Daniel Son
Fullerton College
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Ellen Roche
Research Supervisors: Rose Yin, Alix Wagner
Department: Mechanical Engineering
Biography
Daniel Son is a junior at UCLA, having transferred from Fullerton College. He is pursuing
the Departmental Scholar program at UCLA to simultaneously earn his bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in mechanical engineering. Growing up immersed in California’s innovation hubs, Daniel
was drawn to mechanical engineering by a fascination with the complex machinery that powers the
aerospace and medical device sectors. As an MSRP intern, Daniel builds on a strong foundation
of collaborative technical leadership developed while serving as a campus math and physics tutor
and a board member for both the Math and Physics clubs. His engineering experience bridges
mechanical principles and execution through SolidWorks modeling and fabricating anatomically
diverse medical phantoms for device validation using injection molding techniques. Witnessing
how mechanical engineers contribute specialized expertise across diverse laboratory environments
solidified his goal of pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering to drive interdisciplinary
technological innovation.
Anatomically Diverse Female Reproductive Phantoms for Gynecological
Device Validation
Daniel Son1,2, Rose T. Yin3, Ellen Roche3
1Department of Technology and Engineering, Fullerton College
2Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles
3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
High-fidelity medical phantoms that mimic human tissue enable tailored device development and
reduce reliance on animal testing. However, gynecology remains an under-researched field that
lacks adequate preclinical testing models. Current practice relies on oversimplified synthetic options
or animal models. The industry standard uses a straight cylinder, which fails to accurately orient the
cervix relative to the vaginal opening or reflect patient anatomical diversity. While pigs and sheep
are common preclinical models, their reproductive systems feature dual uterine horns that differ
significantly from the single human uterus, making them inadequate substitutes. To fill this gap,
this project developed female reproductive system phantoms at three different orientations. Derived
from patient scans, mold shells of vaginal orientations in the 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles were
fabricated using fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing. Various materials–including silicone
940 and ballistic gel for mechanical replication, alongside polyvinyl alcohol cryogenic (PVAC)
hydrogels for ultrasound compatibility–were cast into the molds. The resulting multi-material
phantoms successfully replicate both the anatomical diversity and the acoustic and mechanical
properties necessary for clinical simulation. This methodology provides a low-cost, customizable
platform that improves preclinical device validation and clinician training, ultimately accelerating
gynecological healthcare innovations and improving patient outcomes.
