Bio

As a rising senior from Craig County High School and Roanoke Valley Governor's School for Science and Technology in Virginia, Kacey enjoys a variety of academic subjects primarily within the sciences and arts. She is particularly interested in career fields such as bioinformatics, pharmacology, and neuroradiology; as such, she will be completing a neuroradiologist mentorship via the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute throughout the summer and into January of 2015. Currently, Kacey has completed AP Accelerated Calculus BC, and will be studying linear algebra. Along with knowledge gained in a mathematical modeling class, she has also learned the basics of code, including HTML, Java, Python, and Mathematica, in her spare time. In her free time, Kacey loves drawing in charcoal, snowboarding during the winter, and playing a few video games here and there.

Project: Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for the Oral Bioavailability of Aspirin

This Demonstration models and simulates the absorption of aspirin in the pharmacokinetic process. As the aspirin breaks apart in the stomach, the ionized molecules are secreted while the un-ionized portion of the drug is absorbed into the blood vessel (enlarged for visibility). The bioavailibility, or the percentage of the drug that is absorbed, is calculated as the drug diffuses across the stomach membrane into the systematic circulation. Using this Demonstration, one can see that factors such as exercise intensity, age, weight, water intake, etc., can substantially affect the bioavailability of the drug, potentially causing the aspirin user to absorb either too little or too much of the drug.