I am from Rapid City in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. I hope to get masters in Biomedical Engineering and then work in the medical device industry as a developmental engineer.
I like playing sports, and being involved in extracurricular activities, including Ballroom Dance Club, UNL Women’s Club Lacrosse, Society of Women Engineers, and the Biomedical Engineering Society. In my spare time I take on random art projects and I am currently re-establishing an organization called Kreate 4 Kids.
Emma Baillargeon
I’m a sophomore Bioengineering major at the University of Pittsburgh. I’m from Rochester, New York and enjoy traveling, spending time with friends, and being involved in a variety of organizations. After graduation I plan on earning a Graduate Degree in Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics, or Rehabilitation Engineering.
I am looking forward to participating in this summer’s REU program and am hoping to gain first hand experience, meet some really great people, and learn a lot about myself. I’m excited to experience engineering from a new perspective and plan on taking advantage of every opportunity!
Anthony Cacace
I was born and raised in Santa Cruz, Calif. on an organic farm, where I lived with my parents and sister. My interests vary, from traveling, reading, biking in nature, art, and music. I enjoy meeting and conversing with interesting people from all parts of the world. I am fascinated with mechanical engineering and I hope to be able to incorporate it into a profession that helps the disabled and ill. I believe stem cells hold an enormous potential in this area and I am excited to become involved by supplying doctors and scientists the tools they need to release that potential.
Katherine Carpenter
My name is Katie Carpenter. I’m 21 years old and am currently a 3rd year student at The University of Texas at Austin. My major is Mechanical Engineering. I grew up in Springfield, Missouri and at age eight, I moved to Dallas, Texas. I have two sisters and a brother.
I’m a laid back person. Things I love include Texas football, hanging out with friends around Austin, eating, handball, and learning new stuff. Here at UT, I’ve been a part of the Longhorn Marching Band and the ASME Rube Goldberg team.
Susan Gagliardi
I am 21 years old and just finished my junior year at the University of New Hampshire, but I spent fall semester in Budapest, Hungary. I am from Oakland, Maine, which has a lot of trees, cows, and lakes. I like to sail and ride horses, and I am on the UNH sailing team. I really like trains and sailboats and would like to get a job involving either. I think animals are neat and used to be a zoology major. I like being around people with a good sense of humor.
David Gurney
Bryan Hecox
My name is Bryan Hecox and I am from Quincy, IL. I am married and have two children Ethan (age 9) and Drew (age 5). I worked full time for eight years before returning to college. I worked as a tool and die maker’s apprentice and then worked as a mold designer. When my wife graduated from college I returned to school and I currently am a senior physics major at Western Illinois University. After finishing the REU at University of Minnesota I will look for work in research and design.
Frank Ko
Born in Norman, OK, but grew up from South Korea since 3 years old, Frank Ko came to United States right after he graduated from high school in Korea.
Couple of things he remembers before going to South Korea is cool shade under the apartment where my family lived and an old Chevrolet his dad owned. Frank was a wanna-be soccer player, pianist, and scientist. But right now, he is a junior at Rice University majoring in Bioengineering, and we'll see what happen to his dreams.
Tyler McCluskey
My name is Tyler McCluskey. I am from Altoona, Wisconsin. I am a junior aerospace engineering student from the University of Minnesota. I am interested in doing something with helicopters or rollercoasters when I graduate. I love the Twin Cities and am very happy to be spending my summer here. When I am not busy studying, I enjoy comedy, music, television, and dancing. I am very easy to get along with and enjoy making new friends. My favorite food is cheese. I am very excited to be able to start research this summer and look forward to the opportunities it will provide.
Ann Marie Norman
I will be a senior this coming year at Tulane. I grew up in San Antonio, Texas and have never actually been to Minnesota or much of the Midwest (only Ohio). I am in love with New Orleans, its culture, music, and the food (even though I’m vegetarian so I can’t really eat most of it anyway!). A lot of my time is dedicated to community service and raising environmental awareness through education and service. I am excited to participate in this program so that I can live in a new part of the country and gain more experience in research.
Christopher Phaneuf
Born and raised under the sun of Southern California, I grew up alongside a fraternal twin brother and an older sister. I am the product of a working class household and a public school education. Legos and an assortment of ‘junk’ from my father’s construction sites kept me amused as a kid. My non-academic passions are for music, skating, and art. The last three years of my life have been spent as an East Village urbanite attending The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. I have recently become consumed by every new course and subject I encounter; robotics, CFD, bioengineering…I love it all.
Michael Risch-Janson
I am a student at St. John's University in Collegeville, MN and am from Saint Cloud. I am majoring in physics and German and plan to graduate in May 2008. At St. John's I am involved in the Men's Chorus, German and Physics Clubs, and several intramural sports. Some things which I enjoy doing include traveling, singing, running, tennis, table tennis, ultimate frisbee and other outdoor activities. In the future I hope to attend graduate school, become an engineer and would like to work abroad, most likely in a German-speaking country.
Tyler Ruggles
I am a sophomore at Colorado College and am currently majoring in physics. By the time we meet, I may have added on a mathematics major. Beyond academics, I love to be active outside. Mountain and Road biking, soccer, ultimate frisbee and hiking/backpacking are on the top of my “fun things to do” list. I am still unsure about what I want to do with my life and hope that a summer of engineering will help make up my mind.
Sharon Snyder
I was born on January 14, 1987 in Lancaster, Ohio, where I live with my parents and younger sister. Our house is home to multiple rescued animals; currently we have a cat from the Humane Society and a rat from my sister’s biology project.
I was active in high school as a member of the track and cross country teams, Science Olympiad, drama club, National Honor Society, and band. I was also involved in Girl Scouts and earned my Gold and Silver Awards. As a 10-year member of 4-H, I was judged in over 30 projects and was Junior Fair Second Attendant my senior year.
At Ohio Northern in Ada, Ohio, I’m still active on campus. I run cross country and indoor and outdoor track in addition to being involved with the music and mechanical engineering departments, Campus Girl Scouts, ASME, and Phi Sigma Rho.
Pierre Valdez
As a Mexican with a French name, I get to be unexpected. Tijuana Mexico is my real origin, but I was born in San Diego California. I was raised in Tijuana, and did carpentry work with my uncle, and sold fruit at the border for long time. I took advantage of the little resources available to get my education. I love my community college where I am studying right now, and I am still having a hard time learning the English language and the complicated American measuring system. I basically owe everything to my lovely mother.
Sarah Witmer
I am originally from Watertown, Wisconsin; a small town of about 25,000 located right in between Madison and Milwaukee. At home, I live with my mom, dad, and younger sister, who is currently a freshman at UW-Whitewater. I am currently a junior at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a dual-degree in Physics and Mechanical Engineering. I’ve just about finished up the physics portion of my major, so I’ll be transferring to UW-Madison at the beginning of next semester. I’m pretty happy-go-lucky person and I love meeting new people! I can’t wait to get to know everyone this summer in Minnesota!
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