Engineering Empowerment: How a Biomedical Class Inspired a Life-Changing Prosthetic Project

Maggie Collier's life took an unexpected turn during a spring day in her biomedical engineering class, taught by David Laiho. The class received a guest lecture from Brooke Wheeler, a materials specialist from Reynolds - Los Angeles, who discussed the importance of molding and casting in engineering, particularly in prosthetics. Collier, intrigued, saw an opportunity to learn about creating prosthetic devices, not realizing this knowledge could soon benefit her personally. When Wheeler offered the class a chance to mold their thumbs, Collier, born with unusually short fingers due to a syndrome affecting blood flow in the womb, proposed a different idea: molding her unique hand.

This suggestion led to an unforeseen proposal from Wheeler. He suggested that the mold could be the basis for a device to enhance Collier's mobility and independence. Astonished and excited, Collier soon found herself involved with EMPOWER, a student-run organization dedicated to creating medical devices. The organization, which undertakes various projects for veterans and individuals with disabilities, decided to focus on engineering a prosthetic device specifically for Collier. This initiative began with a meeting between Collier, club President Yael Livneh, and Laiho, where Livneh, moved by Collier's story, enthusiastically agreed to embark on this transformative project.  Read more here!

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