(6gs) Taking the Lab to the Field: Performing Real-Time Environmental and Diagnostic Monitoring

The ability to receive real-time information is a necessity in today’s society. To a diabetic, the use of a continuous glucose monitor can help them be proactive rather than reactive toward an abnormal blood sugar reading. In an occupational setting, understanding the way the body is reacting to the surrounding environment provides a more comprehensive picture than knowing solely what is in the air. By leveraging transport phenomena and varying sensor techniques, real-time monitoring can be brought to the field.

My Ph.D. work at Virginia Commonwealth University under Dr. Nastassja Lewinski has focused on the design and use of a portable in vitro exposure system for aerosol sampling. Starting with a commonly used system by industrial hygienists, I designed and characterized a device for exposure at the air-liquid interface. I compared the application of our device with a similar exposure system designed by my colleagues at the Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas as a Fulbright student in Greece. I have applied our device to a number of scenarios including enhanced diesel exhaust using a metallic nano-based fuel additive, aerosols from metal 3D printers, and aerosols generated by consumer products. Additionally, our device incorporates an electrochemical enzyme-based sensor for real-time response monitoring, allowing users to better understand the effects of their environment. This work has been partially supported by a Dissertation Assistantship Award granted by the Graduate School at Virginia Commonwealth University.

My research career has included the experimental and computational investigation of electrochemical thermodynamics of prismatic lithium-ion batteries, the evaluation of toxicological effects of nanomaterials in vitro, and the design and evaluation of enzymatic biosensors. I believe my combination of skills will allow for the design of electrochemical biosensors and their varied applications, particularly in point-of-care diagnostics.

Building on this foundation, my future research plans include development of electrochemical sensors for rapid and quantitative monitoring and diagnosis and use of these sensors to determine human impact of nanomaterials. I am interested in leveraging various electrochemical reactions to bring diagnostic techniques to the field of occupational health and safety as well as the medical field. Within the medical field, there is a need for a long term (lasting over a month time period) continuous glucose sensor that provides similar sensitivity to current monitoring methods (short term implantable and self-monitoring blood glucose sensors). I am particularly interested in the development of electrochemical sensors for monitoring dehydration through electrolytes and for heavy metals in drinking water. Through the incorporation of nanostructures, improvement in the sensitivity of current sensing platforms can be achieved due to the dramatic increase in surface area. This work involves a combination of: 1) material synthesis, 2) electrochemical methods, and 3) cell biology techniques. These methods used in my research can be applied in a wide-class of complex systems including pharmaceuticals, biofuel production, and catalytic chemical processes.

Teaching Interests:

I believe that the role as an educator is to catalyze the learning process. My wish for students is that they will recognize tools available to them for creative and successful problem solving as they gain understanding of the material. My teaching philosophy includes the following three strategies: 1) Teach in a simple and direct manner, 2) Emphasize relations to real-world scenarios, and 3) Treat students at different levels fairly and with patience. I am eager and excited to continue in undergraduate and graduate education. I have experience conducting lectures for Material Balances and Energy Balances in addition to having the pleasure of assisting with these classes at multiple universities. I am interested in teaching the major courses in chemical engineering, especially Fluid Dynamics, Heat and Mass Transfer, Separation Process, and Chemical Kinetics. Additional courses I am interested in include Electrochemistry, Nanotechnology, and Environmental Health and Safety. In addition to classroom settings, students will have hands-on research experience under my tutelage. By participating in my laboratory, students will learn applications including how electrochemical kinetics and mass transfer apply to reactions occurring on a biosensor, how the fluid flow within an exposure system can affect the observed biological outcome, and how concepts covered in curriculum behave at the nanoscale or microscale.

Publications:

1. Secondo LE, Wygal NJ, Lewinski NA. “Design and Characterization of a New, Portable In Vitro Exposure Cassette with Real-Time Monitoring for Aerosol Measurements”. Annual AIChE Meeting 2018.
2. Lewinski NA, Secondo LE, Ferri JK. “Enabling Real-Time Hazard Assessment at the Workplace.” Global Congress on Process Safety. (2018). (Citations: 0)
3. Lewinski NA, Avrutin V, Izadi T, Secondo LE, Ullah, MB, Ozgur U, Morkoc H, Topsakal E. “Influence of ZnO Thin Film Crystallinity on In Vitro Biocompatibility.” Toxicology Research (2018). DOI: 10.1039/c8tx00061a (Citations: 0)
4. Secondo LE, Liu N, Lewinski NA. “Methodological Considerations When Conducting In Vitro, Air-Liquid Interface Exposures to Engineered Nanoparticle Aerosols.” Critical Reviews in Toxicology DOI: 10.1080/10408444.2016.1223015. (2016). (Citations: 8)
5. Oh K, Siegel JB, Secondo LE, Kim S, Samad N, Qin J, Anderson D, Garikipati K, Knobloch A, Epureanu B, Monroe CW, Stefanopoulou A. “Rate Dependence of Swelling in Lithium-Ion Cells.” Journal Power Sources. 267, 197. (2014). (Citations: 55)