Sarah Ilkhanipour Rooney, PhD
Dr. Sarah I. Rooney is an assistant professor and director of the Biomedical Engineering undergraduate program at the University of Delaware. She received her B.S.E. and M.S.E. in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Her doctoral training focused on tendon and muscle mechanical, genetic, and other biological adaptations to exercise as well as the impact of anti-inflammatory drugs ibuprofen and doxycycline. She now seeks to bring evidence-based teaching practices to the classroom and enhance engineering education. She developed the course BMEG442 Engineering Exercise & Sports out of her personal and academic interests.
Anna Faunce
Anna Faunce is a senior undergraduate Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Delaware. She is an undergraduate researcher in the Sensorimotor Control & Robotic Rehabilitation Lab studying recovery of sensory and motor function after stroke and other neurologic injuries. She plans to pursue a career in medical devices to develop technologies to better the lives of others and hopes to continue to help improve rehabilitation for stroke survivors. With passions of running, hiking, and yoga, she hopes to expand her knowledge of the physiology of exercise and associated devices throughout this course.
Liz Kaye
Liz Kaye is a senior Biomedical Engineering undergraduate student at the University of Delaware. She is also a member of the Women’s Rowing Team and currently is interning with Spin In where she is part of a team working on the SmartBoot with lead faculty entrepreneur Dr. Jill Higginson. Liz is excited to combine her interests in sports, the human body, and engineering in this course. After graduation, she is looking to pursue a career in the medical device industry.
Madi Knox
Madi is a senior mechanical engineering undergraduate student at the University of Delaware. She is an active member of the UD Triathlon Club and also enjoys lifting for fitness. Madi is planning on working after graduating in Spring 2020 and is particularly interested in the biomechanics industry. After working for one or two years, she hopes to attend law school and get into healthcare law.
Emily Magoon
Emily Magoon is a Junior Biomedical Engineering major at the University of Delaware. She performs research in Dr. Johnson’s Mechanical Neuroimaging Lab where she is studying the impact of exercise on brain viscoelasticity and memory. Emily is a member of the Club Cross Country and Track and Field team and has been an avid distance runner for over 8 years. Experiencing overuse injuries from running encouraged her to recently venture into triathlons and seek opportunities to further study exercise. She is excited to apply her engineering education and interest in physiology to better understand the impact of exercise on the human body.
Arif Peracha
Arif Peracha is a senior Biomedical Engineering major at the University of Delaware. He is currently interning at Qfix and has spent time researching at the Muscle and Tendon Lab. Currently a member of the UD Triathlon Club and an avid participant in recreational sport, Arif has a strong interest in topics of health and physical activity. He hopes to explore the mechanisms behind the body’s adaptations to exercise (and his weakness to overtraining) and healing afterward, and apply them to ideas such as injury prevention and recovery.
Chris Pfeifer
Chris Pfeifer is a senior Biomedical Engineering major at the University of Delaware. On campus, he is a tour guide for the Office of Admissions, a Founding Father of the Theta Alpha Chapter of Beta Theta Pi, and a site leader for the University of Delaware Alternative Breaks Program. He is also an intern at Siemens Healthineers, where he helps to develop and market online customer training content for Siemens’ in vivo and in vitro devices. His career aspirations include going into medical device sales and marketing, but in the meantime, he hopes this class will integrate his passions of engineering and sports. During his free time, he enjoys doing community service, skiing, and playing volleyball.
Jordan Rampolla
Jordan Rampolla is a senior Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Delaware. She participated in sports from a young age, including gymnastics and soccer, and exercise remains an important aspect of her life. Since coming to college, she has run 3 half marathons and enjoys lifting. In addition to schoolwork, she is certified as a personal trainer and works as a coach at Anytime Fitness. These factors, as well as a desire to learn about the connection between exercise physiology and engineering, contributed to her decision to take this class. She hopes to use her degree to improve exercise technology or in the field of sports performance and athlete safety.
Julianna Wayne
Julianna Wayne is a junior biomedical engineering student at the University of Delaware. During the span of 2019, she applied biomechanical and materials science principles while conducting research under Dr. Killian’s lab. On campus, she is a member of RISE, BMES, and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. In addition, she spends most of her weekends at Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen as a server. Outside of academia and work, she enjoys weightlifting, eating good food, and hanging out with her dog, Sully. As a former swimmer, she is excited to delve into the biomechanical pathways that make exercise possible.
