Ariana Smies, Ph.D.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Milwaukee School of Engineering
- Milwaukee WI
Ariana Smies is a Sr. Project Engineer in the Wellness Products group at Kohler Co.
Milwaukee School of Engineering
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Education, Licensure and Certification
Ph.D.
Biomedical Engineering
Michigan Technological University
2022
Qualified Online Instructor
Educational Technology Organization of Michigan
2020
M.S.
Biomedical Engineering
Michigan Technological University
2020
B.S.
Biomedical Engineering
Michigan Technological University
2018
Biography
In addition to teaching at MSOE, Dr. Smies is a project engineer in the Advanced Development in Water Technologies group at Kohler Company. She is focused on how to integrate current advancements surrounding wellness into the products you use every day.
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
Outstanding Scholarship Award
2022
Outstanding Teaching Award
2021
King-Chavéz-Parks Future Faculty Fellow
2019
Health Research Institute Research Slam
2019
First-place in the 8-minute talk category
Social
Teaching Areas
Systems Physiology
Exploring how various body systems work and how, as engineers, we can utilize this knowledge to either treat a condition or develop a new product.
Biomaterials
Understanding how basic materials science can help us understand tissues and medical device design.
Selected Publications
Utilizing Robust Design to Optimize Composite Bioadhesive for Promoting Dermal Wound Repair
Polymers2023
Catechol-modified bioadhesives generate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) during the process of curing. A robust design experiment was utilized to tune the H2O2 release profile and adhesive performance of a catechol-modified polyethylene glycol (PEG) containing silica particles (SiP). An L9 orthogonal array was used to determine the relative contributions of four factors (the PEG architecture, PEG concentration, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) concentration, and SiP concentration) at three factor levels to the performance of the composite adhesive.
Non-antibiotic antimicrobial polydopamine surface coating to prevent stable biofilm formation on satellite telemetry tags used in cetacean conservation applications
Frontiers in Marine Science2022
Satellite telemetry tags, used to monitor the migratory behavior of cetaceans, have the potential to be a vehicle for infection due to their invasive nature. Antibiotic coatings have been previously employed to reduce the chances of infection via the formation of a stable biofilm on the surface of the tags.
Hydroxyl Radical Generation through the Fenton-like Reaction of Hematin- and Catechol-Functionalized Microgels
Chemistry of Materials2020
Hydroxyl radical (•OH) is a potent reactive oxygen species with the ability to degrade hazardous organic compounds, kill bacteria, and inactivate viruses. However, an off-the-shelf, portable, and easily activated biomaterial for generating •OH does not exist. Here, microgels were functionalized with catechol, an adhesive moiety found in mussel adhesive proteins, and hematin (HEM), a hydroxylated Fe3+ ion-containing porphyrin derivative.
Development of an Injectable Nitric Oxide Releasing Poly(ethylene) Glycol-Fibrin Adhesive Hydrogel
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering2019
Fibrin microparticles were incorporated into poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG)-fibrinogen hydrogels to create an injectable composite that could serve as a wound healing support and vehicle to deliver therapeutic factors for tissue engineering. Nitric oxide (NO), a therapeutic agent in wound healing, was loaded into fibrin microparticles by blending S-nitroso-N-acetyl penicillamine (SNAP) with a fibrinogen solution.
Development and Characterization of an Antimicrobial Polydopamine Coating for Conservation of Humpback Whales
Frontiers in Chemistry2019
Migration patterns of humpback whales have been monitored using 316L stainless steel (SS) satellite telemetry tags. The potential for tissue infection and necrosis is increased if the bacteria, naturally a part of the diverse microbiome on the skin of humpback whales, can adhere to and colonize the surface of the tags. Polydopamine (pDA) has the potential to prevent the adhesion of one of the most prevalent bacterial strains on the surface of the skin of cetaceans (Psychrobacter) through the release of hydrogen peroxide.
