HANNAHSENNIK

Capable. Hardworking. Team player.

About

Hello! I'm a third year Systems Design Engineering student at the University of Waterloo. Human computer interaction, system analysis and product innovation are all aspects of engineering design that excite me. I fully understand team dynamics in supporting projects and have experience in collaborative development within diverse organizations. I am greatly inspired by the field of biotechnology; making a positive impact on the health of individuals is at the top of my priority list. I hope to achieve this by solving challenging problems and delivering effective products to users.

"The harder I work, the more luck I have." - Thomas Jefferson

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    Intellijoint Surgical

    At Intellijoint Surgical, I joined the research and development team as a Medical Device Software Developer. I had the opportunity to work on novel technology for navigation guided orthopedic surgery.

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    SickKids Hospital

    At SickKids, my main responsibility involved creating a graphical user interface to generate brain activity maps from functional MRI data. The application helps neurosurgeons make well informed patient decisions.

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    Synaptive Medical

    As an Optics Engineering intern at Synaptive Medical, I had the opportunity to work on hardware and software projects that will contribute to advancements in image-guided neurosurgery.

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    Indigo Books and Music Inc.

    As a QA Analyst on the IT Customer Solutions team at Indigo, my responsibilities included delivering high quality testing services while ensuring Software QA Standards were being met.

Software Developer at Intellijoint Surgical

Research and Development Initiatives

Intellijoint’s flagship product, intellijoint HIP, provides surgeons with real-time, intraoperative measurements to ensure proper positioning of orthopaedic implants during Total Hip Arthroplasty. During my co-op term, I held a role as a Medical Device Software Developer on the Research and Development team.

This role encompassed several activities including developing features on a prototype application for Knee Replacement Surgery, as well as developing software prototypes containing features that will further develop intellijoint HIP’s traction in the market. I gained extensive knowledge about robot dynamics and control, and was able to develop my UI/UX skills while designing interfaces for orthopedic surgeons.

Diagnostic Imaging Intern at SickKids

Preprocessing and Analysis of Functional MRI Data

SickKids is one of the first institutions to adopt the technique of using cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) as an indicator of perfusion reserve in children with cerebral vasculopathy and stroke. It is possible to locate the brain areas of reduced or negative reactivity based on the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal in response to a vasodilatory stimulus.

The main goal of this project was to design a graphical user interface that integrated with a pipeline to analyze the blood flow through each voxel of the brain. Throughout this role I gained skills in 4D image analysis and recognized the importance of providing surgeons with confidence in diagnostic data. The end result is a user-friendly interface that clinicians can use to view maps of the brain and inform patient management decisions.

Optics Engineer at Synaptive Medical

Fluorescence-Guided Surgery Exploration

At Synaptive Medical I worked on a research and development project that involved identifying the requirements for a fluorescence imaging system to be used for intraoperative tumour delineation and perfusion diagnostics.

Through executing experiments in a laboratory setting using brain phantoms, it was possible to characterize system specifications for several fluorophores while considering tissue absorption as well as the emission filters, excitation filters and camera settings required to achieve tissue fluorescence. To complete this project, data was gathered from surgeons to determine their illumination preferences for optimal tissue contrast during surgical operation. This led to the development of an image processing algorithm to enhance surgical images based on tissue characteristics.

"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action." - Herbert Spencer

Electroencephalography Device

Measuring Electrical Brain Activity

To further my knowledge and interest of the brain, I designed an EEG circuit to detect, measure, and distinguish between brain waves. My ultimate goal is to develop and prototype ideas that will assist with stroke rehabilitation. To accomplish this, I am currently studying functional brain mapping and testing the circuit out on willing volunteers.

This project involved sourcing necessary circuit components, obtaining electrodes for capturing the brain waves, and designing adequate electronic filters for signal extraction. Next steps include working with the Processing language to build applications where individuals can visualize biofeedback and control physical objects using their brain waves. I would also like to create a headset for the electrodes for improved signal to noise ratio.

"Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life." - Pablo Picasso

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    Graphite and Charcoal Portrait

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    Afghan Girl: Found

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    Graphite and Charcoal Portrait

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    Acrylic on Canvas

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    Boston Library

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    Triangulation of John Lennon

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    Bones of the Foot

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    Hip Anatomy