April 11, 2014
Student's prize winning pitch on innovative drug delivery system
Student named finalist in national competition for explanation of her research on bionic devices.
What can you achieve in 30 seconds? UOW student Binbin Zhang managed to successfully convey the significance of her 3 years of PhD study in this 30-second video, and for her efforts she has been named as a finalist in a national showcase competition.
Students and early career researchers were invited to explain their research in a simple, 30-second video for the Cooperative Research Centre’s , which celebrates good research, communicated well.
As a shortlisted entrant in the Showcase, Binbin wins $1,000 and a trip to the Innovating with Asia conference in Perth during May where she will present her research again, this time with five minutes to get her message across.
Binbin was art of the (ACES) Bionics program and the HEARing CRC.
Her recently submitted thesis focused on developing a drug delivery system for the Cochlear implant that will help reduce the inflammation that commonly results from implanting any device.
“It’s a privilege that I could represent ACES and the HEARing CRC to present my work,” Binbin said. “A lot of exciting research happens in our labs every day, I hope the public and the industry will feel the same enthusiasm and excitement that we do.”
The winner of the final Showcase round in Perth will be decided by an audience vote and will receive a further $5,000 prize.
Binbin’s winning script:
The Cochlear implant has helped nearly one million people regain their hearing, but with any implanted device, there is an inflammatory response, which can be detrimental. So what’s the solution? I came up with the idea of integrating a drug delivery system into the actual device. I turned to 3D Printing technology and I optimised the materials so they can be printed. Eventually I was able to fabricate the 3D scaffolds as desired, so hopefully patients will have a better experience in the future.