Meet the Team: Student Team

Vanessa

Vanessa Smith

Team Lead
Vanessa will be graduating in June with her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and with a Minor in Material Science and Engineering. Vanessa, as the team lead, coordinated tasks between team members and assisted in the adaptation of the circuit to stream data to a computer.

Taylor

Taylor Greene

Market and Product Research
Taylor will be graduating in June with her B.S in Biomedical Engineering. As a researcher, Taylor assisted in surveying the current market and creating presentations for the project. She also helped with 3D printing and selecting cell culture protocols. After graduation, she is continuing her education in the fall at UC Irvine and will be graduating with her Master’s degree in 2023.

Nick

Nicholas Trujillo

Circuit Design Lead
Nick will graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a B.S. in biomedical engineering and a minor in bioinformatics. Nick was in charge of the circuit design and construction of the circuit. After graduating he will pursue a job in the engineering field.

Branden

Branden Clark

Housing Design Lead
Branden will be graduating in June with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. Branden’s primary role was creating the design for the housing of the MEA and electrical circuitry. After graduating, Branden will be working as a Research Associate for biotechnology startup, Aspen Neuroscience based out of San Diego.

Thanh

Thanh Chau

Manufacturer and Material Selection
Thanh will be graduating this June with a B.S in Biomedical Engineering. Under the manufacturer role, Thanh fabricated the housing for the MEA and assisted in designing the device. Thanh plans to pursue a career in the biomedical industry after graduation.

Darrien

Darrien Chavez

Device Testing and Validation
Darrien will be graduating this June with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. In the role of Device Testing and Validation he supported the creation of the circuitry as well as leading the process of testing the device for efficacy. Also created this website you are looking at. After graduating he plans to pursue a career in the engineering field.

Meet the Team: Mentors

Gavin Kress, M.S.

Gavin graduated from The University of Southern California (USC) with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Minor in Physics. M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He has varied research experience in the fields of epigenetics, biomedical engineering, medicine, neuroscience, molecular biology, and biophysics. He also has extensive laboratory experience with cell culture, working with stem cells, and genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR as well as a medical background as an EMT. Gavin is the Founder and President of a nonprofit dedicated to fighting vaccine hesitancy and supporting vaccine research and global availability.

Warren Merrifield, Ph.D.

Warren is a neuroscientist with experience in building and leading research programs to diagnose and treat patients with epilepsy and traumatic brain injury (TBI). At Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Warren built and led a functional brain imaging program to diagnose and treat patients with TBI. He designed experiments, obtained regulatory approvals, was awarded millions in funding, worked with all patients, and briefed hundreds of government and academic leaders.

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