There are abundant opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved in research at NDSU, many in labs producing groundbreaking work and attempting to better the world. Sophie Viger, a junior mechanical engineering major, has since January had a hand in working on research that seeks to prevent infection and provide pain relief for knee joint replacement patients.
With around 800,000 knee joint replacement surgeries happening in the United States each year, it is estimated that about one percent of joint replacements will become infected. Viger and her team have been using compression molding to incorporate beeswax and lidocaine into a small disk-shaped artificial knee joint implant. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic offering pain relief and beeswax is known for its antimicrobial properties, which forms a barrier against bacteria.
Viger has been assisting Savannah Drey, who recently graduated with a mechanical engineering master’s degree, on the research project. Drey, who was a teaching assistant in one of Viger’s classes, suggested Viger join the research team after learning more about her interests. Before getting involved in the project, Viger said she had no idea undergraduate students had the opportunity to have such a big role in assisting with the innovative research taking place on campus.
Her participation in the research has not only helped Viger build confidence, but also made her a more well-rounded researcher.
“It has helped me to problem solve on my own in some ways,” said Viger, who is from Campbell, Minnesota. “I’m not sure what other research jobs look like, but I assume they don’t allow the newbie to have as much control or take on a project as they do here at NDSU.”
In her work, Viger helps with creating the multi-purpose coating for knee joint implants, which consists of molding the beeswax and lidocaine together with the help of salt to adhere the beeswax to the polymer.
It took a lot of encouragement at first for Viger to feel as though she had a place in the lab. Her research team consisting of Drey, undergraduate mechanical engineering students Ryley Otto and Max Mazzei, as well as Luke Gibbon, a research engineer graduate student in mechanical engineering, helped her become comfortable to share her ideas. Viger said Gibbon has been among one of her primary mentors along the way.
“He is always there to answer every question I have. Even if I may think it’s not a good question, he will still take time to make sure I feel comfortable with what I’m doing,” she said.
Gibbon and the research team supported Viger at Student Research Days last spring, where Viger presented the research to members of the NDSU community.
Along with building confidence, Viger said she has also learned how to talk like an engineer.
“I walked in on the first day and thought I couldn’t be there because I didn’t know what they were talking about. Everyone reassured me that in no time I’d be right there talking with them and sure enough I am,” she said.
Now Viger has the experience to make her resume stand out, along with references who can talk about her important contributions, including the interim chair of the mechanical engineering department, Chad Ulven.
Viger said she has felt like she has been able to contribute to something big through her involvement.
“I do think I have contributed to solutions,” she said. “In this group they ask for everyone’s opinion no matter your skill level, which I think really keeps the undergrads interested in what they are doing.”
Viger recommends students to get involved on campus and actively seek out opportunities.
“I encourage students to go to everything. If I wouldn’t have gone to that TA session, I would’ve missed out on all of this. So, you never know what you could get out of something,” she said.
Participating in research is something Viger also recommends to students. She said NDSU’s encouraging research environment helped her succeed as a student. Viger’s advice for fellow student researchers is to speak up and voice your opinions.
“I would say there is no better job for an undergraduate to have,” she said. “Through research you not only get experience thinking outside the box for solutions, but you also have a job where you get to know so many people. I don’t think I would’ve known this many professors at NDSU if it wasn’t for research. I also think it’s great because you have no set hours, and we all know as a college student going to work on a set schedule can be very difficult around class schedules and exams.”
Learn more about Viger’s story on NDSU’s official YouTube channel.
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