My name is Coby McNichols, and I am a 2nd year BIOE PhD student. I am a member of the Richards-Kortum lab where I design optical instruments and develop deep learning algorithms for detecting and diagnosing precancerous lesions in various parts of the body.

One thing that I have made that I am proud of is my senior design project from my time as an undergraduate at Texas A&M. My team designed and developed a fully functional prototype for an IUD insertion device for women with bicornuate uteruses. Bicornuate uteruses have two distinct uterine horns connected to a single cervix, making the typical IUD design ineffective or even dangerous. Our device allowed for the insertion of two smaller IUDs, one in each horn, using our endoscope style device. The device is equipped with a live video camera, illumination light, and an insertion channel through which each IUD can be fed.

One thing I would love to make is a professional-looking autograph frame! I have signed pictures from one of my favorite NFL players and I would love to use the laser cutter to cut a custom matboard frame to slot these pictures into.

I am looking forward to working with techniques that are unfamiliar to me such as injection molding and CNC machining. Adding new tools to my design arsenal will be invaluable as I move through my graduate studies and into industry.