Haley Evans

Haley Evans is seeking to make a difference in the medical field. As a graduate teaching assistant earning her master’s degree in mechanical engineering, she’s worked on multiple projects that aim to streamline nurses’ jobs — something she hopes to continue doing throughout her career.

Why Auburn

“I had always wanted to go to Auburn because my parents both did — it’s where they met. I love how easy it is to get involved here. Auburn does a great job of helping students find their place. That’s why I would tell other people to come here — it’s the best place to be.”

Why engineering

“I was always interested in engineering, but I chose to go into mechanical because I wanted to keep things broad. During undergrad, I wanted to see what it was like to do engineering in the workforce. I learned a lot about what design engineering looks like in the defense sector during my internships, but I realized defense wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do. I decided to pursue a master’s degree to gain more experience in biomechanical engineering and in the design of medical devices. When I toured Auburn, I was interested in working with Michael Zabala, the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council associate professor, and his Biomechanical Engineering Lab, otherwise known as the AUBE lab. I decided to stay at Auburn to work in that lab and bolster my resume with experience doing what I was actually interested in.”

Research projects

“Soon, I will be researching healthcare ergonomics. I’ll be using inertial motion capture to analyze how nurses handle patients and identify injury risks related to lifting. Nurses experience high rates of muscle damage during patient lifting or carrying, so we’re going to look at how that happens and how we can help prevent it.

“I’ve also been involved with the Kyra Medical Operating Room Device project. We created a fluid management device that automates IV fluid switching during surgeries, allowing patients to continuously receive fluid even in large quantities, which reduces the risk of injury. This project has been interesting because the other mechanical engineering students and I get to work with industrial design students we wouldn’t ordinarily collaborate with, so it’s been a very eye-opening experience. I really enjoyed working on a real-world project that can have a tangible impact.”  

Future plans

“I would love to work in the medical space — either on devices that help nurses streamline their jobs, or objects that are actively being used, like surgical tools. I love doing hands-on work, 3D modeling and designing prototypes, so that would be my dream job after graduation.”