Matthew Loh ’04 of Singapore, an electrical and computer engineering major with a minor in mathematics, is designing a mock circulatory system to improve testing procedures for heart assistance devices.
He presented his research last month at the Northeast Bioengineering Conference hosted by Western New England College and in October at a session sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the annual meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society in Nashville, Tenn.
“A mock circulatory system is essentially a fluid model of the human blood circulation system. One way to describe a fluid system is to use an electrical circuit-based analog,” explains Loh, who is conducting the yearlong independent research project in pursuit of honors in his major. “The focus of the model I am working with is to act as a test and validation platform for left ventricular assist devices, so the model is most detailed in simulating the function and characteristics of the left, or systemic, side of the heart.”
Ventricular assist devices have been used as bridge-to-transplant or bridge-to-recovery devices for heart failure patients. These devices usually rely on animal testing to understand the interaction between the cardiovascular system and the devices. Loh’s adviser, Yih-Choung Yu, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, received a grant from the Lindback Foundation for research that could improve testing procedures for heart assist devices and enhance cardiovascular physiology instruction.
“Matt is trying to use mathematics and engineering to determine the differences in heart function between healthy and sick patients,” Yu explains. “Right now we depend on animal testing to design these so-called ‘artificial hearts.’ This method is extremely expensive and not always successful. This project approaches cardiovascular function from an engineering perspective.”
Loh began working on this project two years ago through Lafayette’s EXCEL Scholars program, in which students assist faculty with research 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 in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
Loh presented a paper at last year’s National Conference for Undergraduate Research based on his findings.
“I originally started work on the project because I felt it would expose me to areas outside what would be considered ‘traditional’ for an electrical and computer engineering major,” he says. “Biomedical engineering is something that we are hearing more and more about these days, and it certainly is a very important field with many implications for the future. It is also an interesting field.
“For me, it’s exciting to see the way in which my experience in electrical engineering is applicable to something as seemingly unrelated as biology and medicine,” he adds. “I have certainly broadened my scope of knowledge. I have had an opportunity to see the field of electrical engineering outside what one might consider ‘traditional’ courses.”
Throughout this research, Loh has formed a bond with Yu that has fueled his academic growth in this field and other areas of his major.
“My mentor acts as a guide,” he says. “He points my research in the right direction, gives me information when I need it to overcome particular difficulties, and lets me know about opportunities outside Lafayette, such as conferences. I have enjoyed working with him very much. He is approachable and knowledgeable, and certainly well qualified in the field.”
Loh is considering pursuing biomedical engineering in graduate school, but he has no set plans.
“The work I have completed, and the work I continue to undertake in this area, is of great utility in this decision-making process,” he says.
“Lafayette is a good environment,” adds Loh. “Without the EXCEL program, I never would have even considered this. The faculty is also very encouraging and approachable, which is certainly a plus. In general I am very pleased.”
Loh received the Finley W. and Ethelwyne H. Smith Electronic Engineering Prize, awarded annually to the electrical and computer engineering senior who has earned, at the end of the junior year, the highest cumulative average attained by any senior who is working for department honors with a project in the electronics or communications field.
He is president of the college chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, and a member of the student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, International Students Association, College Choir, Madrigal Singers, Lafayette Christian Fellowship, and the Dry Surfers, a living group of students with an interest in technology and substance-free living.
Honors thesis projects are among several major opportunities at Lafayette that make the College a national leader in undergraduate research. Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty-two Lafayette students were invited to present their work at last month’s conference.