Griffin Monaghan
Class of 2021
MS-MPE Program
GEES Scholar
My undergraduate education is in mechanical engineering but after graduating I felt that I wanted to use my engineering knowledge within the medical field. The MS-MPE program gave me the means to make that transition and I couldn't be happier with the results. My academic focus is in medical imaging and I am currently seeking an internship to help develop my skills within that field.
Curiosity in the Face of Uncertainty
If I could sum myself up in one word, it would be curious. From memorizing all of the world capitals to collecting and learning about different minerals, my curiosity has jumped from subject to subject throughout my entire life. As one would imagine, college was a haven for me because I was able to dive deep into subjects that I didn't know existed. The courses I was taking in pursuit of my degree in mechanical engineering gave me the means to understand everything happening in the world around me. Additionally, my studies allowed me to find a job in the field of medical research, a field that I had longed to enter since studying infectious diseases as a middle schooler. As I approached graduation and began my job search, I found that it would be difficult to pursue a career that touched on the two fields I had come to love so much, mechanical engineering and medicine. The MS-MPE program at Pitt represented the means to study and merge the two subjects that had defined my curiosity at the college level.
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Throughout my undergraduate career, I was exposed to a number of experiences that changed who I was as an engineer and as a person. First, my time working in the Biodynamics Lab taught me what it was like to interact with coworkers in a workplace setting, what it was like to work on a project, as well as a lot of technical engineering knowledge which would go on to influence my academic goals. My undergraduate curriculum helped me to build a foundation of engineering knowledge, while also demanding development in the fields of collaboration, leadership, professionalism, and many others. My term serving as VP of my fraternity forced be to hone my leadership and delegation skills, while also exposing me to organizational structure. All of these diverse experiences were driving factors in my decision to enroll in the MS-MPE program.​
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"However, if this year has taught college graduates anything, it's that the only certainty in life is uncertainty....
Throughout my undergraduate career, I was exposed to a number of experiences that changed who I was as an engineer and as a person. First, my time working in the Biodynamics Lab taught me what it was like to interact with coworkers in a workplace setting, what it was like to work on a project, as well as a lot of technical engineering knowledge which would go on to influence my academic goals. My undergraduate curriculum helped me to build a foundation of engineering knowledge, while also demanding development in the fields of collaboration, leadership, professionalism, and many others. My term serving as VP of my fraternity forced be to hone my leadership and delegation skills, while also exposing me to organizational structure. All of these diverse experiences were driving factors in my decision to enroll in the MS-MPE program.
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During my employment at the University of Pittsburgh Biodynamics Lab, my job consisted of two tasks. The first involved using MRI imaging systems to create digital 3D bone models representing patient anatomy with sub-millimeter accuracy. This required me to learn about the operating principles of various medical imaging systems and to apply this knowledge to mitigate various imaging artefacts that negatively affected the accuracy of the bone models. The second task was tracking the bone position of research subjects through dynamic movements using the digital bone models. This allowed us to determine whether the reconstructive surgeries were helping to restore healthy joint kinematics. This research was what spawned my aspirations in orthopedics and medical imaging and I do hope to continue on in these fields after graduation. However, if this year has taught college graduates anything, it's that the only certainty in life is uncertainty. To that end, I am not entirely sure in what field I wish to end up at this time but I believe that the MS-MPE program will expose me to everything that I need to make that decision.
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...to that end, I am not entirely sure in what field I wish to end up at this time but I believe that the MS-MPE program will expose me to everything that I need to make that decision"
