Student Spotlight
Seven students from the Biomedical Engineering program (BME) have earned graduating student awards from the College of Engineering and Applied Science in 2025. These awards honor seniors who are nominated by faculty, staff or fellow students for their outstanding contributions to the college and campus community.
Carolus Vitalis, a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering Program (BME) at ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ and National Science Foundation (NSF) fellow who has co-authored several book chapters in synthetic biology, was one of the headliners at this year’s TEDxCU event on April 5. His talk discussed the pros and cons of artificial intelligence in the field of synthetic biology.
Gabriella Erich, a graduating student in biomedical engineering has been selected to receive the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ College of Engineering and Applied Science 2024 Outstanding Research Award. Her novel research marks the first formal characterization of endoskeletal droplets under acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV).
Payton Martinez, a recent PhD graduate in biomedical engineering has been selected to receive the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ College of Engineering and Applied Science 2024 Outstanding Dissertation Award. His research explores how ultrasound and microbubbles can potentially work in tandem to effectively deliver drugs to the brain and treat neurological diseases in the future.
Chad Healy is a PhD student researching how the brain controls movement in Professor Alaa Ahmed’s lab. He returned to finish his PhD in 2021 after taking a break from his studies to complete an internship with SpaceX.
Mia Fox is a rising senior in the Biomedical Engineering Program who is completing an internship this summer with CONMED, a medical device company with a location in Denver. She hopes her innovative work will one day help save lives.
Jair Castillo is a PhD student studying ultrasound molecular imaging in Professor Mark Borden’s lab. His goal is to help improve preventative healthcare to detect diseases like cancer in the early stages – giving patients better outcomes.
Nicole Gunderson is a junior in the Biomedical Engineering Program who is studying human-robot interactions for applications in surgical robots. She is currently conducting research on the development of a novel-path planning algorithm for autonomous vehicles.
Caitlin Mascio is a junior studying biomedical engineering who hopes to go to medical school one day. Her interests are in pediatric surgery or obstetrics and gynecology.
Liana Kerr-Layton is a junior in Biomedical Engineering Program who has dedicated her time to building and supporting ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ's inclusive culture.