Crysta's Project Page

Who:  I have lived in Salt Lake my whole life. What led me to my decision to go to the University of Utah was the ACCESS program. In my free time I like to play piano, bake, and take my dog on adventures.

My engineering interests:  In high school I was always unsure of what I wanted to do with my future. I didn’t fall in love with the idea of being an engineer until two of my science teachers sat down with me to talk about what degree would be the right fit. My interest in Electrical Engineering takes root in medical devices. I see engineering as a way to expand my knowledge through unique problems as well as a way to help people live a more comfortable life.

Academic goals:  During my time at the University of Utah I am planning on majoring in Electrical Engineering with a focus on medical devices. I plan to continue doing research in my ACCESS lab so that I can continue to learn and grow as a researcher.

Career goals:  Once I start my career I want to improve and develop medical devices that will help improve the quality of life for others. I plan on gaining experience in industry before returning to academia.

Deep brain stimulation is currently used to treat various neurological disorders such as  Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and major depressive disorder. Currently, deep brain stimulation  requires invasive surgery with complications that may include hardware failure, malposition, and  infection. To reduce complications from deep brain stimulation, this research proposes a  minimally invasive, wireless system which places a stent in the brain to focus electromagnetic  fields delivered from surface electrodes to the targeted tissue. 

Using CST, a 3D electromagnetic field solver, the curvature, number, and size of the stent was  simulated in a model of the brain. At 915 MHz it is found that the presence of a stent increases  the intensity and focus of electromagnetic fields in the brain. The effect was even more  pronounced when the stent was curved. Although this technology has the potential to  revolutionize deep brain stimulation therapy, many questions remain. We are continuing to  evaluate how different stimulation configurations impact the energy delivered to different  structures in the brain.