In the Helen Way Klinger College of Arts and Sciences, the difference is in the “and”; for biophysics students Declan Donahue and Ozymandias McEvoy, their “and” was found in an interdisciplinary approach to cancer imagining, combining physics and biology.
Donahue and McEvoy recently published an article titled “Noise Reduction and Image Reconstruction for a Custom-Built Confocal Imaging System” in the 2024 edition of the Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy. This article was published with assistance from their mentor and corresponding author Dr. Sarah Erickson-Bhatt, assistant professor of biophysics in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences. This milestone comes after years of interdisciplinary research focused on utilizing different scientific disciplines to improve cancer imaging technology.
JURPA is an exclusive undergraduate research journal designed to highlight new innovations in experimental physics. JURPA’s 2024 edition, Volume 34, highlighted Donahue and McEvoy on the cover and featured their research in full. JURPA praised the results of Donahue and McEvoy’s research as “showing progress towards optimization for imaging cancer and other human diseases.”
Through work with faculty on research, Arts and Sciences students are prepared to solve the world’s most pressing problems with innovative experiences in and out of the classroom. Erickson-Bhatt stresses the importance of the integration of different fields of study in producing successful research. According to Erickson-Bhatt, “the nature of the research enables biophysics students to work with students from other areas, integrating physics, engineering and biology.”
In interdisciplinary research such as this, Arts and Sciences students receive a hands-on education that prepares them for a dynamic professional reality where cross-disciplinary skills and approaches are valuable. Through the blend of physics and engineering into biology, the two researchers “revolutionized the ability to progress the state of the system,” says McEvoy. This advancement in cancer imaging research was not only recognized by JURPA but was also presented at a conference in California.
Through smaller class sizes for more personalized learning and one-on-one connections with faculty, Donahue and McEvoy were able to hone their skills in their experimentation and research.
Donahue has been fascinated with conducting research on cancer imaging mechanisms since his freshman year. He thanks the biophysics program’s staff and facilities for providing him the opportunity to conduct research that led to this successful publication.
This publication certainly does not mark the end of research and development for Donahue and McEvoy. “We are working to complete another publication outlining an even more complete process”, McEvoy says.
The two continue to optimize their system and improve the imaging capabilities of their mechanism to further benefit advancements in cancer imaging. Even as Donahue and McEvoy are planning more publications in the future, McEvoy says that he “hopes this publication will be helpful in saving time and struggle for all who need it.”
