Bella
Okiddy

Concentration 

MS in Biomedical Engineering, ScM

Award Year 

2016
Technologies Against Assault
Providence, R.I.

Sexual assault is a heinous crime for which no survivor should have to wait with uncertainty to hear back the results of forensic testing. Technologies Against Assault produces sexual assault kits and forensic lab kits with technology capable of immediately confirming and validating survivor experiences, simultaneously shortening the entire reporting process from months and years to just weeks. We aim to facilitate an environment in which more survivors feel empowered to report their assaults.

As a biomedical engineering student, I have been a part of research teams whose topics ranged from astrobiology to stem cell engineering. These experiences shaped and informed my passion but did not fulfill my wish to make a change in the world today. I want to work on projects that provide possible solutions to current problems a lot of people are facing. In Technologies Against Assault, I am glad to say that I get to use the knowledge I have gained these last five years to make an impact on the process of sexual assault reporting and survivor well-being.

TeammateRichard Park, '16