Automation in Crystallization: A Memorable Research Experience

The opportunity to participate in the STAR (Students Tackling Advanced Research) Scholars Program was one that provided me with early mentorship, real responsibility, experience in the field, and a product that has the opportunity to advance society. I'm a mechanical engineering student who found myself conducting research in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department for 10 weeks over the summer.

Applying my interests and skills in robotics and controls, I joined Professor Matthew McDonald, PhD, in building a reliable bench-top system to automate crystallization, a common step in making medicines. Crystallization turns a dissolved substance into solid crystals. Small shifts in temperature, concentration, mixing, or the use of tiny seed crystals can change purity and yield, which makes the work slow and hard to reproduce by hand. Dr. McDonald's vision is a platform that performs those steps the same way every time and records each move.

This research was my first experience of real-life application of engineering concepts. It was key in building my confidence as an engineering student.

Under the guidance of Dr. McDonald, I took ownership of the robotics aspects of the project, turning a crowded bench into a repeatable workflow. I taught the six-axis UFactory xArm 6 where to move and when, writing Python routines that set safe positions and paths. I even connected a laboratory scale so the system could read weights directly and dose powder to a set target, then designed 3D-printed scoops and frames that the gripper could hold without slipping. To handle liquids, I built a microcontroller-driven peristaltic pump to dispense on cue, and he added a simple camera to scan QR codes on bottles to confirm chemicals before a run.

This research was my first experience of real-life application of engineering concepts. It was key in building my confidence as an engineering student, showing me that the path may not always be easy, but hardships are necessary to grow as an engineer. The guidance of Dr. McDonald was more than I could ever ask for. I am extremely appreciative of all his help getting me acclimated to the lab and teaching me chemical engineering principles that I was able to apply to my robotics work.

By August, the setup could weigh, scoop, and dispense with the push of a button. Next, we plan to use the platform to test seeding conditions and other variables in real time, then extend the Python interface to adjust temperature, mixing, and filtration on command. I plan to continue in the lab during the 2025–2026 school year and was also accepted to present my work at UPENN's National Research Conference on October 10 and 11. And while it may take a while to program the robot to conduct the full crystallization procedure, the work we've already been able to complete excites me as I look toward the future and the rest of my engineering career.