Two APTC Trainees Earn Top Award at Case Western Reserve University Intersections!
Congratulations to Emilio Blythe, a sophomore dual major in biomedical and materials science and engineering, and Oliver Meisel, a senior in mechanical and aerospace engineering, on placing first in the fall 2024 Case Western Reserve University Intersections: Undergraduate Research Symposium, engineering division! The students are mentored by Dr. Janet Gbur, APT Core Investigator and Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Their poster, “Advanced Testing of Printed Flexible Sensors: Contact Angle and Bending Fatigue Analyses,” focused on researching key challenges in the fabrication and testing of a flexible implantable printed lead body. The work is supported by the VA RR&D Small Projects in Rehabilitation Research (SPiRE) program.
Read more below to hear about the students' experiences!
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Emilio, pictured above on the left, shared his thoughts. "My research journey began when I attended my college’s career fair and discovered the amazing opportunities available in my current lab. The semester leading up to the Intersections Research Symposium came with its challenges—our efforts were initially delayed due to a dysfunctional measuring device. However, once we repaired and validated the instrument, we gained momentum and finished strong. Participating in Intersections was a truly rewarding experience, and winning 1st place was the culmination of our dedication and teamwork. None of this would have been possible without the support and guidance of our principal investigator, Dr. Janet Gbur, whose mentorship provided the foundation for this research. To any student considering research, I highly encourage you to take the opportunity—it’s an experience that will challenge you, inspire you, and leave a lasting impact on your academic and personal growth."
“I am honored to be awarded first place in CWRU’s fall intersections for engineering!” said Oliver, pictured above on the right. “I have learned so much with Dr. Gbur, and I am grateful for the opportunity to put my learning in the classroom to use in such a meaningful way. My work developing a bending fatigue testing fixture challenged my understanding of critical engineering concepts I have learned during my time at CWRU. Addressing such a complex issue requires extensive collaboration with my partner Emilio, as well as with previous contributors to the project, and I am very proud of the work we have come together to produce. I would like to thank Dr. Gbur, Emilio, the APT Center, and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering for their continued support and guidance on this project!”
“It’s exciting to watch the progression of the students’ work and the contributions that they make to the overall project. I certainly could not be more proud of their achievements,” noted Dr. Gbur. “Intersections provides a wonderful opportunity for students at all levels to practice talking about their science and build those critical soft skills that they can use in their future classes, internships, and careers. I want to thank CWRU SOURCE for providing this type of opportunity to the students and the VA APT Center for their support."
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