Our "base", the rental apartment, was located in Marina Del Ray, a nautical community nestled around harbor just south of the city Santa Monica. It is a personable community with many apartments, restaurants and stores.
Among the cities visited was the city of San Diego. We participated in a "Engineering Application in Cardiac Medicine" conference through Johns Hopkins University CTY program which was hosted on the campus of University of California San Diego.
The UCSD campus is located in the La Jolla area, about 120 miles south from Los Angeles and almost 15 miles north from downtown San Diego. The campus was abuzz and filled with palpable excitement, for aside from the conference, it happened to be the move-in date for the new University students. Carloads of freshmen with their proud parents, grandparents, family and friends were coming in packed vehicles feeling delighted and optimistic about this part in their journey in life.
After a check-in procedure and breakfast, we gathered with about 100 attendees to the conference center. There, Dr. Marsden and Dr. Alamo gave an insightful look into past and present challenges of Cardiac Medicine. We learned how the first heart surgeries were conducted, and how the procedure has evolved since then. We observed an open heart surgery through video, and learned how engineers have helped overcome many of the obstacles cardiac medicine faces. The thought-process and techniques that go into the complex research of improving ways people with cardiac conditions can live.
The opening presentation was followed by six hands-on laboratory exercises and lectures. This image is from a Vortex Cannon workshop with graduate students Rossini and Borja. We learned about the vortex ring formation in the aortic sinus of the heart and its purpose and function. The lecture was concluded with a hands-on, fun exercise with a vortex cannon built with a smoker and a cardboard box with a hole, to concretely demonstrate the behavior of the vortex.
Daniel was inspired by another lecture presented by Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Bastounis and graduate student researcher Alvarez-Gonzales. He learned about the circulatory system and was given demonstrations how the circulatory system exists, functions and stays viable via an example of Physarum growth in a Petri Dish.
The CTY students experimented with the Rheology of fluids in this hands-on activity made with a concoction of corn starch and water. They tested the viscosity concept; the ability of a fluid to resist gradual deformation by shear, and learned how different particles in fluid can change its (fluids) behavior under stress.
A nutritious and heart-healthy lunch was served in the Structural and Materials Engineering building's Cymer Center Terrace. The place opens up to let the surrounding nature in.
Jasmin and her CTY peers took a lot of notes in the many lectures of the day. Among them were Statistics of Disease Diagnosis, Bernoulli Lab and Exercise Physiology Lab presented by Fellows, Doctorates and Graduate student researchers.
The Associate Professor Dr. Marsden demonstrated some of the current engineering applications used in Cardiac Medicine. Here is a picture of a stent, heart pumps, and a y-graft for Fontan surgery - all bio-engineered to function in a stable fashion inside the human body. A lot of research has gone into ensuring they neither create an inflammatory response nor stress the heart and neighboring organs under normal or stressful conditions.
Dr. Marsden and Jasmin enjoying a visit over the Cardiac applications. They are both holding heart pumps in their hands.
The inspiring team of experts from Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department of UC San Diego led by Associate Professor Dr. Marsden, along with some of the CTY students.
The day left these scholars, just like their parents, inspired and excited. We stayed and visited afterwards with the staff, other parents and students in the Conference Center Terrace. The feelings most everyone left with was gratitude, respect and inspiration. Not only towards the UCSD researchers and CTY, but towards the science of Cardiac Medicine and the resourcefulness of human mind when faced with challenging obstacles.
After the lectures we toured the University premises and stopped at The University of California San Diego's Geisel library. This architectural delight was originally designed in 1960 and sits at the head of a canyon. It is 8 stories tall, which is approximately 110 feet or 35 meters tall.
There was still a little bit of time left for some sight-seeing of the city. These last photographs are taken from La Jolla Beach as the last rays of sun kissed the shores the Pacific Ocean.
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