Civil Engineering professor Samer Adeeb and Dean's Research Award recipient Mat Reynolds examine a mandible model.
Edmonton-Without the Dean's Research Award, the Faculty of Engineering might have lost one of its most promising undergrads.
Three years ago, Mat Reynolds felt like something was missing from his education. He was even considering dropping out of school altogether. But one of Reynolds' professors, Samer Adeeb, approached him with a research proposal, and everything changed. Adeeb had been asked by Tarek El‑Bialy, a professor of orthodontics, for help studying mandible (jawbone) growth and in turn, Adeeb tapped Reynolds.
Before long, Reynolds had lined up a Dean's Research Award, plunged into this new project-and rediscovered his spark. "The research, and being able to do stuff that went beyond the day-in, day-out homework, kept me focused," he said.
Reynolds is analyzing and comparing CT scans of a jawbone, taken in successive years from a single patient, to better understand how mandibles grow. It's a crucial first step toward an ambitious long-term goal. Understanding bone growth could help lead to the development of clinical therapies, using ultrasounds, to address specific problems.
"So, if you have some kind of disorder, and your bone isn't growing properly, we can potentially induce ultrasounds to solve that," Reynolds said.
The body reacts to mechanical stress by stimulating bone growth.
"A very common example is tennis players," said Reynolds. "In tennis players, one arm is much thicker than the other, just from the stresses of constantly using those muscles, and swinging that arm."
Using a similar principle, researchers hope to treat abnormal bone growth by precisely applying mechanical vibrations in the form of ultrasounds.
If El‑Bialy succeeds in treating abnormal mandible growth, this technique could eventually be applied to other parts of the body as well, says Reynolds.
"So, if someone has a shorter leg, we can grow that leg longer. It has huge implications."
That kind of biomedical breakthrough is invariably built upon years of painstaking research. That's where Reynolds comes in. Adeeb points out, "To come up with the geometry from one CT scan is really lengthy process."
Then, Reynolds faces the even more complex process of comparing the scans from year to year. "You need to identify locations where the mandible became thicker," he said. "It's not easy. You can get lost in it."
The excitement Reynolds feels for the project has spilled into other areas of his studies. "It keeps you motivated," he said. "It opens your eyes to the potential of your degree."
Adeeb gets a kick out of watching Reynolds transform into a star protégé. Now, Reynolds again has plans to leave the U of A, but this time Adeeb will be glad to see him go.
"Mat got so excited about the research, he's going to Oxford next year to do his Master's in biomedical engineering."
The Dean's Research Award program is designed to give undergraduate students the opportunity to get involved with leading-edge research being conducted in the faculty. The awards are available to all full-time engineering students, beginning in their second year of studies, who have a previous-year minimum GPA of 3.2.