Women in STEM Friday: Dr. Canan Dagdeverin

"Internal energy. “What energy?” you may ask, having just finished two essays, a problem set with ACS citations, and written a novella with a relatable protagonist and theatrical subplot in your lab notebook. And yet, your body will surprise you. Dr. Canan Dagdeverin is working to create “biocompatible piezoelectric mechanical energy harvesters” (we’ll break that down later on -- the gist: small objects one can put into the body that harvest energy from natural bodily functions) that power medical implants. Where does the energy come from? The natural movement of your organs.

HER RESEARCH If you have a medical device implanted in your body, the energy to power it likely comes from batteries. Changing these batteries is often uncomfortable and even dangerous, requiring further surgeries and all of the risks and costs these entail. Dagdeverin’s devices “enable high efficiency mechanical to electrical energy conversion from the natural contractile and relaxation motion of the heart, lung and diaphragm” (1). Medical machinery affected by her research includes but is in no way limited to “self-powered cardiac pacemakers, multi-functional cardiac vessel stents, non-invasive/wearable/epidermal blood pressure sensors, and skin cancer detection bio-patches” (2). In order to appreciate the breadth and applicability of her research, let’s look at the succinct summary of the devices she works on: “biocompatible piezoelectric mechanical energy harvesters.”

Biocompatible. Her devices work with the body instead of against or apart from it. They interact with the host organism in a positive way.

Piezoelectric. When physical/mechanical stress is applied to certain objects or materials, an electric charge is generated. This is known as the Piezoelectric Effect. Very simply put, applying physical pressure generates an electrical impulse. Mechanical. As opposed to organic. She is researching Zinc Oxide (ZnO) as a favorable material out of which she can build her devices. ZnO is responsive to the piezoelectric effect, is largely transparent (useful for devices that go onto the skin), and is very biocompatible.

Energy harvesters. Although you may not think about it often, many of your vital organs are in a constant state of movement. Converting this mechanical, or movement-based energy into high amounts of electrical energy to power devices such as patches one wears on the skin that detect slight changes in arterial pressure (useful in detecting and monitoring cardiovascular disease) or changes in skin density (a precursor to skin cancer), to name a few.

ON BEING A TURKISH WOMAN IN STEM Dr. Dagdeverin was born in Turkey, completing her undergraduate degree in Physics Engineering from Hacettepe University in Ankara. Her masters in Materials Science and Engineering was obtained from Sabanci University in Istanbul. In 2009, she was awarded Turkey’s first Fulbright Doctoral Fellowship. Among the highest honors she earned is selection as a “Junior fellow in the history of Harvard Society of Fellows. ‘It means a lot, it is a victory and accumulation of effort and love of 29 years’ she says. ‘ It is beyond my personal success, I do represent my beautiful home country, Turkey, as I’m the first scientist from Turkey to be selected to the society’ (3).

She says regarding the encouraging letters she receives after appointments and awards, "I’m happy to be a ‘role model’ for young generation, especially for underestimated women of my country" (3). The Turkish American Scientists and Scholars Association reports, “Amid ongoing invention and research efforts, Dagdeviren also manages to work with young inventors in the Society of Women Engineers, and mentors undergraduate students from the US and Turkey via her communications on skype. One of her dreams is to develop a fellowship program with her late granddad's name to inspire and support future scientists from Turkey” (3).

FOR MORE INFORMATION. http://canandagdeviren.com/Research.aspx http://canandagdeviren.com/Biography.aspx (http://www.tassausa.org/…/Canan-Dagdeviren-a-TASSA-Awardee-…) Her website (very informative on they types of devices she’s building):http://canandagdeviren.com/ Her twitter: https://twitter.com/dagdevirencanan?lang=en More on her and her research: https://mrl.illinois.edu/…/motivated-family-illinois-innova… Her TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cvM84s8Wng The Piezoelectric Effect: http://www.nanomotion.com/piezo-ceram…/piezoelectric-effect/ "

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