#uvabme

Each month we spotlight a woman or girl in tech who inspires us. This month we are highlighting Christina Stiebris. She is a third year Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Virginia. Since getting involved with the BME Design Lab, she has been working with the team to create devices that help children with disabilities. Their goals typically revolve around increasing the child's independence, socialization, and mobility. She was also one of the student leaders for the Bio-Med Tech-Girls experience in 2016.

What drives your interest in technology? My interest and passion for technology is driven by the ability to utilize it to help others. I've been blessed with so many opportunities, and this serves as a way to give back to the community.

What was your pathway to working in technology? In high school, I worked with a program called "Go Baby Go" at University of Delaware. There, they modify toy ride-on-cars so children with motor disabilities can gain mobility. We took the one car to a pre-school to test it out. When the child got into the car, there was an instant transformation. He was suddenly the center of attention and was able to keep up and play with the other children. It was amazing how big of a difference this simple technology could make in that child's life. Seeing the difference I could make through my work drove me to pursue engineering.

How do you work with technology today?  What's cool about the BME design lab is that everything we do depends on the patients' needs. We work with 3D printing, molding, hardware prototyping, foam, arduinos, electric motors, etc. However, there's not one set thing we design or make. Everything changes depending on what functional needs the child has. I utilize the engineering design process to help children with the day-to-day function. Specifically, I worked on building a trike -- "CruiserX" -- for a child with severe dwarfism named Charlie. The experience was truly wonderful -- I learned so much about the technology it took to modify and make the tricycle. But when I saw Charlie's face light up when he cruised down the street in his trike -- that's what really moved me. I loved being able to see how something we made could have such a positive impact on someone else's life. It also required a huge cooperation -- we worked with physicians, occupational therapists, mechanical and electrical engineers, and the family to create something that would actually benefit Charlie.

Why is it important to get more girls and women interested in technology? There is so much opportunity in technology -- opportunity to learn, to grow, to advance, and to help others. Women bring a different perspective to projects and situations, so we need them to get more involved in technology to help shape what we do with it.