Profile
Marissa Britton
Curriculum Vitae
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Education:
National University of Irealnd Galway
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Qualifications:
Bachelors of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering
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Work History:
NUIG, Medtronic, Ervia, Eircode
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Current Job:
PhD Researcher
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Employer:
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I live in Galway, in a house with 4 of my friends they are all engineers as well! I have a dog called Poppy. I like to paint, read, run, play tag rugby, camogie and swim in the sea! This year I hope to swim in the sea every month of the year. At the weekend I teach kids about Biomedical Engineering.
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My Work: I look at bones and how they react in different situations to figure out why they might be more likely to fracture.
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My research focuses on biomechanical properties of Type 2 Diabetic bones. In the laboratory, I have made cow bones act like they Type 2 diabetic, by leaving them in a sugar mixture for a few weeks. In the image below you can see that the bones that are orangey in colour are the bones that have been in the sugar mixture. I am currently working with human bones that were given to us by people who have gotten total hip replacements.
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My Typical Day: My alarm goes and it takes me a few minutes to wake up. I eat cornflakes for breakfast and am normally in the lab at about 9am. I do lots of lab work, experiments. I then have some homemade sushi for lunch. After lunch, I analyse the results of my experiments and look at the data using graphs. Based on what information I have gained from this I can move on with experiments and make presentations to share this data with my supervisor and other team members.
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What I'd do with the money: Donate it to Soapbox Science or hold an event for local children to experience biomedical engineering workshop
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My plan for local school students is, depending on the Covid situation, to hold an event online or virtual where I would get school students to build the best heart valve using a shoebox, marbles and an engineering toolkit. The event would allow the students an hour to come up with the best design, which would be judged at the end by qualified engineers. The money would be used to buy the materials and send them out to any school students who want to take part.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
sea swimming biomedical engineer
What's the best thing you've done in your career?
got to travel to different places and work with interesting people
What or who inspired you to follow your career?
love for maths and science
What was your favourite subject at school?
maths
What did you want to be after you left school?
engineer
Were you ever in trouble at school?
rarely
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
artist
Who is your favourite singer or band?
The Killers
What's your favourite food?
tuna sushi
What is the most fun thing you've done?
snorkeled in Phi Phi, Thailand
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. stop climate change 2. for it to be a little less rainy in Galway 3. to have a personal chef
Tell us a joke.
Whats brown and sticky? A stick
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