Aditi Rao

• Upholding the BMES constitution and ensuring that organization is abiding by the regulations of BMES National and ASU‬ • Spearheading‬‭ consistent‬‭ and‬‭ efficient‬‭ management‬‭ of‬‭ event‬‭ organization‬‭ and‬‭ membership‬‭ engagement;‬‭ chairing‬‭ all‬‭ meetings‬‭ of‬ Executive Officer Board, Faculty Advisor, and student membership‬ • Led establishment of corporate sponsorship with Becton-Dickinson (BD) and W.L. Gore

Working alongside Dr. Vincent Pizziconi in his BioInspired Complex Adaptive Systems (BioICAS) Laboratory on a project between Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic, I have been testing for the degradative properties of silk fibroin (SF) and biocompatibility of sericin as biomaterials in engineering surgical hardware for regenerative surgeries

Team project aimed at designing an enhanced 3D printed prosthetic for e-NABLE organization •Leading the e-NABLE Design Team in refining designs of current hand prosthetics for users based in Sri Lanka •Managing weekly progress and relationships with community partner in London and industry mentor in Arizona

• Awarded the selective Grand Challenges Research Stipend during the Fall 2024 stipend to conduct mentored research • Producing 3D nano scaffolds using naturally derived sericin (silk protein) polymer to evaluate their biocompatibility and determine cell proliferation rates from cells seeded onto the scaffolds in accordance with ISO 10993 #5 Standard; conducting FTIR analysis and generating optical micrographs for characterization and analysis of isolated silk proteins. • Received a stipend for excellence in academia and dedication to advance pioneering & impactful research in biomedical engineering. • Awarded the 'Outstanding Student Researcher' award for the Fall 2024 semester for my sustained hard work and dedication to biomedical research.

Fall 2023: - Admitted to the selective Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative (FURI) program - Spearheaded a project aimed at testing the degradative nature of silk in accordance with the ISO 10993 #13 Standard; domestically farmed Bombyx mori silkworms; extracted silk threads from cocoons and conducted enzymatic degradation on silk fibroin (SF) fibers using Protease XIV and papain - Awarded stipend for excellence in research and commitment to biomaterials and regenerative medicine advancements. Spring 2024: - Produced domestically-farmed, lab-grown Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons from which sericin was extracted from the silk fibers using the appropriate degumming process - Designed and implemented an in vitro testing method to investigate the biocompatibility of sericin for use as a novel biomaterial in wound healing technologies. - Awarded research stipend for pioneering biomaterial research and its innovative application in development of surgical hardware for regenerative surgery applications

- Led operations in cell culture: passaging, seeding, thawing, freezing cells; qPCR, fluorescence microscopy imaging, statistical analysis (Shapiro-Wilk, Kruskal-Wallis, Levene, ANOVAs, etc.) - Selected as one of 24 undergraduate students in the United States to participate in the WFIRM 2025 Summer Scholars program - Spearheaded a research project aimed at developing cellular therapies for osteoarthritis patients under the mentorship of Dr. Anthony Atala and Dr. Brendyn J. Miller