STEM stories: Macy Halim
Each year the Bridge to Engineering Success at Tufts (BEST) program welcomes a new cohort of students from groups underrepresented in STEM. Over the course of their undergraduate career, the BEST program provides a comprehensive, thriving environment for the students to support their personal and academic growth. BEST operates through the Center for STEM Diversity (CSD) at Tufts in conjunction with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the School of Engineering, and is led by CSD Associate Director Sehba Hasan.
This series highlights the work that BEST students are doing at Tufts.
As part of her research within the Department of Biomedical Engineering, BEST participant Macy Halim, E26, worked with Senior Research Technician Riley Patten, Senior Research Associate T.J. Hinton, and Stern Family Professor David Kaplan on bioprinting high-resolution, small-scale brain structures for advanced exploration. The group used the Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels (FRESH) technique for their research. The FRESH technique is a bioprinting method that helps with creating soft, complex tissue structures.
Over the course of Halim’s research, she bioprinted an ear, modeled a brain, and 3D printed it. This research demonstrates that the FRESH technique could be beneficial if implemented into healthcare, as it could reduce the number of organ donors needed and allows surgeons to practice more complex surgeries, among other things. The goal of this research is to advance healthcare to be more efficient, accessible, and tailored to patient needs.
Halim presented her work at the 2024 annual Northeast GEM Grad Lab conference. Her peers awarded her Best Poster for her work and she earned second place overall at the research poster symposium.
Department:
Biomedical Engineering