Chase Mccollum - Ortho-L.ink
Working together with Chase we sought to answer the question: How can data be retrieved from on ligament reconstruction post-surgery to observe the health of the joint in order to prevent further damage to the site? We designed an implantable RFID with a chemical biosensor attached to it that could be read with an external RFID touch probe.
By evaluating how the ligament heals, we proposed a solution to a problem that orthopedic surgeons have been trying to solve for years. A simple non-invasive way to check up on the health of the ligament not only helps the surgeon assess when the knee is fully healed, such a method prevents re-injury and helps athletes get back out into the field sooner.
Chase’s unbounded creativity and passion for orthopedics was infectious, and elevated a high school project into a truly innovative biomedical device. He received a patent for his work, and is now a Creighton Blue Jay a soon to be med student at Creighton University. My deepest congratulations, and good luck!
Emily Gaugler - Listen hEAR
When a child is diagnosed with a hearing impairment, it can cause a huge rift in their life. Not only do the parents have to adapt to this radical paradigm shift in their lives, the child’s development of communication skills becomes a significant component of their lives. Emily and I designed a solution to this problem by creating an app that communicates with the child’s hearing aid via bluetooth, and tracks the amount of direct speech they are getting each day to make sure their communication skills still develop properly. After graduating, Emily plans to pursue a degree in nursing.
Esmeralda Andrade - Meal Plans for Cancer Patients
Cancer is a debilitating disease, but the treatment can be just as bad. Esmeralda learned this first hand as she cared for her uncle during his last days, after being diagnosed with late stage esophageal cancer. Chemotherapy had drastically altered his sense of taste, and he no longer enjoyed eating many of his favorite meals, and the much needed nutrition to sustain him through treatment fell by the wayside. To address this, she designed a clinically adaptable meal plan for chemotherapy patients that not only tastes good, but provides a nutrition profile that supports the physiological changes that occur during the treatments.