Experience in the field

I have been interning at Tensentric full time during the summer and part time during the school year since May of 2020 helping on a range of different projects. This was my first job in the medical device industry, and I also focused on mechanical design and biomedical engineering classes during my undergrad and graduate program at CU Boulder.

What do you like about working at Tensentric?

I love working through unique challenges with such intelligent and hardworking coworkers who also prioritize forming personal relationships with each other.

If you couldn’t be an engineer, what would you be? Why?

I would be a physical therapist. Understanding the physical functions of joints and muscles in the body has interested me since I tore my ACL when I was 16. I think physical therapy is super important for improve everyone’s quality of life from people competing in high level sports to people who just want to enjoy their day-to-day activities.

What do you like about working at a company that designs medical products?

When I decided I wanted to be an engineer, I knew I wanted to work on medical products. I love working on projects that are both innovative and are going to help people. Working with people who are all passionate about making products that will make a difference is extremely rewarding.

What’s the most interesting medical device project you’ve worked on and why?

Outside of Tensentric, for my senior design project I worked on a proof-of-concept design of a pinch valve actuated by Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires to be used for dialysis machines. I had never worked with SMA’s before, and I really enjoyed learning about the capabilities and constraints of the technology and how to design within these boundaries.

What hobbies or non-work activities are you most passionate about?

I spend a lot of my free time playing or training for Ultimate frisbee. I played on CU’s Ultimate frisbee team, Quandary, for 5 years and captained my last year. We got 2nd place twice in the 5 years which is the best the team has done in program history. I fill in my other free time doing all the Colorado outdoor activities such as skiing, hiking, backpacking and camping.

If you could work on any type of medical device project, what would it be and why?

I am really fascinated by implantable devices, specifically heart devices. I think the heart is a really interesting mechanical system, and there is a huge need to improve treatments for heart diseases and injuries.

When you were in elementary school, what did you want to be when you grew up?

For a while I wanted to be a book editor because I thought getting paid to read seemed like the best job ever.

If you could go back in time, where and what time would you travel to and why?

I would choose to be a teenager at the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final when Brandi Chastain scored the iconic winning goal. I love the USWNT and this was such a huge moment for women’s sports and I would have loved to experience this.