Reno students using STEM to help patients with hand tremors

By Rocio Hernandez

The Nevada Independent

As volunteers at Renown Regional Medical Center, Galena High School students Keira O’Leary, Manvi Mummalaneni and Cielo Coudriet met patients who struggled with hand tremors. An older volunteer they worked with also suffered with this condition, which made it difficult for her to use her phone even with the aid of a stylus pen.

That experience served as the inspiration for a school project that aims to reduce the shaking in patients’ hands.

The group worked together to develop a hand brace that targets two pressure points in the hand and wrist to reduce shaking. Coudriet said it’s meant to be a more affordable alternative to other existing medications and treatments.

“It’s comfortable, easy to use, adjustable and it’s lightweight,” she said. “That’s a big thing for people with hand tremors. They don’t want something weighing on them.”

The three seniors from Galena High School in Reno were recognized for their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills last month when they were named the state winners of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition. All three are part of the school’s STEM Academy.

As state winners, the team received $12,000 worth of technology for their school.

“This group of girls has worked very hard to try and solve a problem they see in the community,” said Autumn Laidlaw-Amantia, the students’ engineering design and development teacher. “They are an example of what our engineering program can help kids accomplish.”

The students said the experience they’ve gained through the project has been especially eye-opening for O’Leary, who plans on becoming a biomedical engineer, and Coudriet, who hopes to become a physical therapist, while Mummalaneni wants to pursue a career as a corporate lawyer.

Their next step? Return to the hospital, and have patients try out their prototype.