Summer Internship Highlight: Hunter Reidhead – Microfluidic encapsulation of Navajo tea

Summer Internship Highlight: Hunter Reidhead – Microfluidic encapsulation of Navajo tea

Sept 8, 2025

This summer, the Weitz Lab welcomed again many talented young students who came to explore their research interests through hands-on research projects. We are grateful to the mentors who generously dedicated their time to guiding and supporting these students throughout their internships.

One of our summer interns, Hunter Reidhead, is an Electrical Engineering student at Navajo Technical University and a participant in the 2025 Harvard MRSEC REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) Program. Hunter’s research focused on the microfluidic encapsulation of Navajo tea, with the goal of studying bioactive compound extraction and antimicrobial effects.

His REU project, titled “Native American Tea/Herbs Bioactive Extraction and Their Antimicrobial Effects,” was mentored by Yan Liu and Robinson Tom in the Weitz Lab.

They also did a hands-on workshop to test the effects of extracting Navajo tea flavors for different boiling times in cream. Supported by Kathryn Hollar from Harvard’s outreach office and Pia Sorensen from the Science and Cooking Kitchen lab, they made Navajo tea-flavored cream, which was then used as fillings for chocolate bonbons. The workshop was co-organized with Reena Paink from Aizenberg’s lab. 

Below is a short video highlighting Hunter’s internship experience and research journey.