Kristine's Blog

The article “Replacing Hearts. Restoring Lives.” (BiVACOR, n.d.) introduces the first long-term therapy for people with severe biventricular heart failure. BiVACOR’s Total Artificial Heart is a treatment option for individuals in the final stages of heart failure who require assistance while awaiting a heart transplant or are ineligible for transplantation. The BiVACOR system consists of a rotor suspended using advanced magnetic levitation (MAGLEV), positioned between opposing pump enclosures. Its central capability is to assist both the left and right sides of the heart, facilitated by impeller blades for each side, attached to the revolving core. The core is elevated and set in motion through an electromagnetic motor and bearing configuration situated atop the pump enclosures. The impellers are specifically engineered hydraulically and, when coupled with MAGLEV technology, allow precise control over circulation adjustment through a differential fluid discharge. With advanced technolo...

The article “Replacing Hearts. Restoring Lives.” from BiVACOR [n.d.] introduces the first long-term therapy for people with severe biventricular heart failure. BiVACOR’s Total Artificial Heart is a treatment option for individuals in the final stages of heart failure who require assistance while awaiting a heart transplant or are ineligible for transplantation. The BiVACOR system consists of a rotor suspended using advanced magnetic levitation (MAGLEV), positioned between opposing pump enclosures. Its central capability is to assist both the left and right sides of the heart, facilitated by impeller blades for each side, attached to the revolving core. The core is elevated and set in motion through an electromagnetic motor and bearing configuration situated atop the pump enclosures. The impellers are specifically engineered hydraulically and, when coupled with MAGLEV technology, allow precise control over circulation adjustment through a differential fluid discharge. BiVACOR (n.d.) Re...

Kristine gained an interest in Artificial Hearts (AH) in her early days of Mechanical Engineering studies back in Polytechnic, having past experiences with Biology and the interest to pursue that industry, she explored the path of Bio-Engineering, hence gaining an interest with Bio-Mechanical Devices. Kristine previously read an article about a man transplanted with a genetically-modified pig’s heart and was curious as to HOW was that even possible, or why was it chosen when ‘AH’ was already implemented as a choice of sustaining the human’s life whilst waiting for a potential human heart transplant.  Through that, she had known about the existence of AH but never had the chance to really explore in depth of it, hence her curiosity has never been addressed. With the help of ChatGPT and Google Search, the team explored the topic of ‘Artificial Hearts’ and were introduced to the different kinds of hearts. ~So far 3-4 different types Since it was a relatively new topic to us, the team ...

Video Pitch  

Subject: Introducing Kristine   Dear Professor Blackstone, My name is Kristine Yap, a Year 1 student in your Critical Thinking and Communicating Module, and I am writing to introduce myself and share a bit about who I am. I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic and attained my Diploma in Mechanical Engineering in 2019, I soon after stepped into the workforce, gaining about 3-4 months of experience as a Full-time Associate Engineer, before deciding to pursue my degree in Mechanical Engineering.  One of my communication strengths is providing empathic feedback. Being a camp coach, I felt the need to give constructive criticism and praise in a way that acknowledges the feelings of not only my kids but to any individual. This helps maintain positive relationships while addressing issues effectively. On the other hand, a communication weakness I realised in myself is that I have the tendency to ramble during conversations or explaining certain subjects. I sometimes provide exc...