Thesis Defense Announcement
Calleb Omollo, M.S. in Bioengineering
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | SLC Room 222
Wilkes University’s Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering proudly announces the master’s thesis defense of Calleb Omollo, a candidate for the Master of Science in Bioengineering. His thesis, titled “Protein Detection Through Surface Plasmon Resonance on a Microscope Setup,” introduces a novel, prismless Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) configuration integrated into a standard microscope to enable high-sensitivity, label-free protein detection.
This innovative system utilizes a 488nm Coherent Sapphire laser aligned through a ZEISS AXIOVERT 100 microscope and a gold-plated silicon substrate to excite SPR without the need for a prism, streamlining the setup, reducing cost, and enhancing portability. The research explores real-time protein interaction monitoring using intensity profiles, resonance angle shifts, and Full-Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) measurements. Calibration, data acquisition using WinView, Lightfield, ImageJ, and Python-based analysis confirmed the feasibility of the system with promising detection accuracy. The study paves the way for applying SPR technology in accessible diagnostic platforms, particularly in resource-limited settings and personalized medicine.
Thesis Committee Members:
Dr. Greg Harms,
Dr. Abas Sabouni,
Dr. Yong Zhu
All are welcome to attend.