Anna Gilpin

Anna Gilpin, from Martinsburg, will graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering and a minor in statistics. She is the vice president of the Biomedical Engineering Society, member of the Society of Women Engineers, associate editor for the Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review, and former executive director for recruitment and retention for the Student Government Association. 

She has maintained a 4.0 while engaging in rigorous coursework, community service projects, leadership roles, and serving as a tutor with the Mindfit Academic Enhancement Program. 

Gilpin has been conducting research in regenerative medicine since her freshman year. She believes regenerative medicine has the potential to replace traditional treatments that are ineffective or inaccessible for patients by harnessing the natural mechanisms of the body, thus revolutionizing the treatment of a multitude of diseases and disorders. 

She has published in the journal BioMed Research International and presented her research at several national conferences. 

In 2015, she served as a research assistant through the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program. Her research focused on developing a non-damaging method for isolating the extracellular matrix of cell sheets so that it may be used as a scaffold for creating engineered tissues.

In 2016, she served as a summer research fellow with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where she contributed to the development of ISO biotechnology standards through researching terminology and analyzing the performance of automated cell counters.

She is also particularly proud of a recruitment program she developed through her involvement with Student Government Association where current WVU students return to their high schools to talk to prospective students about their academic and social experiences on campus. 

She is the recipient of the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Scholarship, Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and will graduate as a Presidential Honors Scholar. 

Gilpin plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at Duke University. 

Ultimately, she hopes to work in the research and development of biomaterials for regenerative medicine and aims to return to West Virginia to participate in STEM educational outreach for underrepresented youth.