Next-Gen Researchers
Meet the People Who Are Behind The Scenes
Summer Students 2026
Shay McKim
designed, developed, and built a robotic testing machine for stimulating cartilage growth and testing its mechanical strength under shear and tensile loading. This machine will support innovation in cartilage repair devices and an on-going research study OIC is partnered with. During the summer, Shay excelled his skills in the lab by supporting us on various mechanical testing projects for new spinal devices.
Ana Markovic
researched, designed, and coded a heating system for our very own pin-on-disc (POD) tester that is specialized to test against natural tissue. Ana also improved our POD tester capabilities by adding in new cycle counting features and discovering more effective methods for testing against bone and cartilage. Her dedication in the lab showed great support to our wear testing projects.
Olivia Reimer
reviewed, organized, and validated a comprehensive database of clinical charts tied to periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) to verify important health identifiers. Through navigating these complex cases, she improved the datasets for more accurate clinical outcomes. Olivia also obtained new CMM (coordinate measuring machine) skills to verify dimensions of hip components as part of our clinical trial, and was busy in our bioskills lab helping out with various biomechanical testing projects.
