This summer I had an absolute blast traveling to Madrid, Spain! The experience of working on an exciting research project in addition to being able to experience a different culture and explore the world was something unheard of to me before attending Berkeley. Fortunately programs like GLOBE’s Discovery Scholarship helped bridge the gap, making it possible for first generation students like myself to engage with engineering at the international level. As a Civil Engineer at Berkeley, I’m especially grateful to have used this opportunity to explore my academic interest
in the field of Bioengineering.
After applying to the UCEAP Engineering Research in Madrid program, I was pleased to have been matched with my mentors Gonzalo Izuzquiza and Sergio Nombela, where I joined a project researching the optimization of dendritic cell viability and immune activation in a 3D human skin model. Under Gonzalo, I focused specifically on the development of microfluidic organ-on-chip 2D skin models as well as 3D air-liquid interface skin models. During my time in the lab, I developed various skills in both wet lab bioengineering and microfluidic device prototyping such as cell culture, creating fibrin gels, CAD design, resin 3D printing, curing PDMS casts, and plasma bonding. I was also fortunate enough to learn flow cytometry, isolation of dendritic cells from blood samples, and Alamar Blue experimentation under Sergio with my lab partners, James Castillo and Gisselle Avina.
I was happily surprised to start working with cells within my first week, with the goal of
culturing human fibroblast cells for the 3D skin model. The human fibroblast cells, as well as other components, were used to make a fibrin gel that simulated aspects of the human dermis–specifically, the dermal environment during wound healing conditions by using a fibrin-based, bloodclot-like matrix. This was followed by culturing human keratinocyte cells to deposit as a monolayer on top of the gel samples, acting as a simplified epidermis. With the dermis and epidermis assembled into the semi-permeable culture well chambers, the demonstrative model was complete.
On the microfluidic side of things, I was able to design a two chamber chip mold using CAD software. I utilized the resin 3D printer to print out the mold for the top chamber in my microfluidic device. After post-processing the mold, I poured a PDMS and curing agent mixture to cure in the oven for a little more than 24 hours. Later I utilized plasma bonding–which functions via oxidizing the PDMS microchip surface to create polar silanol groups which then interact with glass slides to form Si-O-Si bonds–creating a permanent, leak free bond between the microfluidic chip and glass slide.
Testing the prototype gave me another important part of the research experience: navigating issues. Upon testing the prototype, we discovered that the main channel for the 2D skin model prototype had unintended contact with the glass slide, impeding proper flow during testing. We concluded that the next steps in design would need to accommodate for this possibility of unintended surface plasma-bonding as well as ensuring a fully-cured PDMS chip.
My research experience also extended beyond the UC3M lab. My lab partners and I had the opportunity to visit my secondary mentor, Sergio, at another lab where he volunteers, Fundación Lair. It was a super enriching experience to witness how experimental work can be applied in real-life scenarios to impact everyday people. At Fundacion Lair, we learned the application and operation of flow cytometers as well as the method for extracting dendritic cells from patient blood samples. After utilizing the Alamar Blue process to observe the fluorescence of dendritic cocultures created by Sergio and his team, it was concluded that the highest metabolic rate for dendritic cells was in collagen gels, suggesting that collagen gels provided the most optimal
conditions for higher viability.
Outside of the lab, I had the opportunity to experience Madrid and travel throughout Europe with my roommates and peers. One of my favorite parts of being abroad was how easy it became to turn an ordinary weekend into an entirely new experience. Throughout our stay, my roommates and I were able to visit the historic Spanish destinations of Toledo, Valencia, Barcelona, and Mallorca where we had adventures ranging from zip lining and visiting landmarks like La Sagrada Familia to relaxing at beaches and trying local cuisine.
Our first trip outside of Spain was to Porto, Portugal where we went on a sightseeing tour through the historic Douoro Valley, visited several markets and attractions, and enjoyed the incredibly calm city vibe with locals.
As the summer continued, we traveled farther across Europe. In Rome, Italy, we tried the delectable local cuisine, visited the angelic St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, and saw the awe-inspiring Roman Colosseum. In Paris, we were able to visit the beautiful Notre Dame, the impressive Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre’s infamous Mona Lisa, and the iconic Eiffel Tower.
One week, we left the lab work week a day early to squeeze Germany, Austria, and Switzerland into one extra-long weekend. In Germany, we took a guided tour of Neuschwanstein Castle; in Switzerland, we visited Albert Einstein’s undergraduate locker and tried Swiss chocolate; and in Austria, we toured Mozart’s birthplace and took a rail sled down a mountain. Visiting three countries was surprisingly relaxing despite the number of fantastic sites we visited. It was definitely a testament to my roommates’ and my ability to coordinate travel plans.
One of the most memorable moments of the entire trip happened on our flight back from Paris. I was super excited to try and catch the end of the World Cup game, so excited, in fact, that my roommate and I waited with hundreds of other Spaniards to watch the game’s final moments in the airport. When the game clock stopped and everyone realized that Spain just won the World Cup–everybody lost their minds. People in the airport were running around shouting and chanting national songs and the taxis in the street were blasting their horns in a symphony of excitement. The weekend in Paris followed by the airport World Cup frenzy was an experience
I’ll never forget.
Furthermore, the day after the World Cup Final, when I was counting cells using a
Hemocytometer Structure, I saw a stain that looked surprisingly reminiscent of the shape of Spain, complete with the national colors of red and yellow. While my mentors believed it was a coincidence, no-one could offer an exact explanation of what could’ve caused it nor a prior, similar experience with stains of this color or shape. I’ll let you decide whether this was a coincidence or some sort of mysterious World Cup phenomenon.
As I conclude, I’d like to thank my mentors Gonzalo Izuzquiza and Sergio Nombela. Their kind mentorship and expert guidance gave me an incredible deep dive into bioengineering. Their engaging curriculum between UC3M and Fundacion Lair helped paint the context for how academia and the industries of bioengineering function together to make an impact on the medical and public health field. The diverse range of skills I learned also emphasized how varied the work of bioengineers in industry can be. Moving forward, I’m very optimistic to apply the various techniques and methods that I’ve learned in related contexts at the intersection of biology, chemistry, civil engineering, and public health. I definitely have a newfound interest in
the discipline as I will look out for opportunities to apply my experiences at Berkeley and beyond.
Overall, this experience was more rewarding than I ever could’ve imagined. Between the research in a new, exciting field and the weekly adventures all across Europe I learned so much about bioengineering, academia, European culture, complicated travel itineraries, and especially about myself. I feel like I’m leaving this experience as a more resilient and outgoing person with a wider view of the world and the different ways to live in it. As a first generation, low-income student I’m so grateful to have had support from GLOBE’s Discovery Scholarship to have made this opportunity possible.
Written By: Isaac Mendoza
UC Berkeley Civil Engineering Undergraduate