Original Work: Product Proposal and Timeline

Introduction and Statement of Purpose/Review of Skills and Research

At the beginning of the year, I wished to investigate into a field and research project

relating to a specific part of the human body, detailed anatomy and physiology, machinery and

imaging, and computational mathematics. It is amazing how the course of the year has given me

enough insight to internalize such interests and come up with an original product plan that

encompasses them all. In the beginning of the year I did not know one bit about how these

interests would be applied to an original work, but consistent effort, proper learning experiences

(through both myself and my mentor), and gradual development has allowed me to settle on a

holistic project.

The project may seem extrinsically simple: to model a human skull with proper

nasolacrimal anatomy and 3-D print it with nylon 66, ABS, or other sturdy materials. However, it

explains the logical progression of my learning. I spontaneously chose ophthalmology as my

topic of interest in the beginning of the year due to my interest in small details and delicate

procedure. Throughout my interviews with professionals, I gained insight into several sub-

specialties until I learned about oculoplastic surgery. A compelling and comprehensive field,

oculoplastics combined hands-on surgeries with detailed analyses on creatively adding,

removing, or altering oculofacial features to better a persons functionality in a very vital

specialized organ system that relates to many other systems in the face. The field relies upon the

use of several specialized tools and delicate procedures that carefully maneuver through the

many intricate components of the orbital system.

I first thought of focusing on a specific procedure - dacryocystorhinostomy - but quickly

found the procedure to be beyond my background knowledge and computational abilities to

properly make a tool for. After revising my ideas with my mentor, who also happens to be

passionate about 3-D printing as well as 3-D scanning, both he and I concluded that modeling

and maybe printing a human skill that emphasized the nasolacrimal system would be the most

viable as well as useful product I could make. By doing this, I am more directly addressing my

interests: learning about detailed anatomy and physiology, focusing on the system responsible for

sight and tear flow, making geometric and spatial analyses, and using modeling software and

large 3-D scanner-printers. Furthermore, I am fulfilling my moral obligation of creating

something that is potentially useful: even Dr. Mancini cited how a proper model can be used to

educate medical students and residents as well as be used to make measurements and fittings for

oculofacial molds and implants used in surgical procedures.

Talking theoretically, several concepts need to be mastered in actually learning

nasolacrimal structures and then reciprocating it through a software medium.

Firstly, I must listen to lectures about specific areas of the upper face and watch the

corresponding surgery to get a lecture-application dual lesson. These resources are provided on

the master DVD my mentor provided me (videos of his lectures, diagrams, and labeled

surgeries). Slowly, I must learn how several specific regions of the upper face and orbital system

connect with each other and watch larger surgeries that involve interconnected components. The

idea of small to large is applied in effective learning, especially when large amounts of

information are received in short amounts of time. An example would be learning/watching

about a dacryocystorhinostomy and blepharoplasty separately and then learning/watching how to

do reconstructive surgery on a crushed in portion of the orbit, in which knowledge and skills

learned from the first two surgeries can be simultaneously used.

Methodology and Materials

As aforementioned, I first learn about the informational basis: a proper study of the

anatomy, physiology, and functionality of the nasolacrimal system. The next step is to use a

modeling software called Autodesk Inventor to structurally model a skull with accurate and

detailed anatomy of the eye sockets, nose bridge and smaller oculofacial bones in behind the

anterior side, such as the lacrimal bone, zygomatic bone, nasal concha, and aveolar process.

Autodesk Inventor is free, and my resources to learn and develop using it are also open to me

(Dr. Mancinis DVD and YouTube tutorials). After successfully modeling a detailed skull, I will

have several trials of printing it out with the 3-D printer at the UT Dallas Nanotech Institute. The

trials will be done because I will try several materials, primarily nylon 66 and ABS. Nylon 66

and ABS will cost a certain investment, but they are so widespread throughout the Nanotech

Institute that they will be extremely affordable, especially due to my previous connections at the

research lab. What will really require time investment is the actual 3-D printing itself. I will

enlist the help of Dr. Carter Haines and fellow high school senior Brian Buckenham to assist me

with the management and scheduling for the 3-D printer at UT Dallas that I am so familiar with.

If they require me to pay them, I will be willing to spend money. If they do ask for money, I

estimate that it will be around 20 to 30 dollars, since they need to purchase materials and

software compatibility to run the machine. The amount of trials to be done must also consider a

major problem in 3-D printing - warping. This is the three-dimensional distortion due to

slightly unbalanced forces, temperature changes, and gravity during 3-D printing. After that, I

will measure several tools against the design of the skull. I would like to borrow model implants

and molds from Dr. Mancini to insert into the skull, so that I can demonstrate the complexities of
oculoplastic surgery and learn it for myself as well. This four step process is comprehensive but

well-planned out.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I hope to print a successful skull that has a multi-faceted palate of usages, as

described in detail in the first section. However, it will be most useful for me because it will

provide me with an opportunity to lead a collaborative project between many people as well as

learn about a field that is extremely intriguing and important.

The independence, time management, and career focus I will gain by not only doing an

Original Work but also being part of a team of driven peers will build my character as I finish

high school and enter the realm of college and adulthood. Just like ophthalmology focuses on the

small details for great success, I must learn to attend to the specifics of the project at hand to see

a wonderful, overarching final product gradually painted in front of me.

Timeline of Planned Events

For additional details, please reference the Methodologies section of the Product Proposal.

April 1

By this date, I will have reviewed all the necessary lectures and surgeries on Dr. Mancinis DVD.

My deeper understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the nasolacrimal system will allow

me to initiate a full-scale skull modeling on a software - Autodesk Inventor - I have already been

learning about.

April 15
By the 15th, I will have successfully modeled a skull in Autodesk Inventor. During this time, I

will frequently visit my mentor to discuss and edit the formation of the skull.

May 6

I will have printed out the skull in the ideal material - one that is light but also shape-retaining

for consistency (a human skull does not bend or warp; thus, the model must parallel a true skulls

physical properties as closely as possible). I will also have more than one printed out. This

portion of the project is the one that requires the most time, attention, and resources (outside help

and money).

May 13

I will have measured several implants and molds against the skull to show its usage, labeled it

thoroughly to symbolize its educational abilities, and even insert a few of the aforementioned

implants in the skull to visually demonstrate the worth of having a detailed model skull.

Application of theory is one of the greatest attributes of a medical education. My board and

portfolio will have been updated in the two weeks prior to this date. By this date, I shall be

frustrated that Final Presentation Night will not have arrived yet.