BIO & RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am Sydney Floryanzia, a Ph.D student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle WA! I graduated with my B.S. in Chemical Engineering from NC State University in May 2021 and my M.S. in Chemical Engineering from UW in June 2023.
In middle school, I was exposed to the 14 Grand Challenges of Engineering. The challenge of Reverse Engineering the Brain stuck with me and from then on, I have been involved with research projects featured on this site!
My current research interests and neuro-engineering projects work specialize in:
Modeling brain physiology and pathology with in vitro and ex vivo systems
Investigating drug delivery mechanisms to cross the blood-brain barrier
Designing processes to scale-up neurological therapies that work at the lab scale to be accessible to patients around the world.
SCI COMM
As a Science Communicator I have been invited to deliver a TEDxTeen talk in NYC, have been in a Superbowl Commercial and other commercials by Chevron Human Energy, and have been invited as a podcast guest and keynote speaker on several occasions. In addition, I have been the subject of several magazine and news articles. Check out these links and my videos below!
I am currently taking requests to present STEM and engineering talks or presentations in classrooms, homeschool groups, conferences, you name it! I am happy to talk to any age group about engineering, chemical engineering, my research, my journey in STEM, and am happy to discuss other topics as well. Check out my recent "Why ChemE?" video in collaboration with AIChE!
My STEM journey started in middle school after I attended an engineering camp and learned about the National Academy of Engineering’s 14 Grand Challenges of the 21st Century. As a product of engineering camps, I know the impact speaking to pre-scientists can have on their lives.
I have been giving presentations and leading K-12 engineering outreach activities for over 6 years and have been working with college undergraduates as well for 3 years. I currently work with the Skype a Scientist organization and regularly deliver STEM talks to K12 students from all around the country. Other organizations I have worked with include AIChE, SWE, The Engineering Place, the NC MSEN Pre-College Program, and STEMsational.
Link Unlikely Things | Sydney Floryanzia | TEDxTeen
Brain DOER for CHEVRON HUMAN ENERGY
Sydney Floryanzia | United States SensUS Presentation
Why Chemical Engineering??
Sydney Floryanzia "Dear Teachers"
Sydney Floryanzia presentation on her work modeling the blood-brain barrier with microfluidics
FEATURED PROJECTS
My favorite projects to date!
MICROFLUIDIC MODEL OF THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER
This project exploits the laminar flow achieved in the small Y-channel of a microfluidic device to create a co-culture of endothelial (HUVEC) and fibroblast (NHLF) cells. Growing these cells in each side of the device (created by the laminar flow) creates a rudimentary model of the blood-brain barrier. I maintained my own lines of both cell types, fabricated the device initially invented by Dr. Ashlyn Young, and troubleshooted experimental conditions.
SENSUS ELECTROCHEMICAL BIOSENSOR
This project involved developing the chemistry and electrical components required to build a prototype device to detect concentrations of the antibiotic vancomycin. This year-long project resulted in a device called "MIPtide" because of its use of molecularly imprinted polymers and therapeutic interdigitated electrodes. Our team, lead by Dr. Michael Daniele, presented this project in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The video of my presentation is on this site.
NEONATAL COAGULOPATHY
This work was not only my first NSF funded project, but it was the first project I delivered a poster presentation about. On this project I assisted Kim Nellenbach and Dr. Ashley Brown in investigating the role of clotting Factor VII on neonatal coagulopathy. It was also my first experience with ImageJ, which I used to analyze the difference in adult blood clots and neonatal blood clots. In addition, I became IACUC certified to work with animals.
Take a look at the posters for these projects below!
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
A few of my posters I've presented at conferences!
EARLY PROJECTS
These are my early research projects some stretching back to when I was in high school! While these experiences may not be related to my ultimate research goals, it was through these experiences that I learned good research practices I still use today!
MANIPULATION OF RECOMBINANT DNA
This research project was conducted as part of BIT 410, a course in the Biotechnology department offered at NC State. Through this project, using CaMPARI to analyse calcium signaling in cells, I learned DNA technologies such as cloning, transfecting, Western Blot, SDS-PAGE, PCR, and DNA Spectroscopy among other skills.
EGAIN RESPONSIVENESS TO EXTERNAL STIMULI
This project, in Dr. Michael Dickey's lab, gave me my first experience with true experimental design, as I was tasked with setting up apparatuses to investigate and characterize properties of liquid metal EGaIn (eutectic gallium and indium). I worked on this project the summer before my senior year of high school.
CEREBRAL PALSY MODEL / PROSTATE CANCER BEGINNINGS
The projects in these pictures were my first experiences of real laboratory research. The summer before my sophomore year of high school, Dr. Elizabeth Nance invited me to shadow her work for a day surrounding rabbit models of cerebral palsy. The following summer, I shadowed Dr. Sara Conard and her work in the Baldwin lab surrounding prostate cancer research.
Microfluidic Model of the Blood Brain Barrier:
Feb 2019 - Oct 2020
This project solidified my love for chemical engineering research and applying chemical engineering principles to neuroscience research. I saw my coursework interwoven in the fabrication, optimization, and troubleshooting of many aspects of this project from the device measurements to the pressure and flow conditions.
While learning more about the characteristics of the blood-brain barrier and perfecting my aseptic cell culture skills, I gained other technical skills including photolithography, plasma cleaning/bonding, use of syringe and microfluidic pumps, and fluorescent imaging.
I am excited to apply the skills I've gained through this project, at the interface of chemical engineering, microfluidics, and neuroscience, to other similar projects in the future. The photos in the slideshow gallery below show a few key elements involved with working on the project.
SensUs
Nov 2017 - Sept 2018
Working on this project was one of the most significant experiences of my undergraduate career. One reason for this was because of the multiple areas in which I had the opportunity for growth. From the beginning of the project, I was involved with the initial literature survey and determining what experimental method we would actually try to develop. Through the summer, there was long night after long night in the lab cleaning and functionalizing the gold chips to be experimented on and used in the device. Finally, I made some of the images and wrote sections of the conference paper that was accepted by SensUs. I was even given the opportunity to deliver the Public and Translational talks in addition to presenting in the poster session. I was also exposed to the business side of invention and traveled to the Netherlands where I had the opportunity to engage with lab teams from more than 13 different countries around the world.
