By Hannah MacDonald, CELS Communications Fellow
“I am truly thankful for the Science and Engineering Fellows Program because without it I wouldn’t have found this love for biomedical engineering,” states Sebastien Guerrier, biotechnology senior and 2021 fellow. Guerrier spent his summer in the CELS Science and Engineering Fellows Program in the Electrical, Computer, & Biomedical Engineering Lab run by Dr. Kunal Makodiya. Guerrier jumped right in by working on a project designed to help people with Parkinson’s monitor the progress of the disease. The project quantitatively assesses the motor symptoms of individuals with the disease to see how it is evolving. He and Ph.D. student, Vignesh Ravichandran, designed a glove that could detect the tremors in their hands to determine the severity of the disease in the patient. “I was doing things that I had never done before,” he explains, “I helped assemble the gloves by sewing, soldering, wiring, and even got to help with clinical research.”
- Sebastien Guerrier stands in front of his poster during a presentation session at the 2021 Undergraduate Research Fellows Symposium. Credit: Sebastien Guerrier
The CELS Science and Engineering Fellows Program provides students from underrepresented populations with interdisciplinary experiences to address real-world challenges and develop research skills. The program is organized by Dean Michelle Fontes, a mentor of Guerrier to whom he attributes much of his growth. “What drew me to apply to the program was how Dean Fontes showed how she really cared to help me find the best opportunity for me to succeed,” he states. Students accepted into the program work with Dean Fontes to identify areas of interest and growth and are then matched with projects and professors for a hands-on opportunity. Students work through the summer with either CELS or Engineering faculty and staff members and receive additional professional development training and team-building opportunities.
Guerrier’s interest in science was ignited his senior year of high school when his AP Anatomy and Physiology teacher took an interest in his improvement and problem-solving skills even when facing the most challenging concepts. While at URI he took many lab-based classes that showed him that he enjoyed being in the lab setting, but wanted to work on something more meaningful. That is what led him to biotechnology and biomedical engineering. Given his academic and professional interests, he was placed with an ideal project and mentorship to
support his goals for the program. “The projects that I have worked on in Dr. Makodiya’s lab have been the most fun and rewarding opportunities I have had in my four years at URI,” he remarks.
- 2021 Science and Engineering Fellows Program students gather together with Dean Fontes. Credit: Sebastien Guerrier
“Another thing that came out of the program was an everlasting bond with my cohort of other fellows,” he recalls. From checking in on and learning about each other’s projects to remaining close friends, he is thankful for the community of students the program fostered. Guerrier recently joined CELS Seeds of Success, a student-run organization focused on helping underrepresented CELS students succeed academically, professionally, and socially. He enjoys maintaining and building a relationship with this community within CELS.
The CELS Science and Engineering Fellows Program aims to prepare students with the professional skills and training they need to succeed in their future careers. For Guerrier, the program has achieved its goal as he continues to work in Dr. Makodiya’s lab on his first biomedical engineering research project. Guerrier is currently designing a prototype knee cooling device. The prototype is innovative as it gives the user more control of the temperature setting by using the Peltier effect of transferring heat between two electrical junctions, causing one side to be headed and one to be cold. Guerrier is seeking grant funding for this project and hopes that it could lead him into a graduate program in biomedical engineering at the University of Rhode Island.
“With the projects that I am doing now, I feel like I am doing something that can cause change and I have found out that is what I am truly drawn to,” he states. Guerrier has made the most out of his time as an undergraduate in CELS and has been a shining example of what the Science and Engineering Fellows Program is designed to do. Guerrier will graduate with his bachelor’s in biotechnology in May of 2022 and hopes to continue his education and follow his passion here at the University of Rhode Island pursuing a master’s in biomedical engineering.