FSE 150, Grand Challenges for Engineers

Though I was familiar with ASU’s research themes, FSE 150 serves as a great foundation to get involved in research. Having a faculty member from most schools and faculty involved in the program, allows students to interact, ask questions, and learn more about research being done at ASU. I learned more about sustainability after hearing Dr. Abbaszadegan, whose research focuses on environmental microbiology. He is working on new ways to detect viruses, bacteria and parasites. Even though this research area is related to sustainability, it overlaps with grand challenges related to health. I also learned more about research conducted at the SWETTE Center for Environmental Biotechnology. Alongside this research area, I was introduced to energy research after listening more about what Dr. Rittmann does in at this center. He works with cyanobacterium synechocystis, which are one of the most primitive photosynthetic organisms, to increase the amount of biomass when working with plants and microorganisms. There is a critical need to develop tools to increase the efficiency of solar energy in order to tackle the inefficiency of current energy sources.

Nowadays, Internet and technology surround us and make our life easier. However, I was unaware of the concept of internet of things. I enjoyed applying this concept during some class activities where we came up with ideas on how to implement technology in areas like education, transportation, agriculture, health care, among others. The research done at labs like the Media Lab at MIT, opens the doors for creativity and collaboration to develop technology no one ever thought about. I believe research related to education can have a great impact in the way STEM is implemented in schools, and hence develop better technology in the future. With this increase in technology involvement, security has become an critical research area. Developing hardware and software that protect corporations and individual users’ information has become a demand. Moreover, securing countries from nuclear and other attacks is a challenge. Learning more about the research done by Dr. Shakarian was mind-blowing. His background in the army and the Chicago Police Department have inspired him to develop tools for cyber security and tracking criminal activity.

Lastly, the research topic that relates to the grand challenges I have decided to work on, reverse engineering the brain, is the one I am most passionate about. Unfortunately, I had to miss class the week where we talked about health research because I attended the Biomedical Engineering Society conference to present my research. However, I explored this theme with my team as we developed a prototype of a nanotechnology sensor for plaque detection and blood pressure tracking. Comparing this project to my senior design capstone project, it allows students to develop a concept after evaluating a need and opportunity in society, evaluate the social challenges and impact this technology will bring, and come up with a way to implement an idea.  

Though this course is for freshman students, I learned more about other research areas of the program. The thing that I enjoyed the most was being able to mentor and give advice to some of my classmates. I know the program can be overwhelming; however, there are unlimited resources at ASU to make students successful and better prepare them for the challenges of the 21st century. Thanks to this program and my involvement with research, I have decided to pursue a DPT/PhD program, which combines a doctorate in Physical Therapy with a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on biomechanics and rehabilitation to develop technology to improve the quality of life of those who suffer from neurological disorders.