Taylor Donen Reaches for Research
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Biomedical engineering and biomathematics junior Taylor Donen discovered a passion for research in neurodegenerative conditions through Rose Research Fellows and summer research opportunities.
Taylor Donen was not entirely sure what research at the college level entailed when she first applied for the inaugural Rose Research Fellows cohort at the end of her high school career. Now a junior, Donen not only knows more about research, she also knows that she wants research to be a primary part of her career.
Donen, a Rose-Hulman biomedical engineering and biomathematics major from Chattanooga, Tennessee, completed her third significant research experience, with plans in place for future projects, at Vanderbilt University this summer. Donen worked in the Gonzales lab, which partners with the Vanderbilt Brain Institute.
Her team worked in a cleanroom to develop flexible, transparent electrodes for intracortical readings. Donen spent her days in the orange light of the nanoscale lab, developing microscale probes using photolithography and sputter deposition processes. The probes are designed to read neural activity and determine which neurons are firing in the brain at a given moment.
Graduate students in Donen's lab were impressed by the speed and the quality with which she worked on the probes.
"Even though I'm not doing all these research experiences at Rose, Rose really prepared me well to succeed in the research experiences," she said. "Rose Research Fellows opened my eyes to the possibilities that I could do."
Rose Research Fellows enabled Donen the opportunity to work directly with a faculty member on paid research during her first year at Rose-Hulman. Donen's project involved characterizing bone cement that may be able to replace plates and screws in the healing of bone fractures, leading to treatment options that are less invasive and less prone to wear. At the end of the year, she and her Fellow peers presented about their experiences at the first Rose Research Fellows Symposium.
Rose Research Fellows gave her the foundation she needed to succeed at her first Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Colorado Boulder last summer. Practicing alongside faculty and graduate students on an early-stage project, Donen worked on the 3D bioprinting of silica-based fiber optics. The team's ultimate goal is to develop genetically modified fungi coated with a light-transmitting silica surface. The fungi can then be used as self-regenerating fiber optic cables, making repairs much simpler.
The experience in Colorado helped her formulate a larger goal: pursuing a PhD in biomedical engineering and continuing to do research.
“Medical devices that improve people’s lives are made through research, and I want to contribute to that,” said Donen. “For most every medical device that’s on the market, someone had to have an idea, design it, and conduct clinical trials to make sure it was safe and effective. Research is a key part of that process.”
Donen has no plans to restrict her research anytime soon. She intends to work on a research project in the fall with Samuel F. Hulbert Endowed Chair and Professor of Biology and Biomedical Engineering Alan Chiu, PhD, which will focus on neurological disorders.
"It's more common than people think to suffer from brain conditions," said Donen, citing a study from the Parkinson's Foundation that estimates 1.1 million Americans are living with Parkinson's disease.
"I feel like people have to do it in silence," she noted.
She's on a mission to change that. As part of the biomedical engineering curriculum, Donen selected an Advanced Individualized Mission (AIM), to narrow her focus during her junior and senior years. Donen selected neural engineering as her AIM to provide much-needed scholarship toward neurodegenerative diseases.
Donen is also passionate about opening opportunities for the next generation so that they can follow in her footsteps and continue making scientific advancements. With support from the Noblitt Scholars Program, Donen was one of the co-founders and project leaders of the inaugural Rose-Hulman STEM Jubilee in April. Nearly 500 K-8 students participated in a day of fun-filled STEM activity booths, hosted by over 150 Rose-Hulman students.
Opportunities such as the STEM Jubilee and her research experiences, as well as leadership positions as the president of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the director of philanthropy for Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, have helped Donen hone her communication skills, including growing much more comfortable with presentations, public speaking, and interacting with people from different backgrounds than herself.
"It's really cool to learn from different people's experiences," Donen said. "These experiences have helped me get a better idea of what I want to do for the rest of my life."
Her research projects have the potential to change many lives for the better, including her own. Though she was initially unsure about research, Donen's decision to take a risk turned out to be a choice that constructs pathways to her career and to improved medical solutions for all.
Donen, a Rose-Hulman biomedical engineering and biomathematics major from Chattanooga, Tennessee, completed her third significant research experience, with plans in place for future projects, at Vanderbilt University this summer. Donen worked in the Gonzales lab, which partners with the Vanderbilt Brain Institute.
Her team worked in a cleanroom to develop flexible, transparent electrodes for intracortical readings. Donen spent her days in the orange light of the nanoscale lab, developing microscale probes using photolithography and sputter deposition processes. The probes are designed to read neural activity and determine which neurons are firing in the brain at a given moment.
Graduate students in Donen's lab were impressed by the speed and the quality with which she worked on the probes.
"Even though I'm not doing all these research experiences at Rose, Rose really prepared me well to succeed in the research experiences," she said. "Rose Research Fellows opened my eyes to the possibilities that I could do."
Rose Research Fellows enabled Donen the opportunity to work directly with a faculty member on paid research during her first year at Rose-Hulman. Donen's project involved characterizing bone cement that may be able to replace plates and screws in the healing of bone fractures, leading to treatment options that are less invasive and less prone to wear. At the end of the year, she and her Fellow peers presented about their experiences at the first Rose Research Fellows Symposium.
Rose Research Fellows gave her the foundation she needed to succeed at her first Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Colorado Boulder last summer. Practicing alongside faculty and graduate students on an early-stage project, Donen worked on the 3D bioprinting of silica-based fiber optics. The team's ultimate goal is to develop genetically modified fungi coated with a light-transmitting silica surface. The fungi can then be used as self-regenerating fiber optic cables, making repairs much simpler.
The experience in Colorado helped her formulate a larger goal: pursuing a PhD in biomedical engineering and continuing to do research.
“Medical devices that improve people’s lives are made through research, and I want to contribute to that,” said Donen. “For most every medical device that’s on the market, someone had to have an idea, design it, and conduct clinical trials to make sure it was safe and effective. Research is a key part of that process.”
Donen has no plans to restrict her research anytime soon. She intends to work on a research project in the fall with Samuel F. Hulbert Endowed Chair and Professor of Biology and Biomedical Engineering Alan Chiu, PhD, which will focus on neurological disorders.
"It's more common than people think to suffer from brain conditions," said Donen, citing a study from the Parkinson's Foundation that estimates 1.1 million Americans are living with Parkinson's disease.
"I feel like people have to do it in silence," she noted.
She's on a mission to change that. As part of the biomedical engineering curriculum, Donen selected an Advanced Individualized Mission (AIM), to narrow her focus during her junior and senior years. Donen selected neural engineering as her AIM to provide much-needed scholarship toward neurodegenerative diseases.
Donen is also passionate about opening opportunities for the next generation so that they can follow in her footsteps and continue making scientific advancements. With support from the Noblitt Scholars Program, Donen was one of the co-founders and project leaders of the inaugural Rose-Hulman STEM Jubilee in April. Nearly 500 K-8 students participated in a day of fun-filled STEM activity booths, hosted by over 150 Rose-Hulman students.
Opportunities such as the STEM Jubilee and her research experiences, as well as leadership positions as the president of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the director of philanthropy for Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, have helped Donen hone her communication skills, including growing much more comfortable with presentations, public speaking, and interacting with people from different backgrounds than herself.
"It's really cool to learn from different people's experiences," Donen said. "These experiences have helped me get a better idea of what I want to do for the rest of my life."
Her research projects have the potential to change many lives for the better, including her own. Though she was initially unsure about research, Donen's decision to take a risk turned out to be a choice that constructs pathways to her career and to improved medical solutions for all.