MEMS Graduate Student Committee at Carolina Tiger Rescue

MEMS Graduate Student Committee

Our objective is to work with the Duke MEMS director of graduate studies and the graduate program coordinator to recruit, educate and promote graduate students within the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science.

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Examples of committee activities

  • Weekly MEMS graduate student newsletter
  • Social: Bowling, Rooftop Bar
  • Outreach: Durham Women’s Shelter, Habitat for Humanity, voter registration, Carolina Tiger Rescue
  • Graduate Seminar Series
  • Outings and activities: Baseball games, rock climbing, soccer, flag football

Calendar of Events »


Members

Kent Yamamoto

Kent Yamamoto
  • Role: President
  • Hometown: Los Angeles, California
  • Undergrad: Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S. BME
  • Research: Endoscopic Continuum Robots for Surgery
  • PI's Name: Patrick Codd
  • Why Duke? As someone who’s research involves working with the medical school and hospital, I was drawn to Duke because of my advisor (a neurosurgeon!), 5 min walk to and from my lab and the hospital, and the push for interdisciplinary, translational research!
  • What I like most about Duke MEMS: Everyone (students, staff, faculty) is so friendly and supportive. It really makes a huge difference when you have such a positive community that has your back!

Anshu Agarwal

Anshu Agarwal
  • Role: Vice-President
  • Hometown: Denver, Colorado
  • Undergrad: UC Berkeley, B.S. BioE/MSE, M.S. MSE
  • Research: Synthetic, degradable biomaterials for drug delivery
  • PI's Name: Matthew Becker
  • Why Duke? There are so many resources and opportunities for collaboration between schools/departments.
  • What I like most about Duke MEMS: The department is so interdisciplinary. From energy efficiency to advancements in healthcare, the research in MEMS is extremely diverse and exciting to be a part of!

Connie Morino

Connie Morino
  • Role: Social Media
  • Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
  • Undergrad: Ohio State University, B.S. Mechanical Engineering
  • Research: Injury biomechanics, lumbar spine injury
  • PI's Name: Dale Bass
  • Why Duke? Choosing Duke allowed me to join an interdisciplinary lab for injury biomechanics in a location of the country that has great weather and a great community!
  • What I like most about Duke MEMS: Duke MEMS is a very supportive community within the student body and also between the faculty and students.

Annika Haughey

Annika Haughey
  • Role: Recruitment
  • Hometown: Troy, New York
  • Undergrad: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Aeronautical Engineering
  • Research: Dynamics, AI, Robotics
  • PI's Name: Brian Mann
  • Why Duke? Duke has a really welcoming atmosphere, a beautiful campus, and a ton to do off campus. I connected with all the faculty I met during recruitment and they all seemed very willing to collaborate with others and help out where needed.
  • What I like most about Duke MEMS: The people! The faculty, graduate students, and all the staff I have met have been incredibly kind and personable. It feels very much like a department where people get along and work together well, which I think is the best research environment you can ask for!

Maddiy Segal

Maddiy Segal
  • Role: Communications
  • Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania 
  • Undergrad: University of Akron, B.S. BME
  • Research: 3D printable, polymeric biomaterials
  • PI's Name: Matthew Becker
  • Why Duke? Duke had all the resources that I was looking for as well as a supportive and engaging research community. Also, the weather in Durham is amazing!
  • What I like most about Duke MEMS: The diversity of the research happening within one department is incredible!

Tanner Zachem

Tanner Zachem headshot
  • Role: Recruitment
  • Undergrad: Duke University, BSE MEMS
  • Research: Laser Induced Spectroscopy and Machine Learning for Intraoperative Brain Tumor Classification
  • PI's Name: Patrick Codd
  • Why Duke? I fell in love with research during my undergraduate education at Duke. I was able to develop a prototype lab device into a mature device scanning human tissue in the operating rooms across research drive. When thinking about where to spend my time developing as a researcher at the interface of neurosurgery and engineering, it was evident that no other school provided the clinical and engineering support to do so.
  • What I like most about Duke MEMS:  The broad range of research students conduct, it is always so fascinating to hear about the things occurring in this department, and always keeps me learning new and interesting things.

Gabriela Morales

Garbeila Morales headshot
  • Role: Recruitment
  • Undergrad: Duke University, BSE MEMS
  • Research: Thermoregulation and engineering for extreme environments
  • PI's Name: Brian Mann
  • Why Duke? I fell in love with everything about Duke in my undergraduate career and became very involved with hyperbaric medicine and surgical robotics. Duke has a wealth of resources and the smaller community means you get to learn a ton from other people in broad research fields. But the real answer is the food and hiking spots.
  • What I like most about Duke MEMS:  The passionate and collaborative community. Everyone is always helping and pushing each other.

Jackson Erb

Jackson headshot
  • Role: Community Lead
  • Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina
  • Undergrad: Clemson University, B.S. ME
  • Research: Robotics and Robot Learning
  • PI's Name: Boyuan Chen
  • Why Duke? I really enjoyed the campus and meeting the members of the lab during my tour! Most importantly though, I felt that my advisor’s research goals and methods really aligned with my interests.
  • What I like most about Duke MEMS: The different research opportunities, clubs, and the graduate student community!

Duke Engineering Graduate Ambassadors (EGA)

We are the Duke EGA (Engineering Graduate Ambassadors) Team from the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. We are current Duke engineering graduate students working with anyone interested in graduate engineering programs to guide them through the application process and provide insight into opportunities/tradeoffs of graduate school itself.

Duke EGA logo
Those interested in taking advantage of mentorship in the EGA are encouraged to complete this form

Find out more about Duke EGA »

Our mission: Increase awareness and access to applied science and engineering graduate programs; Focus on juniors, seniors, and recent STEM graduates who may be less familiar with graduate school opportunities, particularly with underserved communities; and, Mentors provide mentees friendly support in considering graduate school options and preparing application materials.

This program is available to everyone interested in engineering graduate programs, regardless of institution (not just prospective Duke students). Participating mentees can attend one-time workshops or work with a mentor over the Fall semester. Mentors are also prepared to help craft and provide feedback on graduate program application materials. Our goal is to provide free, support to help you succeed in your future career.