Hey followers! Chances are you’re looking forward to reading about some interesting research that the BASIS seniors are conducting. So here’s what I’m going to be up to during the third trimester, and what led me to do it

 I have always had an interest in anatomy and biology, because I believe studying how our body works is the first step towards becoming healthier and more able as people. I am particularly intrigued by biology, because the same functions and processes that we learn in class are in effect both within us and around us. The complexity and diversity of biology appeals to me greatly. On another note, I have always been comfortable in math and physics, because, unlike biology, there is always a right answer to a problem. Nearly everything is black and white, and there is not much ambiguity. When I was looking for a site to conduct my research, I wanted to focus on my interest in biology, while maintaining a focus on the engineering aspect of biology.

Like some of my peers, I will be doing my senior research project at a hospital. But unlike most of my classmates, I will be working at Cardon Children’s Medical Center, a children’s hospital in Mesa. During my time there, I will be shadowing pediatric surgeons during their work in the hospital. I will get to go to the operating room and observe surgeries. I think this will be a particularly unique experience, because the challenges presented by pediatric surgery, such as the smaller bodies of children, are significantly different from surgery on adults. On the research side of my internship, I will be focusing on the effectiveness of the sutures used during anastomosis procedures, in which two ends of an intestine are sewn back together. By testing the pediatric surgeons on practice models with both barbed sutures and knotted sutures, I will be able to conclude which type of suture made the surgery easier for the surgeons.