Trine students awarded at STEM Symposium

Trine University students have been honored for projects presented at the university’s sixth annual STEM Research and Design Symposium, held Dec. 9 on the concourse of the MTI Center.

The symposium featured 36 student projects representing multiple academic departments. Projects included departmental freshman and research projects as well as Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU).

Awards were presented in the following categories:

Best REU Project: Alayna Willitzer, a biomedical engineering major from Cecil, Ohio, “Diclofenac Cytotoxicity in 2- and 3-D Rat Hepatocytes.”

Honorable Mention, REU Project: Myles Cline, a biomedical engineering major from Hartford City, Indiana, “Enhancing Sclerotic Scatter Illumination with a Reflective Optic.”

Best Undergraduate Research in Exercise Science: Makayla Ardis, an exercise science major from Lake City, Michigan, Alexa Porter, an exercise science major from Goshen, Indiana, and Gillian Hartman, an exercise science major from Middlebury, Indiana, “Restorative Yoga: Mind Over Mat(ter).”

Best Undergraduate Research in Engineering: Adriana Rivera, a biomedical engineering major from Palm Coast, Florida, Gage Watkins, a biomedical engineering major from Urbana, Indiana, Ethan Verba, a biomedical engineering major from Huntertown, Indiana, and Olivia Schuller, a biomedical engineering major from New Haven, Indiana, “Comparative and Randomized Study of Contralateral Joint Mechanics and Force Distributions between an Ankle-Stabilizing Orthosis and an External-Fixation Device to Reduce Fall Risk: A Geriatric Spatiotemporal Gait Analysis.”

Honorable Mention, Undergraduate Research in Engineering: Tyler Strasbourg, a biomedical engineering major from Oregon, Ohio, and Joseph Grigsby, a biomedical engineering major from Mount Sterling, Ohio, “Response of a Stepper Motor 3-D Printed Joint”; Konrad Dorsey, a design engineering technology major from Manilla, Indiana, Aidan Lapp, a design engineering technology major from South Bend, Indiana, Conor O’Neill, a design engineering technology major from Fairland, Indiana, and Isaac Krueger, a design engineering technology major from Fishers, Indiana, “Metal Shredder.”

Best Freshman Project in Biomedical Engineering: Madison Kinneer, a biomedical engineering major from Normalville, Pennsylvania, and Taylor Oster, a biomedical engineering major from Bedford, New Hampshire, “Progression of Ventricular Assistance Devices (VADs) in Patients.”

Honorable Mention, Freshman Project in Biomedical Engineering: Kristin Baker, a biomedical engineering major from Green Springs, Ohio, and Emily Wahl, a biomedical engineering major from Defiance, Ohio, “Advancement in Heart Regeneration Using Stem Cells.”

People’s Choice, Freshman Informative Project: KJ Senetra, a biomedical engineering major from Waynesville, Ohio, and Sloan Platz, a biomedical engineering major from Toledo, Ohio, “A Brief Overview of In Vitro Fertilization.”

People’s Choice, REU Project: Amy Apgar, a biomedical engineering major from Wickliffe, Ohio, “Increasing Carbohydrate Metabolism Capabilities of Lactococcus lactis.”