Alumni Profiles

Sommer Amundsen-Huffmaster

SOMMER AMUNDSEN-HUFFMASTER

Hometown: Blaine, Minnesota Education: B.S. from Hope College, Dance and Mechanical Engineering, 2007; Ph.D. from KU, Bioengineering, Biomechanics and Neural Engineering, 2014 Current Occupation: Assistant Professor of Research in the Neurology Department, University of Minnesota

Daily responsibilities of your job?

Writing grants and papers, managing a biomechanics and neurophysiology lab while running 10+ different studies, analyzing data and overseeing the data analysis performed by lab group members, and mentoring students on research projects. I am part of a lab that is researching the neuropathophysiology behind Parkinson’s disease motor symptoms. To do this, we measure the quantitative (biomechanical) motor symptoms associated with both disease progression and deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatments in human volunteers. We then correlate these behaviors to neural signals, MR imaging, and/or the modeling of neuronal pathways activated by DBS.

Biggest challenges of your job?

Prioritizing the long-term tasks of analysis and writing over the shorter-term projects that each of my students is doing.

How did KU Engineering best prepare you for your job?

I greatly appreciate the courses I took on grant writing, teaching and mentoring, and all the experience I gained doing Matlab coding! Also, I was grateful to have research experience in both biomechanical analyses of Parkinson’s disease and neural stimulation, as my postdoc position studying deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease was a wonderful nexus between the work and influence of my two Ph.D. co-advisors (Dr. Carl Luchies and Dr. Paul Cheney at KUMC).

Advice for current students?

Be brave! Ask questions, even if you have to ask what questions you should be asking. Also, take a break. Graduate students, especially, tend to forget that they are allowed to (and should!) have lives outside the lab. An important part of any education is what you can learn from forming strong relationships with other people, learning to help each other as you go through life together. Look up from the bench and computer sometimes to find that life exists outside the lab.

Favorite memories of KU Engineering and Lawrence?

What struck me about KU, from the day I visited, was how much all of the professors I interacted with really cared about their students’ well-being, both scientifically/academically, and more importantly, holistically. That’s something I strive to bring to my own mentoring. I also appreciated how many life-long friends I made during my time at KU. I met my husband at KU and we love to visit Lawrence when we can! I especially miss drinking coffee and studying at Signs of Life on Mass Street!