People

Clare Fitzpatrick
Assistant Professor
RUCH 206
clarefitzpatrick@boisestate.edu

Clare is director of the Computational Biosciences Lab and faculty in the department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering. She completed her Bachelor’s and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at University College Dublin, Ireland, and spent over seven years as a research scientist at University of Denver’s Center for Orthopaedic Biomechanics in Colorado. Her work focuses on developing computational models to investigate mechanisms of injury, disease, and joint degeneration. In her free time she likes to snowboard, bike, and hike with her dog.

Kalin Gibbons
Graduate Research Assistant
MEC 402
kalingibbons@boisestate.edu

Kalin is a mechanical engineering graduate from Boise State University. He loves the iterative nature of engineering and how our process allows continuous improvement in everything we work on. Kalin strives to do the best possible job on every project he encounters, focusing on attaining quality before speed.
Kalin is currently engaged in optimizing total knee replacement design through the use of principal component analysis, with the goal of developing a tool to help target design efforts such that the grand majority of the population will achieve better patient outcomes

Victoria Volk
Graduate Research Assistant
MEC 402
victoriavolk@u.boisestate.edu

Victoria is a graduate student pursuing her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Victoria’s work focuses on the accuracy of electrode placement and clinical outcomes of an asleep robot-assisted surgical procedure for deep brain stimulation for patients with Parkinson’s Disease. In her spare time, Victoria loves being outdoors, especially going hiking with friends, and travelling to new places.

Amy Holcomb
Graduate Research Assistant
MEC 402
amyholcomb@u.boisestate.edu

Amy received dual B.S. degrees in mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering from Colorado State University. Between completion of her undergraduate studies and commencement of her graduate studies at Boise State University, Amy worked at Guided Surgical Solutions in Denver, CO, a virtual surgical planning start-up company 3D printing guides for dental implant surgery. This introduced Amy to all stages of medical technology product lifecycles; however, it did not satisfy her desire to apply mechanical engineering principles to elucidate and improve the functions of the human body. Amy’s graduate work focuses on understanding musculoskeletal adaptation, at the knee, to challenging surfaces in order to recommend strategies for improving stability in the elderly. When she’s not in the lab, Amy can be found running on trails around Boise, making tasty food, or curled up with a good book and a mug of something warm.

Stephen Nelson
Graduate Research Assistant
MEC 402
stephennelson150@u.boisestate.edu

Stephen graduated from the University of Kansas with a mechanical engineering degree and is pursuing an M.S. in mechanical engineering. He is working in the lab to create patient-specific models for high-BMI subjects in an industry funded project to determine methods of improving longevity for implants within that population. Outside of the lab, Stephen likes to be outside hiking or skiing or inside playing video games and hanging out with his dog, Daisy.

Oliver Alvarez
Graduate Research Assistant
MEC 402
oliveralvarez@u.boisestate.edu

Oliver is pursuing a MS degree in Mechanical Engineering and is in the accelerated master’s program. Currently, he is working on creating computer models of knees for patients who suffer from patellar dislocation in hopes to identify the best individual surgical treatment for each patient. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to music and being frightened by Dr. Fitzpatrick’s dog Luke.

Aidan Cormier
Undergraduate Research Assistant
MEC 402
aidancormier@u.boisestate.edu

Aidan is currently an undergraduate at Boise State University where he is majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering. Aidan has an internship in the Computational Biosciences Laboratory working with computational knee models of patients with patella alta and predisposition to patellar dislocation in order to simulate corrective surgery and then assess impact on patellofemoral ligament laxity. In his free time, Aidan loves to backpack, mountain bike, play soccer, and play guitar with his roommate.