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Fueled by a love for Legos and a fascination for how the body works, Edina, Minnesota, fifth-grader William O’Connell started writing research papers on how the eye functions and what causes an appendicitis.

That was 2015. Ten years later, O’Connell is still writing research papers, though the words have gotten bigger and the topic more complex. The South Dakota State University junior has a double major in human biology and mechanical engineering with a biomedical engineering minor with plans to graduate in May 2027.

He also is a member of the fourth class of Future Innovators of America, which are chosen by the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering.

Recipients are awarded $5,000 with $4,500 as a stipend and $500 to cover the cost of lab supplies or travel to disseminate the results of their project.

The fellowships were created to provide unique research opportunities for undergraduate students in the college. Any student is eligible to apply as long as they are attending full time and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Application deadline was Nov. 5.

Each student worked with a potential project mentor, who must be a faculty or research staff member, to develop and submit a research plan that entails learning by doing. There are eight students tackling projects this school year.

Selected for Basu’s research team

O’Connell’s project is “Experimental Measurements of Liquid Media Penetration within 3D-Printed Anatomical Respiratory Cavities.” To put it more simply, he is trying to find the optimum effectiveness for nasal sprays to kill bacteria. The work is done in conjunction with Saikat Basu, an associate professor in mechanical engineering.

Basu, an expert in this field of computational fluid dynamics, has a team of graduate students who works with him.

As an undergraduate, O’Connell said he is “really fortunate” to have this opportunity. In October, Basu submitted a research paper to the journal “Frontiers in Drug Delivery.” Listed among the authors with Basu, his graduate students and colleagues at Cornell University is O’Connell. The paper has been accepted for publication.

He has been working with Basu since responding in fall 2023 to the faculty member’s post asking for a lab assistant.

Creates models for experiments

O’Connell’s responsibilities progressed. In late spring of his sophomore year, O’Connell was asked to work on what is formally known as “Mechanics-Guided Parametric Modeling of Intranasal Spray Devices and Formulations for Targeted Drug Delivery to the Nasopharynx.”

O’Connell’s job was to set up the experiment. A graduate student handled the computational side of things — using computer projections to estimate what would be the coverage area and disposition based on spray angle and particle size. It was O’Connell’s job to create an experiment that would seek to validate the computational work.

Using clear resin for 3D printing, he created a model of the human respiratory tract from the nostrils to just below where the mouth meets the throat. A vacuum pump was used to simulate breathing on the life-sized model. Distilled water and dye were added to the nasal spray to track coverage, O’Connell explains.

The target was the nasopharynx, the upper part of the pharynx, located behind the nasal cavity and above the soft palate. It is a common hangout for germs associated with the common cold, sore throats, laryngitis, tonsillitis, sinus issues and ear infections.

To provide for accurate comparisons, O’Connell had to standardize the height and zoom percentages in which photos were taken.

Preparation for the experiment began in the summer with the actual experiments performed in August and September. The team found the computational projections almost always fell in the range with the experimental data, O’Connell said.

Research continues in emerging field

While this study is complete, there is more work to do. The next study will involve a fuller representation of the respiratory system. The model will be cast to go from the nostrils to the primary bronchi at the base of the trachea. Basu’s team held a preliminary meeting with the Cornell researchers Dec. 3.

While nasal sprays certainly aren’t new, their use in drug delivery is an emerging field. O’Connell said their benefits include their ability to permeate across the blood/brain barrier, a lowering of the risk of introducing a blood-born pathogen, being less expensive and easier to manufacture than a shot, and no biohazards such as a discarded needle.

The challenge is to get the spray to the optimum location.

Speaks to American Physics Society

While consumers have no say in the size of the spray droplet, the angle of spray into the nostril and the depth into the nostril are within the user’s control. “You have to insert it and have it at a more horizontal angle. Vertically is less effective,” said O’Connell, who gave a 10-minute talk on the project at the gathering of the American Physics Society Division of Fluid Dynamics.

He was joined at the Nov. 23-25 gathering in Houston by Basu and two graduate students from the team.

“Initially I was nervous (about speaking), but I was happy with the presentation I gave,” said O’Connell, who also thanked Basu for giving him the opportunity to speak. O’Connell also will speak at the Global Summit of the American Physics Society in Denver during spring break in March. That will address work just now underway.

Looking ahead, O’Connell said he is applying for summer internships in the field of medicine. However, he added, “I wouldn’t mind coming back to do research for Dr. Basu. I enjoy learning and believe this research is very helpful.”

It could also be helpful in getting O’Connell into medical school, as will his 3.9 GPA. The Honors College student’s current career goal is to be an emergency room doctor.

When not balancing his dizzying load of academics, O’Connell can be found sleeping, playing video games and serving as a community assistant in Mathews Hall, the living and learning center for engineering underclassmen.