Biomedicine, microscopes and implantable devices — one teen’s summer internship

Sonoma Valley High School junior Joseph Silvi spent a month this summer at Purdue University working on trailblazing biomedical engineering research, including projects benefiting glaucoma and epilepsy patients. The Sun’s Sarah Ford sat down with him to find out more about it.

Tell me about your summer internship.

I had the great opportunity to work at the Weldon School of Bioengineering at Purdue. I worked with Dr. Pedro Irazoqui and his team. Dr. Irazoqui is a professor of Biomedical Engineering, and he’s Director of the Center for Implantable Devices. I had actually met Dr. Irazoqui at the high school my freshman year!  

How so?

He gave a presentation on Student Day during the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival. I went up and spoke to him before his talk. We talked about school, and he asked me what I wanted to do. I shared with him that my dream is to make the world a better place through science, math, and innovation. I think that deeply resonated with him and he said, “When you turn 16, contact me. I would love for you to work in my lab.” 

So you took him up on his offer.

Yes! It was a month-long internship, and I was the only high schooler. I worked full time in the lab, and reported directly to Dr. Irazoqui and Dr. Gabriel Albors, Associate Director of the Center for Implantable Devices.  

Who else was in the lab with you?

I worked with a team of biomedical, electrical, and computer science engineers. It was a mix of scientists, professors, undergraduates, and post-graduate students, some working on their PhDs.  

What were your day-to-day tasks? And what was the end result? 

I assisted in the development of the latest ultra-miniature implantable bioelectronics system and intraocular pressure monitor system – which monitors eye pressure in glaucoma patients. It is hoped that this device will reduce the number of people that will suffer vision loss due to glaucoma. I was also part of the implant development and fabrication team for an epilepsy recording device. One of my day-to-day tasks was to design and fabricate printed circuit boards and silicon chips – to monitor inner eye pressure and epileptic episodes in rats, research that will eventually be used for human testing. All of this was done under a microscope so you can imagine how minuscule these were! The completion of these contributed to the overall goals of the team, and we were able to meet the project deadlines.

Did you have time to do some sightseeing?

Yes! My dad and I rented an apartment – because I’m 16 and a minor, I had to be accompanied by a parent or guardian – so we were able to do some weekend exploring. It was my first time in Indiana and we made the most of our stay. We went to the Celery Bog Nature Park to bike and hike, and checked out Farmers Markets. Another weekend, we drove to the Indiana Dunes and swam in Lake Michigan. We happened to be at Purdue during the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, which was pretty exciting since the university is Neil Armstrong’s alma mater.

Anything you’d like to add?

It was such a rich experience, and a blessing I’ll always be grateful for. I can’t thank Dr. Irazoqui enough. He and Dr. Albors were so cool to work with! Most importantly, I am grateful to my parents for their love, encouragement, and support.

Joseph loves science and math, is on the SVHS Cross Country and Track Teams, and started the $kiing for Change Club to raise money for local and international charities. He’s also interested in cars, photography, cooking, traveling, and gardening.

Math, robots and ‘toy-cons’ — one teen’s summer internship