Morgan Creighton, an undergraduate research assistant in the Rehabilitation and Applied Movement Performance Lab at Emory University, spent the summer at Case Western Reserve University as a Wen H. Ko intern. After a summer working with Ph.D. students in Human Fusions Institute Director Dustin Tyler’s lab, she received a second-place award for her poster presentation in the VA’s Advanced Platform Research Center Summer Internship Program Research Symposium.
Morgan Creighton (left) poses with mentor Margaux Randolph by her poster at the Advanced Platform Research Center Summer Internship Program Research Symposium.
Throughout the summer, Creighton focused her research on the role of needle tip bevel in electrode placement for peripheral nerve stimulation. Her specific goal was to establish a clinical benchmark to predict the type of electrodes (intrafascicular and interfascicular) based on the needle’s sharpness and the force required for insertion. She created prototypes using computer-aided design software, combining ideation, prototyping, and implementation to develop different designs. “It was great to go through the entire process of creating an idea from scratch,” said Creighton, fascinated by what she learned about engineering principles through ideation, creation, and implementation. “I love neural engineering, and this internship confirmed that I want to further research neural engineering and bioelectronic interfacing.”
Ph.D. student Margaux Randolph, Creighton’s primary summer mentor, was proud of her mentee’s tenacity when learning new skills. “On her very first day, she downloaded Matlab and Fusion 360 for the first time, and by her last day, she had a working prototype with analyzed data,” said Randolph. “Working with her and watching her excel has been really fun.
As Creighton learned new skills this summer, she was also proud of herself for persevering through challenges and becoming an independent troubleshooter. As she transitioned through each project phase, she became more independent and self-assured in her actions. “I am very thankful for this internship, which has helped me become a better researcher and person,” said Creighton. I have learned more than what a class can teach me.” She looks forward to taking her new skills to Emory in the fall.
Two Cleveland area rising seniors, Olivia Bruening from Cleveland Heights High School and Austin Fritzgerald from Hawken School, are spending their summer conducting research at the Human Fusions Institute.
Bruening, who has previously taken anatomy classes at her high school, is now immersing herself in research at the HFI Director Dustin Tyler’s lab as part of Case Western Reserve University’s Research Immersion in Brain, Spinal Cord (RIBS), & Peripheral Nerves program for high school students.
Bruening’s passion for the medical field has always been a driving force. Her work with Ph.D. student Margaux Randolph in Tyler’s lab, where she segments micro CTs of implanted peripheral nerves, has been a source of immense pride. She is particularly excited about creating a poster and research paper to showcase her learnings at CWRU.
“While I have always been interested in STEM, I never realized how important and interesting engineering could be until now,” said Bruening, whose interest in biomedical engineering has grown since she started her internship at CWRU. “I am quite excited to gain new knowledge and see how my work might make a long-term difference. Having first-hand work experience will help give me great perspective and good job ideas.”
Fritzgerald’s interest in biomedical, electrical, and materials engineering took off after he attended ASM International’s Eisenman Materials Camp with other high school students worldwide. He worked with students from France, Taiwan, and India to perform a failure analysis on five broken sockets. “Getting familiar with processes such as scanning electron microscopy and heat treatment wasn’t easy, but seeing my team’s work identify the cause of failure at the end of the week was very rewarding,” he said.
After watching a YouTube video, Fritzgerald was captivated by HFI’s work with prosthetic limbs. As part of Hawken’s Scientific Research Program, he is eager to learn about crucial technical processes and critical thinking skills for successful research. “I have always loved learning, and there is no better way to learn about something than to work with it firsthand,” he said. “The technology behind prosthetics fascinates me, and I am eager to learn more about its new advancements. The sense of touch is something most people take for granted, so the opportunity to work towards restoring touch in those impacted by amputation was one I could not pass up.”
At CWRU, Fritzgerald will use new Saturn II technology in prosthetic limbs to allow more advanced electrical stimulation. He primarily works with Ph.D. student Roberto Peralta of Assistant Professor Emily Graczyk’s lab.
When Fritzgerald is not in the lab, he enjoys kayaking, listening to music, and watching sports, especially basketball, football, baseball, and soccer. He is looking forward to the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Growing up, Luke Osborn enjoyed building things “for fun” and was particularly interested in his math and physics classes in high school. In the back of his mind, he was “always interested in the medical field and in helping people.”
Those passions led him to pursue an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. Toward the end of his undergraduate career, he became interested in creating technologies that connect with humans, particularly robotic devices and their interactions with humans. Those interests led him to pursue graduate studies in biomedical engineering, where he hoped to create technologies that could improve human functions.
Now, Osborn is the newest full-time Human Fusions Institute faculty member in Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. He comes to CWRU from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where, after graduating with a degree in biomedical engineering, he was a postdoctoral researcher from 2019 to 2021 and a senior neuroengineer researcher engineer from 2021 to 2024.
Osborn decided to enter academic research because “the environment supports deep scientific explorations that let us discover and create possibilities that we don’t even know exist yet.” Currently recruiting students for his research group, which will focus on creating new technologies to understand and enhance human function and performance, he looks forward to training the next generation of scientists and engineers while working closely with “all kinds of people from different backgrounds.” He hopes that his group will be able to enable“better and smarter human functionality through robots and neuroengineered technologies.”
While exploring ways to further the impact of his research, Osborn was drawn to CWRU because of the university’s strengths in neural engineering, particularly HFI’s research mission for enhancing human capabilities through human-machine interactions. “I love that we can operate a robot that’s a thousand miles away or be immersed in an augmented environment to complete a complex task,” said Osborn. “We have a great opportunity (at HFI) to understand better how humans work when interacting with new technologies.”
In addition to his research, Osborn plans to teach instrumentation classes at CWRU.
Looking back on his research career so far, Osborn is most proud of being able to build bioinspired tactile sensors for robotic hands that help the robot understand more about its environment. Using flexible materials to create artificial skins on robots, Osborn’s sensors helped measure more complex object properties when grasping with a prosthetic hand while sending touch sensations back to the user through noninvasive nerve stimulation.
Another recent highlight of Osborn’s career has been delivering complex touch sensations – such as temperature and pressure in the hands – to humans by activating different parts of the human nervous system, specifically through noninvasive peripheral nerve and direct brain stimulation. “Delivering new and useful sensory signals gives humans the ability to accomplish more and perform tasks better,” he said. As a researcher at Johns Hopkins University, he worked on these projects with various students, faculty, and other research staff. He pointed out that by better understanding the human sensorimotor system, we can more effectively create new technologies that restore and enable human capabilities.
“I am looking forward to working with great people (at CWRU) and exploring big ideas in a collaborative way that lets us address tough, emerging challenges through human-centered research and design,” said Osborn.
Assistant Professor Alexis E. Block recently had the honor of showcasing her groundbreaking research internationally. She participated in three workshops at the annual International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), held this year in Yokohama, Japan. She gave two invited talks and lent her expertise in human-robot interaction as a judge at one of ICRA’s competitions.
On the first and last day of the conference, she gave her invited talks in two different workshops. Using her doctoral work on HuggieBot as a foundation, she presented “Design Guidelines for Effective Social-Physical Human-Robot Interaction” as part of the “Towards Collaborative Partners: Design, Shared Control, and Robot Learning for Physical Human-Robot Interaction” workshop on the first day. She presented “The HuggieBot Chronicles: Lessons Learned from Designing an Interactive Hugging Robot” as part of the “Unconventional Robots: Universal Lessons for Designing Unique Systems” workshop on the last day. In addition to giving her research presentations, Block served on a panel for each workshop, engaging in thought-provoking discussions with top-notch researchers in the field.
As a judge at ICRA’s “NeuroDesign in HRI – the making of engaging HRI technology your brain can’t resist” competition, Block played a crucial role in evaluating and scoring each team’s presentation. “The submissions were interesting because they all took a unique approach to the topic prompt,” said Block, who appreciated the interdisciplinary nature of the competition.
ICRA drew more than 5,000 attendees from around the world. Block had the opportunity to meet researchers she has cited and been cited by for the first time, reconnect with old friends from her doctoral and postdoctoral research labs, meet up with people she has met at past conferences, and make new connections in her field.
Block thanked Case Western Reserve University’s Flora Stone Mather Center for Women for giving her a small grant to support her attendance at ICRA.
When he was young, Noah Medrano’s curiosity led him to take apart his laptop for fun and analyze its components. “I began to teach myself what programming is, and I was amazed by its applications and impact on our modern world,” he said.
Medrano’s unwavering passion for technology propelled him to pursue a computer science degree at Case Western Reserve University. However, his intellectual curiosity and desire for a holistic education led him to double-major in philosophy. Now, as a Mandel Undergraduate Fellow, he is weaving together the threads of computer science and philosophy in a unique tapestry of interdisciplinary learning.
The Mandel Undergraduate Fellowship program bridges the gap between STEM and humanities, fostering a rich environment for interdisciplinary exploration. As a fellow, Medrano was awarded $4500 in funding for Summer 2024, with an additional $9000 for each of the following three years. This generous support has paved the way for his research, education abroad, and community engagement.
When considering where to invest his 2024 funding, Medrano contacted Assistant Professor Alexis E. Block. Block’s collaborative lab fosters a unique human-robot interaction, engineering, and social psychology blend. “I’m already having a great time in the lab with Dr. Block, which is possible because of the fellowship,” he said. “I was so drawn to her work in robotics and how it was incorporated into the world of social psychology through hugs and social touch.”
“The field of robotics is extremely interesting and has so many applications,” added Medrano. “I think it pairs well with philosophy in exploring the effects of implementing robotics into daily life and how humans interact with these new systems.”
Medrano’s research in Block’s SaPHaRI Lab currently focuses on her Affect-Sensing Wearable, specifically exploring its potential applications for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Block says, “I have really enjoyed the creativity and ingenuity Noah brings to this project. It’s been a pleasure working with him thus far, and I look forward to continuing our work with the support of the Mandel Fellowship.” He will use an interdisciplinary approach to study the wearable’s impact on diverse communities, considering both STEM and humanities perspectives. “I am keen to contribute to this discourse and leverage this fellowship as an opportunity to expand my understanding and contribute meaningfully to this critical dialogue,” he said.
Though this is Medrano’s first summer at the Human Fusions Institute, it is his second at CWRU. He got a head start on his college career in the Summer of 2023 by enrolling in CWRU’s Emerging Scholars program, where he took courses and learned about strategies for college success. “[The program] was a very impactful experience and truly motivated me,” he said. While he is involved in multiple research activities and clubs at CWRU and is considering studying abroad or participating in a co-op, he emphasized the importance of self-care. “Although I’ve worked hard to get where I am, I took breaks and rested along the way.”
Kaleb Kim is interested in software engineering, robotics, cybersecurity, electronics, and math. His passion for computer science began when he built small games using JavaScript and Processing.js as a youth. He went on to use other software languages to develop small applications, and now he works to use software and technology to solve larger-scale problems.
For most of his first year at Case Western Reserve University, Kim was part of an Edtech startup. “It exposed me to the ups and downs of tech startup culture,” he calls. “From navigating an escalating market, producing a new product, and handling all sorts of conflict, it was an invaluable experience. While it was difficult, it provided insights into problem-solving.”
Now, as an incoming ThinkEnergy Fellow in CWRU’s Great Lakes Energy Institute (GLEI), Kim is poised to embark on a new entrepreneurial journey in the energy industry. He hopes to co-develop a startup that offers innovative electrical, software, or hardware solutions for renewable energy or energy conservation. As he prepares to commence his fellowship in Fall 2024, he eagerly anticipates collaborating with the GLEI staff and a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students, each with unique interests spanning from battery research to entrepreneurship. “I’m particularly thrilled about the prospect of working together, learning, growing, and collectively achieving something remarkable in the field of energy,” he shared.
A recent CWRU graduate and former fellow, Adam Goodman, encouraged Kim to apply for the 2024-25 fellowship. “Since I was interested in intersecting problem solving, digital technology, and climate change, it was a no-brainer for me to apply,” said Kim. The application process consisted of a written application and a subsequent interview. The fellowship, which includes a $2000 scholarship for undergraduate fellows, is part startup incubator and part research accelerator, pairing students with faculty, companies, and investors.
In addition to his GLEI fellowship, Kim is working on a research project using theTurtleBots in Assistant Professor Alexis E. Block’s SaPHaRI lab. He began working with Block after meeting another one of Block’s students, Ishika Kanakath, at HackCWRU. About Kim, Block says, “I am very proud of Kaleb for being selected for the GLEI ThinkEnergy Fellowship. He has been a phenomenal attribute to the SaPHaRI Lab, and I know he will do stellar work in this program. I’m excited to see what he comes up with.”
When Xufei Wang was growing up in Shandong, China, he enjoyed “disassembling everything I could get, checking what was inside, and failing to assemble it back together.”
His childhood interests led him to pursue an engineering career. After earning a B.S. in Internet of Things at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, he came to Case Western Reserve University to pursue a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering. Recently, he defended his Ph.D. thesis, “Time Serials Data Processing with Neural Networks: From Classification to Decision Making.”
While preparing his thesis, Wang researched the efficacy of neural networks in processing time series data, mainly through the lens of Human Activity Recognition (HAR) and Congestion Control (CC). His study was anchored in the detailed exploration of fundamental neural architectures, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), and advanced reinforcement learning techniques underpinning the subsequent application-specific innovations.
Wang decided to come to CWRU after hearing about Associate Professor Pan Li’s research in the fields of network science and economics, energy systems, security and privacy, and big data, such as machine learning, large-scale data analytics and computing, healthcare, and social networks. Looking back on his time as a Ph.D. student, he is most proud of having papers accepted for publication and feeling that publications had acknowledged his research.
After Wang graduates, he plans to start a career in industry. “I would like to catch the state-of-the-art technology, understand and recreate it, and bring my ideas to the real world,” he said.
2024 has been a year of accomplishments for Ishika Kanakath. In April, she was honored with the prestigious Robert L. Shurter Prize, a recognition the Case School of Engineering awarded for outstanding leadership in extracurricular activities. Additionally, she was granted the SOURCE STEM scholarship from Case Western Reserve University’s undergraduate research office. “This scholarship provides the support I need to conduct my research effectively and allows me to work with a team of experts dedicated to advancing the field,” she said.
Kanakath will spend the summer working with Assistant Professor Alexis E. Block, Ph.D. student Partha Datta, and B.S. student Viet Nguyen, investigating the impact of different interaction modalities on human perception and comfort during human-robot interactions. This research, conducted using Block’s Baxter robot, aims to generate insights that will inform the development of more effective and socially aware robotic systems, a crucial aspect as robots become increasingly integrated into various aspects of human life.
“Their expertise and guidance will be invaluable as I navigate and work through this research project,” Kanakath said of her collaborators. “The opportunity to collaborate with experienced researchers and contribute to meaningful advancements in human-robot interaction is fascinating.”
Kanakath also thanked Block for her assistance throughout the application process. “I could not have done it without her support and mentorship.” Additionally, she said the application process was a valuable experience in pitching and communicating her research ideas in written form. Likewise, Block praised Kanakath, saying, “Ishika’s stellar work ethic was evident when she took my ECSE 600: Intro to Human-Robot Interaction course. I am proud to have her as a member of my lab, and I look forward to continuing this research with her.”
Kanakath emphasized the importance of her research because “understanding the nuances of human-robot interaction is essential for designing robots that are approachable, respectful, and capable of engaging effectively with humans,” she said. “We aim to enhance the design and programming of social robots to meet human expectations and comfort levels better.”
Prof. Zonghe Chua has received his first peer-reviewed federal funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This prestigious NIH R21 Trailblazer award, totaling approximately $586,000, will support his innovative 3-year project titled “Autonomous Gaze Coaching for Robot-assisted Surgical Training.”
Prof. Chua’s proposed autonomous coaching system represents a significant advancement in surgical training. By capturing expert surgical cognition and autonomously presenting it to trainees in a simulator system, this project aims to increase accessibility and reduce the costs associated with effective surgical instruction. The project is set to begin this September and will be conducted in collaboration with colleagues at University Hospitals (UH) and the Veterans Affairs (VA).
This impactful endeavor promises to enhance the future of surgical education and training.
Case Western Reserve University’s Kathryn Daltorio is making waves with her innovative research in underwater robotics. Recently, her team tested a cutting-edge underwater robot in the Veale Center swimming pool, showcasing the potential for advanced robotic technology in aquatic environments. The research, conducted in the Crab Lab, aims to enhance the versatility and functionality of underwater robots. For more details on this fascinating project, check out the full article here.
Ishika Kanakath, a Computer Engineering B.S./M.S. student at Case Western Reserve University’s Human Fusions Institute, was recently awarded the Robert L. Shurter Prize. The prize recognizes students for outstanding achievement and leadership in extracurricular activities in the ECSE department.
During her time at CWRU, Kanakath served as president of the university’s Hackathon Club, HackCWRU, where she organized the club’s hackathon event, coordinated with sponsors and participants, managed finance, and ensured the club met its goals. One of the judges at the event was the first full-time HFI faculty hire, and Kanakath’s now B.S./M.S. advisor was Assistant Professor Alexis E. Block. Organizing the event allowed Kanakath to build her technical and leadership skills. “I found the whole experience very fulfilling and rewarding,” she said. “[The event] helped foster innovation and build the engineering students’ community.”
As president of HackCWRU, Kanakath also facilitated workshops, recruited new members, and created a collaborative and innovative environment for all club members.
Several of Kanakath’s activities also allowed her to express her love of singing. Since her first year at CWRU, she has been a dedicated member of Early Music Singers, participating in multiple performances. Her commitment extended beyond the stage as in her leisure time she sang for cancer patients at Hope Lodge, bringing them joy through music.
Kanakath’s extracurricular activities have been instrumental in shaping her as a leader. She credits these experiences with providing her invaluable lessons in leadership, teamwork, communication, and community service, enriching her undergraduate education beyond the classroom.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Ishika for her outstanding achievement,” said Block. “Her exceptional performance in my graduate-level course and her work serving as president of HackCWRU are testaments to her dedication and talent inside and outside the classroom. I am thrilled to have her in my lab and look forward to doing great work together.”
Kanakath was drawn to the Human Fusions Institute for its multidisciplinary focus, human-centric approach, and collaborative atmosphere. “The institute’s emphasis on interdisciplinary research was attractive to me, considering my interests span areas such as robotics, materials science, hardware, and software engineering,” she said. “The opportunity to collaborate with experts from various fields will provide a rich and stimulating environment for research and innovation.”
Originally from Tustin, California, Kanakath became interested in engineering when she saw her grandfather undergoing dialysis at a young age. Because of this, her B.S./M.S. studies will focus on digital design, Register Transfer Level design, and verification. One of her goals is to deepen her design and verification expertise by exploring formal verification or low-power design techniques. Additionally, she will study the intersection of robotic hardware and software by designing and implementing systems for robotics applications.
As her career takes off, Kanakath aspires to become a technology leader and contribute to research and innovation by sharing her knowledge with aspiring engineers. She hopes that her engineering projects can positively impact society’s advancements.
Three interns will join Human Fusions Institute Director Dustin Tyler’s research group this summer, each bringing their unique perspectives and skills: Morgan Creighton, an Emory University student, and two high school students, Cait Ahn, a member of Choate Rosemary Hall’s Class of 2025, and Aashvi Jagetia, a member of Hathaway Brown School’s Class of 2026.
Creighton, a passionate neuroscience student from Emory, is eager to join the Cleveland VA’s Wen H. Ko summer internship program. She will be working closely with Ph.D. student Margaux Randolph on exploring needle configuration for delivering interfascicular electrodes. Her excitement about this new research opportunity at Case Western Reserve University is palpable as she looks forward to learning from experts in biomedical engineering and neuro-engineering, and to delving into the unique research and culture of the institution. Her enthusiasm extends to her interest in using medical devices and technology to treat motor system impairments.
Creighton’s long-term goal is to become a research scientist at a Veterans Affairs hospital, a field she is already familiar with. She has previously participated in the prestigious Veterans Affairs Summer Research Program at the University of South Carolina, where she made significant contributions to the understanding of behavioral disorders. Her experience includes using high-performance liquid chromatography and tissue collection to establish endophenotypes, DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis protocols for genotyping, and studying patterns of neuronal activation through immunohistochemistry.
As an undergraduate research assistant in the Rehabilitation and Applied Movement Performance Lab at Emory, Creighton has been involved in several innovative projects. Her primary research interests include neuro engineering, exoskeletons, stimulation in rehabilitation, and neurological-driven medical devices. One of her notable achievements is the development of a prototype propulsion system at school to lift a wheelchair, allowing a user to sit at a 5’6” eye level. This project demonstrates her innovative thinking and potential contributions to the field.
Ahn will also be coming to Cleveland for the first time and will spend the summer primarily working with Ph.D. students Laura McGann and Rachel Jakes. In 2023, she saw the 60 Minutes episode highlighting Tyler’s research. “Learning about all the projects and research the professors were involved in and developing sparked an interest and fascination in me so great that it made me want to do similar work,” she said. “I looked up the professors and came across HFI while trying to figure out where I could dip at least my toe in this research.” When she arrives at CWRU, she hopes to be involved with designing and fabricating parts necessary for neuroprosthetics or NeuroReality.
A high school robotics team member, Ahn has wondered “how things were made” since her early years. As a youth, she removed cardboard boxes from her family’s recycle bin, cut them up, and made machines. “While not all of them worked perfectly, I seemed to really love figuring out how to concoct something from scratch and create something that was somewhat functional.” As a high school freshman, she took a course in reverse engineering, completing a motion-sensing candy dispenser as her final project.
Looking back on her projects completed so far, Ahn is most proud of correctly computer-aided designing, computer-aided manufacturing, cutting, and using template polycarb numbers to make team numbers for robot bumpers on her school’s robotics team. Having just learned how to do computer-aided manufacturing and work the computer numerical control machine, she was excited to accomplish this project without assistance.
Ahn is primarily interested in bioengineering and behavioral neuroscience. As her career takes off, she hopes to use her engineering skills to “better the human experience.”
Jagetia is also a member of her high school’s robotics team. When she first joined the team, her main task was designing and building the robot. During the 2023-24 school year, she joined the programming team and was given the opportunity to program the camera. Her work on the camera helped track the robot’s movement, leading to the team advancing far in competitions.
The daughter of a software engineer, Jagetia became interested in the field when she began learning about what her father does for a career. She is primarily interested in software, programming languages, and “just solving everyday problems to make life easier for others.” When she heard about her school’s Fellowship in Science Research & Engineering Program, she jumped at the opportunity to get experience working in a lab.
The Cleveland local of the intern group, Jagetia will also be working with McGann and Jakes this summer. “I’m looking forward to gaining some experience, meeting others with experience in the engineering field, and learning more from them,” she said.
