“Student Innovation @ the U” is an annual publication celebrating student innovators and entrepreneurs from across campus. Read to see what students are inventing, and get inspired!
Nick Witham, a biomedical engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, founded GAIA Technologies with a goal to change lives through better prosthetics. GAIA is doing this as a prosthetics component company that builds sensor arrays to measure muscle shapes. The outcome: More affordable and higher-functioning prosthetic limbs. GAIA’s sensor array technology can be […]
University of Utah dental student Clifford Sondrup is using 3D printing to make a new attachment for dental loupe lights. Loupes are used in dentistry for magnification and posture, and a loupe light is used to illuminate the dark surgical field of the oral cavity. His attachment design is fixed to the face shield using […]
Inundated with recovery protocols after her knee surgery, Megan Hanrahan felt a drive to help make the healing process simpler. She is now developing the solution as a founder in the Master of Business Creation (MBC) program at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business. Hanranhan’s product — a knee brace that combines […]
Virtual reality isn’t just for gamers; it’s also for dentists like Dr. Tim Bitner, who started changing how his colleagues learn as a student at the University of Utah. With so many materials used during learning, dentistry comes at a high cost. After being exposed to the idea of training using VR technology with Dr. […]
Innovation and entrepreneurism is a distinctive characteristic of the University of Utah and of our state. Our students ask questions that are the root of all good ideas: Why not? What if? What would happen if I? And then they work hard to answer those questions and to develop the possibilities that surface. The outcome […]
“Our whole purpose is to help save lives,” said Kindall Palmer, who co-founded Neonatal Rescue in 2016. The organization develops life-saving ventilators and training programs to distribute to developing countries. The motivation behind starting the organization was deeply personal to Palmer. His first child was born with a congenital heart defect and was life-flighted to […]
Accessible mental health services have become more important now more than ever, and fourth-year psychology and social entrepreneurship major Alexander Becraft is determined to do something about it. Becraft and his team (Ayana Amaechi, Merry Joseph, Michelle Valdes, Mitchell Wulfman, and Ryan Jackson) have created an initiative called Well-being Elevated to bring the teachings of […]
Even in the face of overwhelming adversity, there is always potential for change, and University of Utah law student Amitay Flores knows this well. For Flores, change appeared in the form of a trip to a border detention center with 10 law students and two professors. In these detention centers, it’s rare that asylum seekers […]
According to University of Utah math student John York, the equation to getting noticed on campus is repetition plus a simple message. From that, he created the “You Are Loved” campaign throughout the U’s campus. “It doesn’t have to be super high-quality or amazing, but if it’s really repetitive, you can kind of broadcast a […]
Amidst the civil unrest and protests over incidents of police brutality in the summer of 2020, master of social work students Chandice Commeree, Rhiannon McDaniel, Tek Neopany, and Katrina Neopany came together to create a plan that would reduce the need for force by involving social workers. The group thoughtfully created a “Partnering with Police” […]
