Leo Stocco, Electrical & Computer Engineering, UBC

EECE 597	Prof. K. Walus - ECE

To Apply:	email	For information & availability of specific projects.
ID	Status	Name
KW-1	Available	Test Bench Development for Printed Electronics
The student will be working with a PhD student of the Walus Lab (ECE) to develop an electrical test bench for rapid positioning and testing of printed electronic devices. The idea is to have a 3D printed 4-probe measurement head on the Z-axis with pressure sensor control to achieve consistency in probing force levels. The probe unit is to be interfaced with a source meter for data acquisition. Substrates to be tested include glass and polymer sheets with arrays of printed devices which will require a moving XY stage for proper positioning of the electrodes under the probe prior to testing and can be verified by integrated image capturing capability.
KW-2	Available	User Interface Development for Printable Electronics
The student will work with an existing PhD student of the Walus Lab (ECE) to develop a user interface for inkjet printing of electronic devices such as resistors, capacitors, transistors etc. The basis of this project is an existing prototype code written in Python which controls a 3-axis linear stage on which the print heads developed in the lab are to be mounted for printing the aforementioned structures. This code is also responsible for driving a precision pressure controller which is capable of driving 8 channels in parallel so as to ensure variations in volume ratios of the inks to be jetted on to the substrate (glass, polymer etc) for rapid prototyping and testing of printed electronics. The student will be required to thoroughly understand and improve upon the existing code, adding necessary elements as and when required in a dynamic manner. Good knowledge of programming languages and user interface development is an essential requirement for this project.
KW-3	Available	Electrically Conductive Bioprinted Cardiac Tissue
Synchronized contraction of the heart is regulated by the uninterrupted translation of electrical signals between cardiac cells. Therefore, highly conductive cardiac tissues tend to beat more efficiently. Our lab is developing bioprinted cardiac tissues to use as drug screening/toxicity platforms and we would like to investigate potential means for improving their electrical conductivity. The student selected to work on this project will have the opportunity to help our postdoctoral fellow (PDF) in the design, production, and testing of these tissues. If they so desire, this student will also have the opportunity to shadow the PDF as they carry out their day to day tasks, to gain additional knowledge regarding topics unrelated to their selected project.
KW-4	Available	Development of a Force Sensor for Bioprinted Cardiac Tissue
One of the most important functional characteristics of a cardiomyocyte is its ability to produce contractile forces; therefore, the ability to quantify this contraction would be highly beneficial. The focus of this position will be on the development and fabrication of a system which is capable of measuring the contractile forces produced by 3D bioprinted cardiac tissues. This system will serve as a means of accessing the functional performance of these tissues for cardiotoxic drug screening studies. The tissues will be produced using lab-on-printer technology developed by the Walus Lab. The student selected to work on this project will have the opportunity to design and construct this force analysis system under the advisement of the postdoctoral fellow (PDF) leading this work. If they so desire, the student will also have the opportunity to shadow the PDF as they carry out their day to day tasks, to gain additional knowledge regarding topics unrelated to their selected project.
KW-5	Available	Nozzle Design Effect on Fiber Form in 3D Bioprinter
Nozzle design plays a critical role in fibre development within extrusion-bases bioprinters. Standard needle-based nozzles exert shear forces on the printed biomaterials, which can result in substantial cell death in the regions near the needle walls. Additionally, in these systems, fibre dimeter can only be altered by adjusting the diameter of the nozzle itself (with smaller nozzles resulting in higher shear forces). Alternatively, in coaxial printheads, the cells can be protected from these high shear forces by surrounding the biomaterial with a protective low-viscosity sheath layer. In these systems, the ratio between material pressure and sheath pressure can be used to regulate fibre diameter. The primary goal of this study is to quantify the shear forces present in both types of printheads and characterize how material viscosity, print spead, and narrowing the fibre diameter alters these forces, and in turn, cell viability. The student selected to work on this project will work under the supervision of a postdoctoral fellow (PDF), and will be tasked with the computational and experimental determination of these shear forces. If they so desire, this student will also have the opportunity to shadow the PDF as they carry out their day to day tasks, to gain additional knowledge regarding topics unrelated to their selected project.
KW-6	Available	Microfluidic Dispensing Controller
This project comprises the optimization of a Python-based UI which controls different components of a microfluidic dispensing system. The student must be adept in Python and able to make quick changes to the mother code after consultations with the PhD student working on the hardware-end to facilitate experimentation on short notice.