A Window into the Soul of my Innovation!
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Young Scientist Blog! My name is Shripriya Kalbhavi, and I am one of the top ten finalists of this year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge from San Jose, California. I can’t believe it’s already been almost a MONTH into my summer mentorship! Along with the help of my amazing mentor, Dr. PJ Flanigan, I have been working hard to help bring my solution to reality so that the fear of needles can be a thing of the past. I’ve been so excited to talk to everyone a little bit more about my project itself.
Having access to a summer mentorship in order to enhance my project has helped me think differently about many aspects of my project. I have grown to think about problems from the perspective of those who are dealing with them. I’m sure that some of you may not like getting injections at the doctor’s office because of the design of needles. For me, at least, it was not very fun to have a huge needle being stuck into my arm. It was uncomfortable and frightening, and I don’t think that anyone should have to deal with something that makes them feel like their pain, fear, or struggles are less than worthy of care. And this was just for single injections. For people who have chronic conditions, like diabetes, or struggle to take their medications by themselves, like those with diseases like Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, hypodermic needles can be a real pain. I really wanted to redesign this problem and help many people in the process.
When I started playing around with my idea of a microneedle patch that autonomously delivers medication using a self-oscillating hydrogel back in November of last year, I was wondering which materials would help me really build my prototype well. I was also unsure of how patches that are placed on the skin themselves are designed. However, Dr. Flanigan has been inspiring me to think differently about many problems. Her valuable feedback, insight, and tips regarding the whole brainstorming process as well as her expertise in drug delivery have really helped me so far. She has also guided me in my communication with other experts and gain access to many 3M materials that I am figuring out how to incorporate into my prototype. Thanks to Dr. Flanigan, I feel really excited about what I have accomplished so far in designing prototypes on a CAD software as well as drawing out several different prototypes, and I am even getting started on building some prototypes!
So far, my TWO favorite parts of the challenge — yes, I really can’t choose between these two! — have been my sessions with Dr. Flanigan and meeting the other finalists! Dr. Flanigan is such a wonderful person, and I am glad to be able to learn from her! She is an inspiration to me and also such a friendly and helpful mentor. Meeting with her is the highlight of my week, along with practicing basketball with my teammates. And in a way, being a part of this challenge has also helped me realize that science is a team game. We all need each other’s help and support to change millions of people’s lives. Speaking of a team, I’ve also really enjoyed meeting the other finalists through virtual meetings! I already know a little bit about everyone, and I am looking forward to meeting all of my fellow young scientists at the final event in October!
Like any roller coaster, so far, I’ve dealt with highs and lows in the process of working on my project. Science is amazing, but it can also be kind of tricky. When I was trying to design my first prototype, I realized that I just didn’t have access to a lot of the materials that I needed, like materials to build a working structure for my patch, microneedle arrays, etc. I am very happy that Dr. Flanigan has been helping me overcome this problem by helping me gain access to these materials and also contacting other experts who can help me out. As challenges are thrown at me, I hope I can continue to overcome them!
I’m already learning a lot about myself in this scientific journey, and I hope you enjoy learning about me too! That is it for this time, so see you soon, right back here at the Young Scientist Blog. This is Shripriya, signing off. Have a great rest of your day!