-the-art technique is a wonderful benefit of the grant, and this is a valuable experience for their future careers and educations,” Rossman says. “I’m excited to have received the grant, especially since NSF budgets are tightening. I think it reflects on the College’s commitment to a true integration of research and education.”
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.