Case Western Reserve University’s Human Fusions Institute welcomed a diverse group of interns as part of the Envoys program at CWRU’s Solar Durability and Lifetime Extension (SDLE) Research Center. Among them were Alexandria Brown, Alisha Fluker, Denise Huang, and Allyson Vinson, each bringing their unique perspectives and experiences to the program.
“It was great having four high school interns this summer,” said HFI Engineer Susan Schramfield. “We introduced them to new engineering concepts, and they were able to apply them to creatively solving problems right away. I’m excited to see how far these bright young students will go!”
Huang, a 2025 graduate of St. Martin de Porres High School in Cleveand, worked with Schramfield and HFI Lab Manager Mackenzie Elmer to code, assemble sensors, and organize HFI lab materials. Although she doesn’t plan to study engineering at Ohio State University this fall, she is proud of the variety of activities she was able to participate in at HFI this summer and the knowledge she gained. Through interactions with faculty, staff, and graduate students at HFI, Huang appreciated gaining insight into how technology can aid individuals with nerve injuries in regaining sensation in their bodies.
“The things that are done in this field are incredible,” said Huang. “It is helping many people who have lost function and giving them a chance to feel again.” She is excited to meet more people and start the next chapter of her life when she starts at Ohio State in a few weeks.
Vinson, a member of Solon High School’s Class of 2026, was inspired to apply to the Envoys program after hearing about it from her father, the former CWRU provost, and her mother, a CWRU faculty member. She plans to study engineering when she starts college in Fall 2026 and believed this internship was ‘the perfect opportunity to explore various aspects of engineering.’ The internship not only deepened her interest in the electrical aspects of engineering but also introduced her to the world of circuit boards and breadboards, shaping her future academic and career plans.
Vinson’s journey was one of personal growth and discovery. She spent her summer crafting and coding a foam sensor using Arduino and shadowing Ph.D. student Margaux Randolph to assist in making the electrodes for one of her studies. As her project progressed, she began collaborating with Ph.D. student Vlad Marcu on modeling and creating models of a nerve electrode cuff. She emerged from the summer with a sense of pride in her accomplishments and a wealth of new skills.
“Allyson was curious, productive, focused, and easy to work with,” said Marcu. “She was very much open to all sorts of things to learn, and that was cool!”
Vinson’s appreciation for the program’s interdisciplinary approach was evident. “I admire the specific approach that HFI takes on engineering and how closely HFI ties in the humanities aspect of engineering,” she shared. “I also appreciate the novelty and innovation of the products we worked on, and how these discoveries and breakthroughs are not widely known. Biomedical engineering, as I’ve learned through this program, is crucial for the future of medicine and technology, and for helping people.” She also enjoyed the lunch speaker series that SDLE had for interns.
“Mentoring the high school interns who worked at HFI this summer was great experience,” said Elmer. “I enjoyed getting to know each of them and learning about their interests. I hope they were able to develop a better understanding of what a career in science or engineering could look like.”