Just after a victim suffers a major heart attack or stroke, emergency medical technicians have precious minutes to stop a chemical chain reaction that can lead to permanent injury, paralysis or death. Recently, doctors have discovered a method to significantly reduce and sometimes eliminate the effects of this chemical reaction by cooling the brain and body with a saline-based hypothermia treatment. Unfortunately, the saline treatments must be stored at a constant, cool temperature, and ambulances have been ill-equipped with bulky, inefficient refrigerators or Igloo coolers.
Stacy Tsang ’08, a mechanical engineering student, is helping to design a prototype refrigerator unit for the city of Houston as part of the Arctic Ambulance Project, a senior-level design project for Professor Maria Oden’s bioengineering course. Working in collaboration with the Houston Fire Department Emergency Medical Services, Stacy’s team has designed a compact, lightweight refrigerator made of a super-insulator called a dewar. The device potentially could be used in ambulances within the year.
Thanks to alumni like you who gave last year to the Rice Annual Fund for Student Life and Learning, the Center for Civic Engagement helped provide essential support to Stacy and her teammates for the Arctic Ambulance Project. By giving again this fiscal year to the Annual Fund, you will help other deserving students like Stacy engage in hands-on research that can significantly impact lives in Houston and beyond.
To make your gift to the Annual Fund, please visit www.giving.rice.edu/global. To read more about the CCE, visit cce.rice.edu.
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