The RET Experience

1
The RET Experience

• By Beth Hale
• Upper Darby High School
• Biology 9th 12th

2
About Me

• I have been teaching for ten years at Upper
  Darby High school. I completed my undergraduate
  work at Penn State and my masters work at St.
  Joes.
• I have taught Honors biology for 9th grade,
  Biology L1, L2 and L3 and Science Skills for 10th
  grade, and Genetics for 11th and 12th grades.

3
History

• DDD - (Degenerative Disc Disease)
• Nucleus Dehydrates
• Increases Tears and Fissures

4
Purpose of Research

• To create a feasible replacement for damaged
  intervertebral discs
• Injectable- less invasive surgery

5
Equipment Used

• FTIR Spectrometer (Fourier-transform infrared
  spectrometer.)
• Electric Balance
• Vacuum Filter
• Vacuum Oven

6
FTIR Spectrometer
7
Data Collected -Peaks indicated functional groups
present in sample
8
DSC Machine

• Measures specific heat capacities
• Measures phase change i.e. melting point
• Heat of transition

9
DSC Plot Energy vs. Temp
10
Lessons and Applications

• Introduction to polymers around us.
• Medical uses of polymers
• Industrial use of polymers
• Polymer Science
• Biochemistry
• Scientific Method
• Use of Equipment

11
Conclusions
12
Thanks To

• Dr. Tony Lowman- Biomaterials and Drug Delivery
  Lab, Chemical Engineering
• Dr. Michele Marcolongo- Materials Engineering
  School of Biomedical Engineering, Science
  Health Systems
• Garland Fussell- Post Doctoral Student
• Jenn Doctoral Student
• Joe- Undergrad Student
• Drexel University

Michele
Tony
Garland
Joe
Jenn