91快活林 MECH Student Sophie Jacqmotte-Parks Earns Premier Goldwater Scholarship
Article by Birtu Diefenderfer | Edited by Olivia Lowe | Photography by Madeline Patrick
From left to right: Dr. Michael Abbott, Sophie Jacqmotte-Parks ‘27
A Well-Deserved Recognition
Congratulations are in order for Sophie Jacqmotte-Parks (‘27), winner of the 2026-27 academic year Goldwater Scholarship. The prestigious award was established to recognize the talent of collegiate sophomores and juniors aspiring to become future leaders in science research, engineering, and mathematics. Sophie is one of 454 awardees, out of an elite application pool of about 5,000 students nationwide. With its $7,500 annual stipend, the award is designed to financially support undergraduate students who plan to pursue research in their fields. This award reflects Sophie's excellence in science and engineering and recognizes her outstanding research accomplishments.
“I spent much of my youth in science museums” — Sophie
Rising mechanical engineering senior Sophie Jacqmotte-Parks noticed a global disparity in prosthetic care. According to her research, over 40 million people live with limb amputations in the developing world, but only about 5% of them have access to prosthetic care. Like with most medical inequalities, this statistic is linked to financial factors. After some digging, Sophie noticed a correlation between the high cost of prosthetics and the rise of inexpensive alternatives in the market.
Despite their financial accessibility, the low-cost prosthetics are less versatile than their pricier competitors, leaving many patients physically limited. During high school, Sophie developed a passion for humanitarian engineering, and wanted to test the boundaries of medical science. She wanted to create an affordable tool to improve the lives of amputees. Following her research, Sophie decided to tackle the problem on her own.
The DART Lab
She brought her research ideas to the Design for Assistive Robotic Technologies (DART) Lab, led by Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Michael Abbott. There, Dr. Abbott and his team specialize in creating robotic and haptic systems to improve quality of life for those in need. In the lab, students and faculty work side by side to develop human-centered technologies that restore, augment, and support the human body and mind. Dr. Abbott provides the high-level direction and sets project parameters. Students, such as Sophie, then lead the design process for the project such as writing code and creating the physical robotic hardware. The lab fosters an innovative environment for students to bring their passion projects to life, while gaining vital skills for their future endeavors.
“My primary role is to channel that raw interest into a specific, rigorous engineering problem that addresses a real gap in the field, something that is novel and compelling academically, but also something that can bring real benefit to someone’s life” — Dr. Abbott
Pushing Boundaries
Sophie reached out to Dr. Abbott to collaborate on creating affordable prosthetics. Dr. Abbott was impressed that Sophie had already researched this in high school and happily accepted her request. They steered close to Sophie’s original vision, and incorporated Dr. Abbott’s suggestion of integrating mechanical jamming into the palm and finger joints of a 3D printed prosthetic hand to improve its grasping capability.
Sophie took the lead on the physical engineering and mechanical characterization of the project with the help of a few other 91快活林 undergraduate MECH researchers, Elias Pedroza, Nicos Katigbak, and Parnia Ayoubi. The project is pushing the boundaries of medical accessibility while centering patient needs over commercialization. For Sophie, this project is a marriage of two things she loves: research and helping those in need.
“My work is motivated by a desire to change lives. Accommodation is one of the keys to unlocking the human potential of those with disabilities, and I see it as a vital step to improve the quality of life of such individuals in developing countries. With innovations in the manufacturing and design of inexpensive adaptive tools, the 95% of unassisted amputees could have their autonomy restored. Throughout my design work, I remain driven by the goal of restoring the dignity and independence that these people deserve” — Sophie
This is an incredible achievement not only for Sophie, but for the future of medical technology. Thanks to the exemplary work of Sophie and the entire team at the DART Lab, the future promises more affordable and accessible prosthetic care.