VINA NGUYEN
BACKGROUND
I am a 2nd year masters student in Biomedical Engineering. I aspire to be able to contribute to the advancement of technology in medicine through research and development. I am equipped to work in the team environment though many course projects and senior capstone project in addition to my time volunteering at hospitals. By experiencing teamwork first-hand in these environments, I have come to respect the importance of teamwork and leadership in research and the exemplary results that come from it.
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
August 2015Â - May 2019
BS BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
My education at The University of Arizona consists of advanced courses covering topics from the human physiology and biology to the various tools and methodologies utilized by talented engineers. My academic research during this time consisted of the study of Silent Upconversion Nanoparticles (sUNP). Such nanoparticles are a novel concept that are important to the initiation of photochemical reactions without the utilization of ionizing UV energy.
August 2018 - May 2020
MS BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
I am currently pursuing a MS degree in Biomedical Engineering through the Accelerated Masters' Program (AMP) at The University of Arizona. Satisfaction of MS requirements would be fulfilled with the continuation of the sUNP project from my undergraduate career.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
BIO5 INSTITUTE | GRADUATE RESEARCHER
August, 2017 - Present
Prepared different experiments pertaining to the synthesis of silent Upconverting Nanoparticles (sUNPs) that provide UV energy to substrates without the ionizing effects of UV radiation.
Investigated the effects of different doping levels of lanthanide elements on sUNPs.
Familiarized self with chemistry laboratory safety protocols and chemical equipment operational protocols.
SYNCARDIA SYSTEMS, LLC. | QUALITY INTERN
July 2019 - August 2019
SynCardia Systems, LLC is a Class III medical device company that produces an artificial heart and drive system that helps patients bridge the gap from heart failure to transplant.
Worked in conjunction with the Quality Department and various engineers of the company to conduct Gap Assessments between internal company protocols and any relevant International Standards (ISO, ASTM, IEC, etc.).
These Gap Assessments play a crucial role in providing objective evidence of SynCardia's conformity as a high risk medical device company.
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA | TEACHER'S ASSISTANT & GRADER
Jan 2019 - May 2019
​BME 330 - Biomedical Instrumentation
Led laboratory section and executed lesson plans for each individual section.
Graded homework assignments from lecture component.
Graded lab assignments and reports from laboratory section.
PROFICIENCIES
Knowledge & Expertise
PROTOTYPING:Â SOLIDWORKS, ONSHAPE, 3DÂ PRINTING, LASER CUTTING, SOLDERING
My experience with rapid prototyping techniques stems from the utilization of 3D CAD software such as SolidWorks and Onshape. 3D Models that have been developed are produced utilizing 3D printing and laser cutting tools, whichever more appropriate for the application.
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LABORATORY TECHNIQUES
I am experienced in conducting academic research in a chemistry lab. These include responsibilities such as, but not limited to, following general lab safety protocols, execution of standard chemical synthesis protocols, execution of standard scientific equipment protocols for spectroscopic analysis, and more.
CODING: PYTHON, MATLAB, C
I have had exposure to Python, MATLAB, and C in many of my courses. Python exposure was from a rapid prototyping course and included programming Raspberry Pi systems to receive signals from sensors and to broadcast signals to motors.
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MATLAB exposure is from an imaging course and consisted of opening RAW MRI files and conducting analysis to the images such as parsing through the files, convolutions, Fourier transforms, and more. Additional experience would result from simple analysis of basic CSV files.
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From my courses in C, I have an understanding of the hierarchical nature of coding. As a result, I am highly adaptable and will quickly pick up necessary skills for various applications.
PROJECTS
August 2017Â - Present
SPECTRAL TUNING OF UPCONVERTING NANOPARTICLES
This project focuses on the modification of upconverting nanoparticles (UNP). These particles are important in the initiation of photochemical reactions, but are known to emit UV photons as a nature of their behavior. Our project focuses on the development of a mechanism that can eliminate unnecessary UV photon production while retaining the upconverting properties of the particles. Please feel free to use the link below to view the scientific poster for the project.
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August 2018 - May 2019
AUTOMATED GLUE DISPENSING GLASS COVERSLIPPER
The automated glue dispensing glass coverslipper is a project that was in collaboration with and sponsored by VENTANA Medication Systems (A member of the Roche Group). This project consisted of working with an interdisciplinary team of engineers, from both academia and industry, to develop a solution that would optimize the proprietary automated cover slipping process.
January 2018 - December 2018
MOBILITY SOLUTION FOR LT. DAN
This project was a part of an extracurricular club, The Medical Devices Club. Specifically, this project was aimed towards developing a prosthetic solution for a dog who had hind legs that failed to develop completely. The prosthetic is designed to allow for the dog to traverse over hard surfaces that it, otherwise, could not comfortably do on its own.
April 2017 - May 2017
SKITTLE SORTER PROJECT
This project was conducted to fulfill requirements for a rapid prototyping course. The project involves the development of a device that simply sorts Skittles by color. The solution that I developed with one that was elegant in design and function. The unit was controlled by a Raspberry PI that interfaced with a single webcam, a motor hat, a single stepper motor, a single momentary switch, LEDs, and two vibrating motors. The unit functioned by driving a single disk that moved in a counterclockwise motion over ratcheting slots. Ejection of the Skittle would be a result of the disk rotating in the clockwise direction, forcing the Skittle radially outwards and into its respective slot. Overall, the project was designed, tested, and executed over the span of two months and was successful in achieving the requirements set forth for it. Please feel free to click on the link below to view and explore the detailed drawings of the project.
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VOLUNTEER &Â EXTRACURRICULAR EXPERIENCE
New Experiences to Give Back and Develop as an Individual
August 2018 - Present
BIOMEDICAL UNDERGRADUATE MENTOR PROGRAM | VICE PRESIDENT
As the Vice President of the BUM Program, my responsibilities were to provide advice, perspective, and support to Biomedical Engineering underclassmen. Efforts to satisfy these responsibilities went into planning Q&A panels, one-on-one mentoring, and networking opportunities with faculty and
alumni in order to provide underclassmen tools for academic success.
January 2018 - December 2018
MEDICAL DEVICES CLUB | MEMBER
As a member of the Medical Devices Club, I participated in interdisciplinary teams of engineers to help develop solutions for devices with medical applications. Oftentimes these projects are proposed by doctors, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and more.
May 2016 - July 2016
MAYO CLINIC HOSPITAL | HIPAA CERTIFIED EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VOLUNTEER
As a volunteer at the Mayo Clinic - Phoenix Campus, I became knowledgeable with Emergency Department safety and privacy protocols. My roles were primarily associated with assisting Emergency Department Technicians with requests that include the delivery of patient samples to
hospital laboratory and maintaining the excellent operating condition of the emergency department. In order to fulfill my roles while also keeping patient privacy in mind, I was trained under hospital HIPPA program.
May - June 2014 | May - June 2015
SCOTTSDALE HEALTHCARE | HIPAA CERTIFIED GENERALIST VOLUNTEER
My roles as a generalist at Scottsdale Healthcare - Thompson Peak was to greet and direct patients to their respective registration area or surgery waiting area. After the patient visit, I was also responsible for discharging patients from post-operation area or recovery centers. In order to fulfill my roles as a generalist, I was required to complete HIPAA training in order to be able to handle sensitive and private patient information.
July 2014Â - September 2014
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA | PROJECT COORDINATOR
As a member of the Boy Scouts of America, I planned and executed an Eagle Project at the Wild at Heart Raptors, where I lead a group of volunteers to remove and rebuild a section of the on-site aviary for rehabilitating owls. In the process of planning the project, I had to raise funds for building supplies for the new section of hallway for the aviary as well as sustenance for the volunteers over the two days in the Arizona heat. During the execution of the project, there were no reported problems with the planned hierarchical structure of leadership that ultimately lead to the quick and efficient completion of the project.
CONTACT
Thank you for reviewing my website. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at any time.
1230 N Cherry Ave Tucson, AZ 85719
(480) 544-6012