Students Participated in PTEI’s Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessel Activity During 2009 SciTech Festival

After receiving a brief introduction of tissue engineering and the specific challenges inherent in the cardiovascular system, students at the 2009 SciTech Festival, Pittsburgh, March 10-13, ‘generated’ simulated vessels by cutting pre-made molds. Four different molds were offered to the students, each with a different color (infused food coloring). The molds varied in the concentrations of the following components: agar, gelatin, and agarose. Students manipulated the vessels to characterize their physical properties and the ability to resistance to the following types of stress: bending, compressing, and stretching. Students characterized their mold’s structural properties, and related those properties to the requirements of a tissue-engineered blood vessel.

PTEI’s participation in this year’s SciTech Festival would not have been possible without the diligent efforts of its volunteer staff, all pictured below. Kudos are extended to:

• Mark Krotec , PTEI Master Outreach Teacher, Central Catholic High School

• Jade Leung , PTEI Outreach Teacher, Shaler High School

• Christopher Withers, Graduate Student, University of Pittsburgh, Department of BioEngineering

• Usman Chatta, Undergraduate Student, Emory University, and PTEI High School Intern 2007

• Natasa Miljkovic , Postdoctoral Student, University of Pittsburgh, Departments of Surgery and BioEngineering

• Lance Davidson, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Department of BioEngineering

• Emily Leung, Middle School Student, Northgate Middle School