Hiba Hussain

Bioengineering // Class of 2024

Going where no drug has gone before: A difficult journey through the blood-brain barrier

Health / /

When functioning optimally the human brain poses one of the largest challenges encountered in medicine. For the past 50 years, scientists have struggled to find methods to bypass the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a vital immunological barrier responsible for the transport of select molecules into the brain. Solving this problem would allow for the development of […]

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Believe: The polar express and the polarizing uncanny valley phenomenon

Technology / /

Dressed in cozy pajamas and armed with steaming cups of hot chocolate, millions of families flock to their televisions to watch “The Polar Express,” a film that has arguably become a holiday classic. While “The Polar Express” encourages the audience to believe in Christmas magic and draws upon childhood innocence, it is equally known for

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Snapping back: The power of resilience in children

Biology / /

Spider webs are known for their amazing tensile strength and have been calculated to be five times stronger than steel. Despite this strength, they also have an incredible amount of elasticity: the web strands snap back like a rubber band, even after a seemingly long stretch.  Surprisingly, the brains of children work similarly. After experiencing

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Your gut is a garden — for bacteria: Bacterial blooms and their link to neurological conditions

Biology, Health / /

Next time you feel lonely during this time of social isolation, just remember you always have 100 trillion friends. Why? Because you aren’t really alone. As you read this, there are 100 trillion microorganisms who call your digestive system home and are dedicated to keeping you healthy. Contrary to popular belief, not all strains of

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Losing your train of thought with traumatic experiences: Is it for the best?

Health / /

A single traumatic experience can shape the rest of one’s life for better or worse — but more likely for the latter. This idea is certainly disturbing, as almost 70 percent of adults in the United States, or 223.3 million people, have dealt with a traumatic experience such as abuse, violence, or grief. Young adults

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Good vibrations (and how to sense the really bad ones)

Biology, Health, Technology / /

Monitoring the heart for long periods of time has become easier than ever because of the development of wristwatches, smartphones, and wearable devices in the age of today’s biosensing revolution. The most notable of these devices is perhaps the Apple Watch, which comes embedded with a built-in electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate monitor and now

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