Selected research projects
• Funding Program: Harvard – UTEC Research Seed Fund
• Amount: 45,000 USD
• PI: Dr. Emir Vela (evela@utec.edu.pe) and Dr. Katia Bertoldi (Harvard University)
Soft Robotic Haptic Device for Tactile Stimulation of Infants with Locomotor and Sensation Disorder
The goal of this proposal is to develop a low-cost soft robotic haptic device made of soft metamaterials to perform gentle mechanical stimulation for the rehabilitation of tactile sensations in the lower limbs of 0-6-month-old infants affected by Spina Bifida. Stimuli will be performed on the thigh, foot dorsum, and joints; thus, promoting the recovery of their walking disorders.
• Funding Program: Harvard – UTEC Research Seed Fund
• Amount: 45,000 USD
• PI: Dr. Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Reyes (jcrodriguez@utec.edu.pe), Dr. Cynthia Friend and Dr. Robert Madix (Harvard University)
Gold and Silver: Catalyzing the Harvard – UTEC partnership
Catalysis is at the core of the development of sustainable processes and materials for the world. In particular, catalysis with gold and silver at the nanoscale are very promising for several chemical processes, since these metals are able to perform organic chemical reactions of relevance for transforming natural resources (natural gas, ethanol) into fine chemicals. This proposal focuses on the understanding of the reactivity of gold towards various types of organic molecules at ideal (ultra-high vacuum) and real (micro-reactor) conditions.
• Funding Program: Cleveland Clinic – UTEC Grants Program
• Amount: 50,000 USD
• PI: Dr. Alberto J Donayre-Torres (adonayre@utec.edu.pe) and Dr. Kathleen A. Derwin (Cleveland Clinic)
Synthesis of biocompatible materials for soft tissue grafts using synthetic biology tools
Synthetic biology allows programming in vitro biomaterials with regulatory genetic constructs. The synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, elastin, and collagen in a cell-free system are programmed with genetic elements. This proposal aims at the establishment of genetically programmable ECM using cell-free reactions. This high-throughput system will allow a fast-track platform for testing mechanical properties in biocompatible material used in soft tissue grafts.
• Funding Program: MISTI Seed Fund
• Amount: 30,000 USD – URL
• PI: Dr. Emir Vela (evela@utec.edu.pe) and Ellen Roche (MIT)
A Lower Limb Soft Robotic Exoskeleton for Motor Development of Infants Affected by Spina Bifida
The goal of this proposal is to develop a low-cost robotic exoskeleton made of soft and flexible materials to perform lower-limb rehabilitation of 0-6-month-old infants affected by SB through passive repetitive flexion/extension movements of joints and muscles to significantly reduce their walking disorders.
• Funding Program: MISTI Seed Fund
• Amount: 30,000 USD – URL
• PI: Dr. Ursula Rodriguez-Zuñiga (urodriguez@utec.edu.pe), Daniel Frey and Elizabeth McDonald (MIT)
Community-Led Social and Environmental Problem-Solving with Women Miners in Peru
The project will enable students to better understand the connection between technological, environmental, social, and economic issues in extractive economies in general and particularly in the mining industry in Secocha, Peru. It will also provide them with hands-on experience in community-led social and environmental problem-solving by directly engaging with artisanal and small-scale women miners, known as pallaqueras.
• Funding Program: MISTI Seed Fund
• Amount: 30,000 USD – URL
• PI: Dr. Jose Antonio Larco (jlarco@utec.edu.pe), Dr. Claudia Antonini (UTEC) and Christopher Mejia (MIT)
Unraveling smallholder agricultural supply networks in Peru
This project aims to understand and characterize the complexities that lie underneath the accessibility to the market in the Peruvian context and relate them to observed supply-chain and firm outcomes. Using social network analysis, this project will identify and learn from success stories through a strong commitment to collaboration among supply-chain actors, to create a methodology that might be scaled-up to integrate current data sources with field observations and reveal meaningful metrics that describe supply-chain network structures.