Category: Trainee Achievement

Abby Citterman Awarded O&P Scholarship

Abby Citterman was one of three students awarded the SPS Orthotics & Prosthetics Master's Scholarship! This prestigious scholarship recognizes future leaders in field of O&P. Abby demonstrated her passion for the industry with her inspiring essay submission and leadership experience. Abby has led numerous projects and mentored several undergraduate and high-school students in the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab. She began working in the lab as an undergraduate research fellow and still works part-time in the lab today while pursuing her Master's in O&P at Northwestern University.

This scholarship is awarded by SPS. SPS is the leading distributor for orthotic and prosthetic products in the United States. SPS offers over 400,000 O&P products to choose from including the latest technology in prosthetic feet, prosthetic knees, prosthetic liners, and orthotic devices. Through its strategically positioned distribution centers, SPS is able to provide thousands of clinics their O&P products within a day or two, enabling them to provide for patients quickly and efficiently. More information on the program and recipients can be found here: https://www.spsco.com/master-scholarship

Three ECE Student Awards!

Congrats to Connor Olsen, Chandler Welch and Elaine Wong for winning awards tonight at the ECE Awards Banquet!
  • Connor won "Outstanding TA", voted on by the graduating seniors
  • Chandler won "Outstanding Student Leader", voted on by his peers
  • Elaine won "Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher", voted on by the ECE faculty
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Josh Gubler and Sam Lewis Receive UROP Fellowships for Summer 2023

Congratulations to Josh Gubler and Sam Lewis, who have been awarded UROP Fellowships for the Summer 2023 semester. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) allows students to assist with faculty research or to carry out their projects under the guidance of a faculty member.

Josh’s project will focus on the compression of EMG for mobile use while also examining the impact of downsampling EMG signals on signal controllability. Sam’s project will investigate the effects of different-sized dry surface electrodes on the quality of EMG signals measured at the wrist.

The UROP Fellowship provides a $1,200 stipend and educational programming for students, allowing them to gain valuable research experience while receiving financial support. We are thrilled to see Josh and Sam receive this well-deserved recognition for their dedication and hard work. We wish them all the best as they embark on their research projects this summer, and we look forward to seeing the results of their work in the future. Congratulations, Josh and Sam!

Three NSF GRFP Scholars!

Congratulations to Connor Olsen and Elaine Wong for being awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship! Monika Buczak also received Honorable Mention. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is one of the most prestigious fellowships for graduate students. Past recipients include Sergey Brin (Founder of Google), Steven Levitt (Freakonomics Co-Author) as well as dozens of Nobel Prize winners! You can learn more about the fellowship and high-profile alumni here on the NSF GRFP Website. Congrats to Connor, Elaine and Monika!

Aaron Wang Named General Sterling Scholar for Utah 2023

With great pleasure, we congratulate Aaron Wang, a senior at Skyline High School, on being awarded the prestigious General Sterling Scholar Award on March 22, 2023. This is a remarkable achievement and a reflection of Aaron’s hard work and dedication to his studies.

Aaron’s sterling scholar award is a testament to his academic excellence, and we are proud to have him as a research assistant in the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab at the University of Utah. Aaron’s work in our lab has been exceptional, and we have been impressed with his ability to apply theoretical concepts to real-world problems.

As a paid research assistant, Aaron has been working on methods to align training data to improve machine learning approaches to use electromyography to control smart home environments. Aaron recently submitted a first-author conference proceeding for his work, which is an incredible achievement, and we believe that it reflects Aaron’s hard work in the field of machine learning and robotics.

On behalf of the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab, we would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to Aaron on this remarkable achievement. We are proud of his accomplishments and are confident that he will continue to excel in his academic and research pursuits.

Link to the full article here

Caleb Thomson Receives the the SfN Trainee Professional Development Award

Congratulations to Caleb Thomson on being selected as a recipient of the Trainee Professional Development Award (TPDA) by the Society for Neuroscience (SfN). This prestigious award recognizes trainee researchers who have demonstrated scientific merit and excellence in research. As part of the award, Caleb will receive complimentary registration to the SfN 2022 Annual Meeting and $1,000 to help with travel costs to the conference. Additionally, Caleb will present his poster in a session with other awardees, attend at least two Professional Development Workshops, and access the TPDA online community for the next year.

At SfN, Caleb will present his work on improving myoelectric control for assistive robotic devices and inclusive virtual reality experiences.

MEC 2022 Student Podium Presentation Competition award winners: Connor Olsen (Left) First Place, and Monika Buczak (right) second place, with their professor Jacob A. George in the center

MEC Student Presentation Award Winners: Monika Buczak and Connor Olsen

 

Congratulations to Monika Buczak and Connor Olsen for their recent awards at the Myoelectric Controls Symposium (MEC) held in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The conference occurs every three years, and part of the conference includes the Student Podium Presentation Competition. This year, our lab walked away with both first and second place! Monika Buczak was awarded 2nd place for her presentation, Disentangling Sensory and Motor Deficits of Fine Hand Function Using An Electronic Grip Gauge (EGG) to Simulate Transferring Fragile Objects. Connor Olsen was awarded 1st place for his presentation, An Inexpensive and Adaptable Prosthetic Wrist Improves Dexterity and Reduces Compensatory Movements.

Our lab was well represented at MEC22, and we are immensely proud of all the presentations given. Find the conference proceedings here.

Caden Hamrick Summer Research

This summer, our lab hosted Caden Hamrick through the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR). SPUR sponsors undergraduate students as full-time researchers for a 10-week program. Caden applied and was accepted to this program and completed his research through our lab. Caden was a dedicated worker and used his experience in deep learning to develop a control method to determine hand gestures and intensities from electromyographic muscle signals. Caden’s work contributes to the EMG wristband project that will be used for controlling smart devices around the home. Caden Presented his research at a University-wide symposium on August 4th.

Caden will be starting his senior year in Computer Engineering at Mercer University in Georgia this fall.

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Four Additional Undergraduate Fellowships!

Congratulations to Cassandra, Mia, Nathan, and Jérémi for being awarded undergraduate research fellowships for Spring 2022! Their award-winning research projects are listed below:

  • Cassandra Burdick: Developing a virtual reality environment to test out inclusive EMG control (Virtual Box and Blocks)
  • Mia Nelson: Training Convolutional Neural Networks to Recognize Myoelectric Signaling
  • Nathan Wallace: Low-Cost Wearable Upper-Limb Myoelectric Exoskeleton
  • Jérémi Godbout: Vibrotactile stimulation for the Tetraski and other adaptive sports

These prestigious research fellowships are awarded through the University of Utah’s Office of Undergraduate Research. Congratulations to these super-star undergraduates!

Abby Citterman Awarded Parent Scholarship

Congratulations to Abby Citterman for being awarded the Parent Scholarship at the University of Utah! This prestigious award is giving to top undergraduate researchers who have already received two undergraduate research fellowships. The Parent Fund is sustained by parents and supports student-centered programs and initiatives. The Parent Fund plays an integral role in the University of Utah’s ability to provide students with exceptional opportunities inside and outside the classroom. This year, Abby was one of four to be selected for the Parent Scholarship. Abby is now the second undergraduate in the Utah NeuroRobotics Lab to be a Parent Scholar. Aidan Lethaby also received the Parent Scholarship in 2020.