In her third and final rotation as a member of the Edison Engineering Development Program (EEDP), Sara Peterson continues to make a real impact here at GE Research.
She was placed with the Ceramics and Composites team in July 2020, and despite the challenges of pandemic-induced disruption, Sara is pressing forward with two projects. First, she’s developing additive ceramics for high temperature aviation military applications. She’s also leveraging ceramic additive manufacturing for slurry and new materials development, including microstructure and mechanical characterization of calcium phosphate systems for bone tissue engineering.
Sara splits her time – 75% in the lab at GE Research, 25% at home completing data analysis – and has developed a new-found appreciation for the in-person, side-by-side collaboration that these kinds of technical breakthroughs require.
In her second rotation, Sara worked with GE Research’s Biosciences team, focusing on process development and automation of a pathology imaging workflow. Her team developed a platform for GE Healthcare that maintains the integrity of clinical human tissue slides throughout the staining process. Unique to the technology is the ability to stain a single tissue slide with 60 different markers, all while preserving the fragile human tissue throughout multiple rounds of staining, bleaching, and imaging.
Sara’s first rotation commenced in August 2018. She worked with the Microfluidics and MEMs lab to develop microfluidic devices for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). The goal was to increase the efficiency of disease detection by decreasing the time of AST—a test which, from sample collection and culture to drug resistance determination and pathogen identification, usually takes 40-72 hours. Sara’s team took a mechanical design approach, using AutoCAD and rapid prototyping to 3D-print silicone molds and device parts that could be quickly redesigned and reprinted. The device ultimately classifies pathogens in clinical samples based on growth rates and peptide structure using specific probes that bind to the bacteria.
For Sara, the strength of the EEDP lies in the members’ ability to choose which research areas they want to explore. She’s thankful for the opportunity to work with professionals who are not only brilliant, but kind, and she emulates that energy in her approach to new challenges.
In the summer of 2021, Sara will roll out of the EEDP and into a full-time, permanent roll with a yet-to-be-determined GE Research lab. While her future is not yet mapped, Sara does want to work in tissue engineering. She’s interested in the design of implantable medical devices that are well-integrated with the natural biological response of their unique microenvironment to promote cell regrowth.
When not working, Sara spends her time hiking the Adirondack High Peaks (she’s completed 28/46) and traveling internationally. To date, her favorite destination has been Morocco because of the delicious food (their staple dish is the tagine), beautiful architecture and scenery, wealth of culture, and its inherently kind people.
Sara is motivated by her desire to impact the world in a tangible way. “I want to positively impact people and to better the world through science and engineering,” she said, and Sara’s job provides the perfect opportunity to do just that.
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