​Selected as one of four students for a prestigious summer research opportunity at Caltech, Ameya worked with the Kornfield Group under the National Science Foundation's Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation Research Experience and Mentoring Program. Her project focused on studying photo-responsive materials for potential surgical applications in treating Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

​​

Deep brain stimulation (DBS), which involves applying periodic electrical stimulation to specific areas of the brain via implanted electrodes, has been shown to alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms. However, glial scars can form at the electrode tip over time, impeding its function and requiring invasive re-insertion surgery. The project aimed to prevent these surgical procedures by developing a material that could act as a hinge, shifting the electrode tip’s position and mechanically dislodging the scars. A photo-responsive material (one that changes shape when stimulated by light) could serve as this hinge when connected to a waveguide.

​

Throughout the project, Ameya collaborated not only with Caltech scientists but also with teams from Washington State University, Kent State University, and UMass Amherst. The program's unique mandate about bringing scientists and artists together to work on a scientific research project, also provided her an opportunity to collaborate with NASA physicist & origami artist Robert J. Lang, and wire artist Elizabeth Berrien.

 

Ameya was also part of the team which presented this research at Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM at Washington DC, where their poster presentation won first place.