EMPLOYMENT
2021 - CURRENTENTEROTRACK
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Focus - Research and Development, Medical Device Design, Manufacturing
- Originated and advanced design curriculum within CU Bioengineering in tadem with Cassandra Howard.
- Taught Biodesign Capstone, Introduction to Design, Tissue Engineering
- 175+ Undergraduate Students.
- 20+ Graduate Students as Primary Investigator/Mentour
- Developed open-source 3D Bioprinting hardware, software, and materials community.
- Initiated and advanced numerous medical device incubator projects within the university syetem.
- Survived Covid as an educator within the design space.
https://enterotrack.com/
2015 - CURRENTUNIVERSITY OF COLORADO - BIOENGINEERING
RESEARCH INSTRUCTOR
Focus - Design Education, Medical Device Development, Translational Medicine, 3D Bioprinting
- Originated and advanced design curriculum within CU Bioengineering in tadem with Cassandra Howard.
- Taught Biodesign Capstone, Introduction to Design, Tissue Engineering
- 175+ Undergraduate Students.
- 20+ Graduate Students as Primary Investigator/Mentour
- Developed open-source 3D Bioprinting hardware, software, and materials community.
- Initiated and advanced numerous medical device incubator projects within the university syetem.
- Survived Covid as an educator within the design space.
https://engineering.ucdenver.edu/bioengineering
2011 - CURRENTUNIVERSAL NANOTECH
SENIOR PROJECT ENGINEER - CO FOUNDER
Startup focused on developing next-generation semiconductor nanomaterials for use in high-density battery storage, photovoltaics, biomedicine and sensors.
- Worked with a small team to develop a novel method of large-scale semiconductor nanoparticle fabrication.
- Fabrication and characterization of silicon and germanium nanomaterials.
- Design, engineering and controls of nanoparticle reactors (LabView, SolidWorks).
- Design and production of distributed multi-cycle testing platforms for long-term battery deep cycle testing (AVR microcontroller, C/C++, PCB design, electrical design).
- Electrode chemistry and battery fabrication.
- Data management including design and operation of Ruby-On-Rails servers, MySQL database backend and HTML / LabView / Python front end UI for data acquisition.
www.UNanotech.com
2009 - 2011UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO HEALTH SCIENCE CTR
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW
CARDIOVASCULAR PULMONARY RESEARCH LABORATORY
Research Focus - Extracellular matrix mediated pulmonary vascular stiffening in pulmonary hypertension.
- Developed new equipment and methods to model and elucidate the structure-function relationship of collagen and elastin in soft tissue mechanics.
- Worked with a 30+ member team of medical professionals in a multi-decade, multi-disciplinary research project aimed at treating heart failure resulting from pulmonary hypertension.
- Duties included tissue sample harvesting from human, bovine and rat. Histochemical analysis of tissue sections followed by bi-axial mechanical stress-strain testing and 2-photon microscope
analysis of underlying collagen and elastin structure under progressive stages of decellurization and collagen removal. Significant image processing was developed using MatLab Image Toolbox to
relate collagen and elastin structural changes to mechanical stiffening of arteries in the diseased state and resultant hydrodynamic impact on cardiac function.
- Authored two grants, awarded one.
- Quarterly departmental research assessment presentations.
- Attended and presented at numerous conferences and professional society events.
www.ucdenver.edu
2004 - 2009UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER
PhD GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPT
Uniaxial artery mechanics in pulmonary hypertension 2006-2009
- Designed novel equipment, models and methods to study the role of elastin in material property changes of conduit pulmonary arteries in response to pulmonary hypertension, primarily in hypoxic rat and bovine models. Duties similar to those listed in post-doctoral fellowship above.
Microbubble ultrasound contrast functionalization 2004-2006
- Developed and characterized functionally-labeled lipid micelle microbubbles for targeted ultrasound contrast and drug delivery.
www.me.ucboulder.edu
2000 - 2003JACOBS ENGINEERING
PROJECT MANAGER - PROCESS CONTROLS ENGINEER
International provider of professional engineering and technical services.
- Project manager for small capital projects (<$1M) and process controls engineering located at Eastman Kodak, Rochester NY.
www.jacobs.com
RESEARCH
RESEARCHBIOMECHANICS
Studied the relationship between extracellular matrix remodeling of collagen and elastin in response to pulmonary hypertension and the concomitant impact on arterial tissue mechanics, cardiopulmonary hydrodynamics and clinical outcomes.
- Biaxial and uniaxial stress/strain testing of arterial tissues.
- Modeling of experimental stress/strain, morphological and histological data into a structure-function relational model using Matlab, SQLite, MySQL, Ruby On Rails, Python
- Experimental design
- Experimental methods
- Statistical analysis
- Decellurization and collagen removal protocols
- Tissue harvesting
- Histology and staining protocols
- Design of equipment used for mechanical testing
- Design of mechanical tissue grips
- Redesign and debugging of custom-built biaxial stress/strain load frame
- Design of aqueous buffered tissue testing media capable of sustaining vascular smooth muscle viability
- Rewiring of biaxial load frame to address noise/drift during low-load testing
- Analysis of enzymatic response of arterial tissues to pulmonary hypertensive insult and the concomitant impact on arterial matrix structure
- Training of others to use stress/strain equipment and analyze data
RESEARCHIMAGE PROCESSING AND MICROSCOPY
Significant image processing was conducted on histological images of arterial tissues. The tissues were previously studied using mechanical testing. The aim of the image processing and
histology was to elucidate the structure of extracellular matrix protein response to the high-strain conditions associated with pulmonary hypertension. This data was used to build a
structure-function model of extracellular matrix contribution of vascular mechanics in healthy and diseased conduit pulmonary arterial tissues.
- 2-Photon microscopy of collagen and elastin 3-D structure within arterial tissues
- Spinning disk confocal microscopy
- Histology of paraffin embedded and cryosectioned tissue samples using multiple staining protocols
- Total internal reflective fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy.
- Use of custom MatLab image pocessing to determine:
- Collagen and elastin volume fraction within arterial tissues based on depth within vascular wall
- Collagen and elastin tortuosity throughout vascular wall
- 3-D Degredation and deposition of collagen and elastin in response to pulmonary hypertension
- Modeling of experimental stress/strain, morphological and histological data into a structure-function relational model using Matlab, SQLite, MySQL, Ruby On Rails, Python
- Training of others to use MatLab image processing toolbox, 2-photon microscope and general histology protocols (tissue prep, fixing, etc...)
RESEARCHMICRO | NANO TECHNOLOGY
Nanoparticle research focused on developing next-generation semiconductor nanomaterials for use in high-density battery storage, photovoltaics biomedicine and sensors. Micro-scale
technology focused on functionalizing biocompatible lipid-micelle microbubbles.
- Fabrication and characterization of silicon and germanium crystalline nanoparticles
- Reactor design for continuous nanoparticle fabrication
- Reactor process controls (LabView)
- Parametric study and resultant model of reactor inputs on nanoparticle morphology
- Nanoparticle characterization: TEM, SEM, EDX, XRD
- Use of electrophoretic deposition of nanoparticles for fabrication of self-assembled nanoparticle electrode
- Design of slurry-cast nanoparticle anodes for LI-ion battery applications
- Functionalization of lipid micelle microbubbles for targeted ultrasound contrast and drug delivery
- Design of biocompatible surfaces for microbubbles to extend in-vivo residence time
- Design of conjugation protocol for attachment of Immunoglobulin G antibodies to microbubble surface
- Validation for successful microbubble conjugation using ELISA and real-time TIRF microscopy within a microchannel fliuidic cell
EDUCATION
2006 - 2009UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER
PhD Mechanical Engineering
Dissertation: The Role of Elasting in Pulmonary Hypertensive Conduit Artery Stiffening
2004 - 2006UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER
MS Mechanical Engineering
1995 - 2000COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY, FT COLLINS
BS Chemical Engineering
PUBLICATIONS
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
Steven Lammers, Devon Scott, Kendall Hunter, Wei Tan, Robin Shandas, Kurt R Stenmark: Mechanics and Function of the Pulmonary Vasculature: Implications for Pulmonary Vascular Disease and Right Ventricular Function. Comprehensive Physiology. 01/2012; 2(1):295-319.
Steven R Lammers, Phil H Kao, H Jerry Qi, Kendall Hunter, Craig Lanning, Joseph Albietz,
Stephen Hofmeister, Robert Mecham, Kurt R Stenmark, Robin Shandas: Changes in the structure-function relationship of elastin and its impact on the proximal pulmonary arterial mechanics of hypertensive calves. AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology 10/2008; 295(4):H1451-9.
Mark Reusser, Kendall S Hunter, Steven R Lammers, Kurt R Stenmark: Validation of a pressure diameter method for determining modulus and strain of collagen engagement for long
branches of bovine pulmonary arteries. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering 05/2012; 134(5):054501.
Lian Tian, Steven R Lammers, Philip H Kao, Joseph A Albietz, Kurt R Stenmark, H Jerry Qi, Robin Shandas, Kendall S Hunter: Impact of residual stretch and remodeling on collagen engagement in healthy and pulmonary hypertensive calf pulmonary arteries at physiological pressures. Annals of biomedical engineering 01/2012; 40(7):1419-33.
Lian Tian, Steven R Lammers, Philip H Kao, Mark Reusser, Kurt R Stenmark, Kendall S Hunter, H Jerry Qi, Robin Shandas: Linked opening angle and histological and mechanical aspects of the proximal pulmonary arteries of healthy and pulmonary hypertensive rats and calves. AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology 08/2011; 301(5):H1810-8.
Kendall S Hunter, Steven R Lammers, Robin Shandas: Pulmonary vascular stiffness: measurement, modeling, and implications in normal and hypertensive pulmonary circulations. Comprehensive Physiology. 07/2011; 1(3):1413-35.
Philip H Kao, Steven R Lammers, Lian Tian, Kendall Hunter, Kurt R Stenmark, Robin Shandas, H Jerry Qi: A microstructurally driven model for pulmonary artery tissue. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering 05/2011; 133(5):051002.
Philip H Kao, Steven R Lammers, Kendall Hunter, Kurt R Stenmark, Robin Shandas, H Jerry Qi: Constitutive Modeling of Anisotropic Finite-Deformation Hyperelastic Behaviors of Soft Materials Reinforced by Tortuous Fibers. The international journal of structural changes in solids : mechanics and applications. 04/2010; 2(1):19-29.
Kendall S Hunter, Joseph A Albietz, Po-Feng Lee, Craig J Lanning, Steven R Lammers, Stephen H Hofmeister, Philip H Kao, H Jerry Qi, Kurt R Stenmark, Robin Shandas: In vivo measurement of proximal pulmonary artery elastic modulus in the neonatal calf model of pulmonary hypertension: development and ex vivo validation. Journal of Applied Physiology 04/2010; 108(4):968-75.
CONFERENCES
LIST OF CONFERENCES
Steven Lammers, Kendall Hunter, Lian Tian, Phil Kao, H. Jerry Qi, Craig Lanning, Steve Hoffmeister, Robin Shandas, Kurt Stenmark: Quantitative Measures of Collagen Microstructure in Health and Pulmonary Hypertension American Thoracic Society, 2011.
Steven R Lammers, Tosin Feyintola, Kendall Hunter, Emily Gibson, Tim Li, Phil Kao, H. Jerry Qi, Craig Lanning, Robin Shandas, Kurt R Stenmark: Microstructural Changes in Collagen and Elastin and Their Impact on the Mechanics of the Pulmonary Artery in Hypertension ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference, 2011
Steven Lammers, Kendall Hunter, Lian Tian, Phil Kao, H. Jerry Qi, Robin Shandas, Kurt Stenmark: Vascular Remodeling of Collagen: A Quantitative Assessment of Microstructure and Function in Health and Pulmonary Hypertension North American Vascular Biology Organization, 2011.
Steven Lammers, Phil Kao, Jerry Qi, Kendall Hunter, Craig Lanning, Joseph Albeitz, Steve Hoffmeister, Kurt Stenmark, Robin Shandas: Conduit Arteries in the Rat and Calf Express Different Material Property Changes in Response to Hypoxia-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension American Thoracic Society, 2010.
Steven R Lammers, Phil H Kao, Lian Tian, Kendall Hunter, H. Jerry Qi, Joseph Albietz, Stephen Hofmeister, Kurt R Stenmark, Robin Shandas: Quantification of Elastin Residual Stretch in Fresh Artery Tissue: Impact on Artery Material Properties and Pulmonary Hypertension Pathophysiology ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference, 2009
Steven Lammers, Phil Kao, Jerry Qi, Kendall Hunter, Craig Lanning, Joseph Albeitz, Steve Hoffmeister, Kurt Stenmark, Robin Shandas: Impact of Elastin Biomechanics on Proximal Pulmonary Artery Stiffness in Pulmonary Hypertension American Thoracic Society, 2008.
Steven Lammers, Phil Kao, Jerry Qi, Kurt Stenmark, Robin Shandas: Contribution of Elastin to the Mechanical Properties of Arterial Tissues ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference, 2007.
Steven Lammers, Hyun Ja Kwon, Davor Balzar, Robin Shandas: Changes in the Structure and Function of Arterial Elastic Lamellae as a Result of Pulmonary Hypertension: Studies Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Mass Spectroscopy, and X-Ray Diffraction ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference, 2006.
Steven Lammers, Robin Shandas: Conjugation Efficiency of Functionalized Microbubbles for
Targeted Ultrasound-Based Molecular Imaging ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference, 2005.