Where are you from?
I am from Chardon, Ohio, which is about 45 minutes east of Cleveland up near Lake Erie. Beautiful place, but right in the snow belt.

What are your hobbies/interests?
• Traveling. I take any chance I get to go places. I love seeing the world and exploring ancient cultures, new food, and meeting new people. This past winter break, I spent 10 days in Argentina, and I have family around the world that I love going to visit.
• Spending time with friends. It’s always good to get away from work a bit and enjoy time with the people you love – especially since this is the last semester for most of us.
• When I have the time, I enjoy reading and watching movies. Anything really.

What do you hope to do once you graduate?
My plan right now is to attend graduate school in biomedical engineering, and I have just recently finished going through the whole application process for that and am waiting to hear back. With a graduate degree, I hope to eventually go into the medical device industry working in research and development. I am motivated by the fact that in this area of work, I know that what I do will help to save and improve the lives of many people – it’s why I chose BME.

Tell me how you spent your summer, specifically about your Cook Biotech, Inc. Internship
This past summer, I stayed here in West Lafayette and worked in the research department at Cook Biotech, Inc., a branch of Cook Medical. There I had the opportunity to work on my own project, which consisted of characterizing some of the mechanical properties of their main biomaterial, SIS (small intestinal submucosa of a pig). It was a really great experience for me – I had the freedom to design my own experiments and research new test methods, the opportunity to research up-and-coming technologies, and the opportunity to see not only the research department, but learn the whole manufacturing and development process as well.

Tell me about your current involvement on Purdue’s campus.
I have always enjoyed being involved in a few of the many groups and organizations on campus. One of the things that brought me to Purdue was the excellent outreach that the university has toward potential students. In an effort to contribute to the student community here, I am currently a mentor for the Women in Engineering Program, secretary of the Biomedical Engineering Society, and a student ambassador to the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.