Drew Shumway

Biomaterials was a favorite course of mine. I leaned about human anatomy in relation to medical devices. Materials and surgical methods were discussed to reduce hemostasis time. I studied the FDA approval process, ISO 10993 standards, and clinical trials. This is where I discovered my passion for biomedical engineering. I also enjoyed Adaptive Materials and Systems. I learned about applications and properties of smart materials like nitinol and magnetorheological fluid (MRF). For the final project, I worked to build a bike damper using electromagnetic coil and MRF. We modeled the changing yield stress as a function of the electric field input. For my senior capstone project we developed a way to resurface polished rock climbing holds. We tested a plethora of aggregates, adhesives, and coloring agents and mixtures thereof. The final mixture cost approximately 16 cents to resurface and recolor a medium sized climbing hold. The process was recorded in an instruction manual and was given to the climbing gym that sponsored the project. I also was the team’s website designer. I was the vice president of the Biomechanical Engineering club in the spring of 2018. We discussed current developments in the bio devices industry. We created a mock prosthetic hand project and visited bioengineering labs on campus.