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.
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.