Week 16: Anticipating Outcomes

Weekly Report #16 Week 16: Anticipating Outcomes: Strategy from the Chessboard to the Lab (12/8/2025-1/6/2026)

These last couple of weeks since my last report have been exciting and relaxing. Since the last time I blogged on December 8th. I finished my Original Work, which was on Photodynamic therapy and analyzed through 3 key questions, and I built Oncoscan.AI (https://oncoscanai.netlify.app/), which is now available. I am continuing to train the model to deliver increasingly precise results. Additionally, over the last two weeks, I have had the opportunity to spend quality time with my family and friends for winter break. I got to go to a restaurant with friends, play tennis during the break, and catch up on some shows and movies I wanted to watch but didn’t have the chance to during the fall. Throughout winter break, most of my time went towards robotics and getting our robot ready for competition. In fact, at the beginning of the break, we completely disassembled the old robot we had kept for the last two competitions and started on a new design that we built together this break. We started with the robot chassis, building a new intake to collect the artifacts, programming for the Teleoperated Period, and we will be working on the automation this week. On the last robot, we faced challenges with the extrusions we used, so we had to mallet them. That was a lesson for this robot.

For ISM, before the break, I focused on my display plan and brainstormed a couple of designs until I was satisfied with one, and I got a good chunk of the poster done during the break. Also, I refined my paper during the break, especially by strengthening the analysis in my second and third research questions. Furthermore, I had the exciting opportunity to advance my ISM journey by visiting the Texas A&M University campus in College Station at my mentor’s invitation. This was my first time going to College Station and meeting him in person, and the experience was amazing and motivating.

I got to explore the Biomedical Engineering building, focusing on the Biophotonics Laboratory led by my mentor, Dr. Vanderlei Bagnato, and his colleague, Dr. Layla Pires. I observed active research labs, learned about ongoing projects, and saw how concepts I have studied (particularly photodynamic therapy) are being applied in real research settings. Experiencing this environment firsthand reinforced my interest in biomedical engineering and research.

We also spent time discussing my original work research paper, revisiting the three guiding questions that shape my project. These conversations deepened my understanding of how photodynamic therapy selectively destroys cancer cells, the implications of incomplete treatment, and potential risks to healthy cells. We also examined comparative and cost-related considerations.

There is a possibility that I may return in March during Spring Break to spend additional time in the lab and observe ongoing research more closely. This experience was incredibly meaningful and reaffirmed my passion for biomedical research. I am grateful for the opportunities ISM has provided me. Photos from the visit are available in a Google Drive folder below.

Closing this chapter, opening the next.

Google Folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zLySkYnntd9dFK7CsRMVHH53iRzPQuh-?usp=sharing Oncoscan AI: https://oncoscanai.netlify.app/ (Doesn’t work on school WIFI)