In a laboratory dedicated to lung disease, Katie Accomando, an
undergraduate student, is the expert operator of a complex piece
of equipment designed to help measure the volume of the air in a
mouse's lungs. The device, a plethysmograph, measures tidal
volume — the volume of air inhaled and exhaled at each breath
taken by the mouse. She's assisting Jason Bates, research
professor of medicine and molecular physiology and biophysics,
who researches lung function and the quantitative evaluation of
lung mechanics. The plethysmograph in question was a joint
creation by Bates and biomedical engineer John Thompson-
Figueroa, begun nearly 10 years ago. Bates was in need of an
engineer to operate the prototype they had created. Enter
Accomando, then a sophomore mechanical engineering major who
wanted experience in a bio-engineering lab. "There are certain
things done in the lab that only someone with Katie's background
can do," Bates explains. "This UVAP system was a classic
example. It was built originally by a traine