Life-Changing Experience Shapes Students’ Studies

Senior Allison Dockum majored in bioengineering so she can create medical devices that help others.

Senior Allison Dockum is majoring in bioengineering to change lives for the better. She has first-hand experience in the impact of this expertise.

Surgeons and bioengineers “gave me the ability to live a semi-normal life, and I want to do the same for others,” she says.

Dockum was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency, meaning her left leg was about half the length of her right leg. She underwent multiple limblengthening surgeries in which a surgeon cut the bone, then used a device called an external fixator to slowly stretch the limb as new bone formed. Her legs are now about the same length.

“Growing up, I was fascinated by how the fixator worked,” she says, and her surgeon took the time to explain his work with the surgical tool developed by a Russian physician.

Dockum knew bioengineers also often develop such devices, and her interest in bioengineering was born. “What I like about bioengineering is the understanding of the body through an engineering lens. It expands your perspective on solutions to physiological problems,” she says. “I would like to work either in industry or research and focus on assistive technology—prosthetics and biomechanical devices, says Dockum, who is earning a BS in bioengineering in combination with an accelerated master’s degree in data analytics engineering.

Dockum worked two years as a research assistant in the Biomedical Imaging Lab under the direction of professor Siddhartha Sikdar, whose team is investigating a new way to operate prostheses using ultrasound waves to sense muscle activity.

“Dr. Sikdar encouraged me to pursue what I’m passionate about,” she says. “He has provided help and resources and mentorship.” g