BY SANDRA GUY

As National Engineers Week draws to a close, two young women engineers say they’re excited to work on advancements in heart technologies.

Beatrice E. Ncho

Shelly Singh-Gryzbon

.

Beatrice E. Ncho, a fourth-year chemical engineering PhD candidate at Georgia Tech, focuses on engineering prototypes of transcatheter aortic valves that have a reduced risk of thrombosis (from a fluid mechanics standpoint).

She is starting her fourth year working in Dr. Ajit Yoganathan’s Cardiovascular Fluids Mechanics Laboratory.

Yoganathan has led the testing of every prosthetic heart valve design on the U.S. market for safety and effectiveness.

His lab has served as a valve approval site for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for four decades, according to a Georgia Tech research story (https://rh.gatech.edu/features/king-hearts).

Ncho, 25, has helped in testing and developing new heart valve devices.

“The heart valves in our bodies work — open and close — to allow blood flow in the right direction. When these valves don’t work properly, our blood flow is compromised,” Ncho said. “The solution to this problem is generally a replacement or repair of our heart valves with an engineered device. Sometimes, this engineered device has complications, and the patient is at risk of further problems.

“My work is to look at existing devices and test them to understand reasons for certain failures (for example thrombosis/ “blood clots” on an engineered heart valve), and then develop and test new devices that will reduce the risk of such failure,” she said.

Ncho credits her engineering training for enabling her to think critically, be analytical and seek creative solutions.

Ncho, who grew up in Bamenda, Cameroon, in West Africa, credits her family for encouraging her and her five sisters to aim for the highest in their chosen profession.
“Growing up, my father was a businessman with an entrepreneurial spirit, and my mother a middle and high school history teacher. They constantly instilled in my siblings and me the values of hard work, a great education and a valuable profession – one that contributes to the world around us,” she said.
“In an African society that mostly valued and prioritized the education and success of the male child, my parents taught us we were equally as good and all we needed to do was be hard working for whatever we wanted,” Ncho said. “My father encouraged us to pursue medicine related professions (i.e pharmacy and medicine), but I always wanted to be an engineer.

“I thought it was an exciting profession — one where you think of an idea and bring it to reality. I told my father that my compromise with him was I will pursue a profession that allows me to be an engineer that addressed medicine related problems.”

Ncho now encourages girls and young women to pursue engineering.

“My main advice for people I mentor is to have a vision and a why — a reason,” she said. “You may not have everything figured out, but have a rough idea of where you’re headed. Be also open to detours and changes along the way. The journey will be challenging, but never forget your reason for doing it because it will encourage you to stay the course.”

Ncho stays motivated by making “Determination, Discipline and Dedication” a personal motto, and remembering that whatever she does “is in service of others and bigger than me.”

She chose chemical engineering because of its near-limitless career possibilities, including work with oil and gasoline, energy, plastics, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and medical devices.

Ncho earned her bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering (Summa Cum Laude) from Texas Tech University in 2016, and her master’s in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2018. She is expected to graduate with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, and a minor in Biomedical Engineering, in December 2020.

She intends to join the medical device industry after graduation, working as a Research and Development engineer who uses engineering fundamentals to continue to provide solutions to medical-device issues.

Shelly Singh-Gryzbon, PhD, a former post-doctoral fellow in Yoganathan’s lab, focuses on developing models of heart valves on the computer.
These models can be used to understand how heart diseases develop or progress; to help design treatments or devices for the heart diseases, or to perform virtual surgery to help doctors decide the best procedure/device to use on a patient.

“As an engineer, you learn how to take highly complex, real-life situations and understand them using fundamental laws of physics,” said Singh-Gryzbon, 32, who is now a lecturer in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago.

Singh-Gryzbon grew up in Arima — a small town in Trinidad – and she credits her parents and teachers at her semi-private all-girls school for encouraging her to pursue her dreams and her favorite subjects, which were always math and science.

“The school and the teachers played a huge role in my upbringing, and truly pride themselves on developing strong, independent and confident women,” she said. “My mom and dad never restricted us from any activities because we were girls.”

Singh-Gryzbon earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical and process engineering from The University of the West Indies; her master’s in chemical engineering from Imperial College London, and her PhD in chemical engineering from Imperial College London.

She said she now hopes to use her training and experience to spread awareness of the role engineers can play in medicine and medical technology in Trinidad and Tobago, and set up a program that fosters collaboration and communication across the medical, engineering and natural science disciplines.

Doctors from the University of Chicago
Department of Medicine – University of Chicago
Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition.

One of my biggest regrets was allowing my brother to agree not to have an autopsy done on my mother. At the time, I was a bit emotional after my mother had passed away so I told my brother to answer the University of Chicago doctor phone call. Little did I know the doctor had called to convince my brother to refuse an autopsy on my mother. He went into a long story on how the autopsy would involve a lot of cutting that would leave my mother’s body in such a way that an open casket funeral would not be possible.

The doctor did a great job of getting my brother to think of how gruesome an autopsy would be, but more importantly, the doctor did a great job of covering the University of Chicago mistakes.

My mother had cancer that did not spread to her brain. At some point she became unresponsive. The doctors at the University of Chicago kept telling us she had an infection. They also kept saying she should be back talking after they treat the infection. Several days passed with the doctors supposedly trying to learn about and treat the infection.

Keep in mind, the doctors kept telling me they believe they could treat my mother. I mean the doctors were pretty nice to me over the phone until I told them of an incident of the staff at the University of Chicago dropping my mother’s head on a concrete like surface either before or after one of her CT or MRI scans. After I informed a doctor of the incident, from that point on, the doctors at the University of Chicago gave me legal answers and talked very slowly. They made sure they were careful with their words.

As her son, I only wanted my mother to be okay. I asked the doctors to do a head scan to check her head because my mother was in a lot of pain before she became unresponsive. She would call me in tears talking about how much her head hurt, how the room was spinning and how they dropped her head. She was in pain and in need of help before she became unresponsive. So, I told her to tell the doctors and nurses of the head dropping incident, which she did.

The doctors at the University of Chicago knew of the incident, but likely did not think I knew about it. It has been over five months since my mother passed away and the University of Chicago won’t give me her medical records, copies of her head scan, doctor notes and the dates of her head scans. I have asked them several times to tell me if a head scan was done on my mother after she became unresponsive, but they won’t answer that question or any question about my mother’s head. I have been denied access to my mother’s medical records.

You can check out Tron’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/tron-griffin

*This post is from the personal experience of the blogger and his family.

Adoptable April is very sweet and tiny. She’s about 2 years old. Here she is settling into her newest foster home.

She can be reserved, but her new fosterers report that already they hear her playing with one of the jingly balls and find her batting at the rug tassels (wake up and find the rug moved).

She is not a cuddler (probably just not used to it) but coming around to being touched and petted.

Hyde Park Cats is a local, all volunteer group dedicated to helping stray and homeless cats in and around Chicago’s Hyde Park. We received our 501(c)(3) status in 2014 and have had over 1,200 adoptions since our founding in 2008. See all our adoptable kitties on our webpage: http://hydeparkcats.org/adopt/

All of our cats are in loving foster homes, which means the cat you adopt will be familiar with the sounds, smells and movements of life in a home and accustomed to living with humans. He or she has been interacting on a daily basis with people who know this particular cat intimately, and the foster mom or dad can tell you all about the cat’s individual personality, habits, preferences. You can’t judge a cat by its cover! And while we can’t predict the future or know everything about a cat, we can help you choose the cat who is right for you. We have an adoption application and an adoption fee, $95 for the adoption of one cat or $190 for a pair. This fee goes towards covering their vet costs. All cats adopted out by us are neutered/spayed, micro-chipped, tested for FIV/FeLV, and treated with Revolution.

3-year-old Apollo is affectionate, likes lounging around (who doesn’t?), and is playful with lasers, strings, etc.

He’s a bit hand-shy, but loves head nuzzles and being around people, even visitors in the house. He does not get along well with dogs and needs a home where he can be appropriately worshiped.

Write to us at [email protected] to meet him!

Hyde Park Cats is a local, all volunteer group dedicated to helping stray and homeless cats in and around Chicago’s Hyde Park. We received our 501(c)(3) status in 2014 and have had over 1,200 adoptions since our founding in 2008. See all our adoptable kitties on our webpage: http://hydeparkcats.org/adopt/

All of our cats are in loving foster homes, which means the cat you adopt will be familiar with the sounds, smells and movements of life in a home and accustomed to living with humans. He or she has been interacting on a daily basis with people who know this particular cat intimately, and the foster mom or dad can tell you all about the cat’s individual personality, habits, preferences. You can’t judge a cat by its cover! And while we can’t predict the future or know everything about a cat, we can help you choose the cat who is right for you. We have an adoption application and an adoption fee, $95 for the adoption of one cat or $190 for a pair. This fee goes towards covering their vet costs. All cats adopted out by us are neutered/spayed, micro-chipped, tested for FIV/FeLV, and treated with Revolution.

Big Daddy George and Florence Pullman (1 year old) are a bonded pair.

Big Daddy purrs so loudly and is just a gentle giant. Very sweet. He likes to be cuddled as well (not sure about belly rubs) and is a happy as a clam sitting by your side relaxing while getting pet.

Big Daddy G has tested positive for FiV but can still live a long, healthy and happy life and live safely with other cats who are spayed or neutered.and Florence Pullman.

Initially shy, once Florence settles in she is a sweetheart. She loves exploring and comes when called.

Florence also loves to be rubbed under her chin and belly and is a little bit of a drooler.

To meet them, write to us at [email protected] !

Hyde Park Cats is a local, all volunteer group dedicated to helping stray and homeless cats in and around Chicago’s Hyde Park. We received our 501(c)(3) status in 2014 and have had over 1,200 adoptions since our founding in 2008. See all our adoptable kitties on our webpage: http://hydeparkcats.org/adopt/

All of our cats are in loving foster homes, which means the cat you adopt will be familiar with the sounds, smells and movements of life in a home and accustomed to living with humans. He or she has been interacting on a daily basis with people who know this particular cat intimately, and the foster mom or dad can tell you all about the cat’s individual personality, habits, preferences. You can’t judge a cat by its cover! And while we can’t predict the future or know everything about a cat, we can help you choose the cat who is right for you. We have an adoption application and an adoption fee, $95 for the adoption of one cat or $190 for a pair. This fee goes towards covering their vet costs. All cats adopted out by us are neutered/spayed, micro-chipped, tested for FIV/FeLV, and treated with Revolution.

On July 13, 2015, the headline story featured a 28-year-old black activist name Sandra Bland from Illinois; she was found hanged in Waller County, Texas, in a jail cell; after three days of being arrested during a pretextual traffic stop. Bland’s automobile was stopped on July 10, 2015, by State Trooper Brian Encinia because of a minor infringement.

The world saw the questionable arrest partially recorded by Encinia’s dashcam, a bystander’s cell phone, and Bland’s cell phone. Five years after this ‘minor traffic violation took place, questions surrounding her death continue to resurface, as many seek some form of justice. Bland’s death, ruled a suicide, has troubled many that knew her. The incident enraged the community and protesters that were against her arrest, disputed the cause of death, and alleged it was racial violence against her.

The world premiere of ‘Graveyard Shift’ at Goodman Theatre shines a light on the racial tension that is plaguing our nation. Straight from the headlines, the critical piece of work, written by playwright Korde Arrington Tuttle, touches on the dual lives of Sandra and the cop involved in her arrest. The legacy of Sandra Bland loosely inspires this purposeful story. However, Tuttle doesn’t make any attempt to refabricate Bland’s character or her life story. He allows us to see the emotional depth of the harsh realities in a world filled with lots of trepidation. The fictionalized play entwines the truth with urban poetic dialogue and rhythm, where senseless bigotry is all too common at the hands of a policeman.

Set in Chicago and Texas is where we meet Janelle (Anisa J. Hicks), who just received the opportunity of a lifetime, which allowed her to relocate from Illinois to Texas to work at Prairie View A&M University and to move in with her fiancé Kane (Debo Balogun). Brian (Keith D. Gallagher) is a small-town police officer in Prairieview, Texas, who is on probation for violence against a black college student. He has to deal with his irritable boss Trish (Lia D. Mortensen), who has no problem taunting him all of the time. Brian is also romantically involved with his co-worker Elise (Rae Gray), who decided to relocate and leave town. The worlds of these individuals quickly down-spiral in a collision of power and injustice.

Director Danya Taymor makes her debut along with Tuttle in ‘Graveyard Shift,’ some of her credits include Pass Over at Steppenwolf and Daddy at the Vineyard Theatre and the New Group. After developing Tuttle’s work, she focused on collaborative work so the audience can witness the story as a community. Although set designer Kristen Robinson used split runway staging, at times, it became very confusing.

How can a young woman’s life have ended when she had so much to live for, a new location, and a new job?

The storyline with Bland and her boyfriend, played by Debo Balogun, was a beautiful love story that provides more sympathy for the tragic end of Bland’s life.

The stage, a somewhat extended runway, set up to display a simultaneous look into the life of Bland, and the officer that shot her, was a bit awkward. You could see the audience having a difficult time trying to determine who to look at or listen to the combined dialogue.

We see the love and tension between Janelle and Kane and the personal issues of three Prairie View, Texas officer, Supervisor Trish (Lia D Mortensen), Elise (Rae Gray), and Brian (Keith D Gallagher). Elise is having an affair with Brian, who is married. Balogun, who reminds us of a young Sidney Poitier and Hicks are magical together as the distance lovers who are afraid that being under the same roof might complicate their love.

Graveyard Shift, decision to add the personal lives of the officers diminishes the events of how devastating and demoralizing it was to learn about how a young lady who accepted a new job and excited about relocating to Texas; would commit suicide. Their stories, which seemed out of place, and some unnecessary scenes, felt like fillers lacking meaning. The cop that arrested Janelle (Sandra Bland) storyline lack relevance and needed more substance. The story behind Bland death is too powerful to dilute with casual conversations.

During an interview, Korde Arrington Tuttle described Graveyard Shift as concurrent love stories where two lives collide. We witness the love between Janelle and Kane; however, their passion increased the sorrow and pain felt more than the love Tuttle wanted to display. It reminds us that life is too precious, and power can blind equality.

Let’s Play ‘Somewhat Recommends’ Graveyard Shift. We struggled with this recommendation but ultimately felt that the love aspect got lost in translation.

Goodman Theatre
Graveyard Shift
By: Korde Arrington Tuttle
Directed by: Danya Taymor
February 7 – March 8, 2020

Rod Blagojevich is a free man. His prison sentence has been commuted by Donald Trump. He’s back in Chicago, home with his family.

The last twenty-four hours has been a circus. All that’s been missing are the clowns.

In the last day, we’ve been overwhelmed with scenes of Rod signing autographs, shaking hands with everyone in sight and a helicopter following the road trip to his home as if he was O.J. Simpson.  Ronnie “Woo Woo” Vickers was at today’s press conference. “Rod Woo” “Patti Woo” “Amy Woo” “Annie Woo”!!! I guess the clowns weren’t missing.

Then we were subjected to his proclamation that he’s now a “freed political prisoner.”

Enough Rod…ENOUGH!!!

I always thought that the sentencing for Blagojevich was too much. I felt five to eight years was appropriate. I’m okay with him being out after seven. But Rod, there’s no way you were a victim of anything except your own greed. You tried to sell a Senate seat! Pure greed. You tried to shake down a children’s hospital for donations.  A CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL!! Pure greed and pure evil. You brought shame on yourself, your family and the people of Illinois, who put their trust in you..TWICE!!!

Rod, you said you didn’t let us down. Umm…dude…you absolutely let us down…big time! But most of us are compassionate people. We are forgiving. All we want to hear are these two words…I’m sorry. I’m not asking for much. Sadly, I’m almost positive we’ll never get it.

So Rod, welcome home. I’m happy for you and Patti, but more for your daughters Amy and Annie. It’s nice to see a family reunited and happy. Have a good life. Here’s to that and to never hearing anything from you ever again.

Related Post: Is there double jeopardy for impeachment?

Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

She smiled, too.

Sitting at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru window this morning near my house. The employee’s uniform shirt said, “Fueled by Positive Energy.” And, he most definitely was.

He smiled, cheerfully commented on the weather then asked how I was — which made me think about how many other employees I’d been served by in that same line, with that same friendliness.

So, after I paid, I asked to talk to his manager. As I did, a shadow crossed his face and his smile faltered. I’d seen this effect before, since I frequently like to compliment people who give good service. I knew he was expecting a complaint, because that’s typically what people do when they ask for the manager. So, I quickly added, “I want to compliment you,” and immediately saw relief on his face.

As he called his manager over, that same shadow crossed her face, as if she were bracing.

“Every time I come here, your employees are excellent” I told her. “You’re obviously doing a great job of finding and training good people.”

And she smiled.

Relieved and pleased. And also obviously proud of her team.

A good way to start the day.

The egg and cheese wraps didn’t hurt either.

(This experience happened at the Dunkin’ Donuts at 5414 Grand Avenue in Gurnee, Illinois.)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Contact me at [email protected]. And listen to my podcast.

Comments Note: All comments are reviewed. Any that are considered to be a personal attack or hate speech will be removed. In my blog, I always try to be respectful. I expect the same from my readers, both in responses to me, and about or to each other. And, again, thank you for reading.

Copyright 2001-2020, James R. Warda. All rights reserved.