A team of Hofstra engineering students from the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science, including Miko Amican of Mineola, earned an honorable mention and a $1,000 prize in the 2025 Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams Challenge, sponsored by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and VentureWell.
Evan Carroll ’25, Anudamodaran Kumarakurup ’25 and Miko Amican ’25 placed among the top teams in a national field that included 123 submissions from 67 universities across 24 states, representing more than 500 students. Their project was completed during the Bioengineering Capstone Design course in spring 2025, under the mentorship of Dr. Roche deGuzman, associate professor of engineering, and Dr. John Vaccaro, associate professor of mechanical engineering.
The interdisciplinary team combined studies in bioengineering and mechanical engineering to design a device that integrates biological insight with mechanical precision, showcasing the collaborative, experiential learning environment that defines the DeMatteis School.
“Biomedical engineering projects require a balance between biological insight and mechanical functionality,” said Carroll, who served as the team’s lead biomedical engineer. “Having members from both disciplines allowed us to integrate those perspectives seamlessly and develop a design that not only met performance standards but also aligned with clinical and patient-centered goals.”
The students’ team, known as OraLyptus, developed a medical device that delivers medication directly onto the tongue of patients suffering from oral mucositis, a painful inflammation and ulceration of the mouth often caused by chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Designed to provide targeted relief while reducing systemic side effects, the device uses a controlled misting system to apply therapeutic compounds directly to the affected area.
“Our success would not have been possible without the invaluable mentorship of Dr. deGuzman,” Carroll said. “From the earliest stages of ideation through final prototyping and testing, he provided not only technical expertise but also critical guidance in project management and problem-solving strategies. His feedback helped us refine our design into a viable, impactful solution.”
The team agreed that starting the project a semester early was instrumental in their success.
“That head start allowed us to explore a broader range of ideas, conduct more thorough research, and iterate our design multiple times,” Amican said.
“It gave us the flexibility to refine our prototype based on rigorous testing and practical feedback,” Kumarakurup added.
By drawing on their different engineering backgrounds, Carroll as a bioengineering major and Amican and Kumarakurup as mechanical engineering majors, the team approached challenges from multiple perspectives.
“We learned how to bridge disciplines and speak a shared engineering language – skills that will absolutely help us in our careers,” Amican said.
The team received an award at the DeMatteis Senior Design Showcase in May 2025, before being invited to enter the national competition. While they did not attend the annual Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) meeting in person, the team submitted a three-minute video presentation summarizing months of research, design, and testing.
“Distilling everything into a short, compelling presentation challenged us to communicate the essence and impact of our work clearly and effectively,” Kumarakurup said.
“It taught us the importance of clear scientific communication and highlighted the power of storytelling in engineering,” Carroll added.
Their faculty advisors praised the students for their teamwork, professionalism, and success.
“This project reflects the best of Hofstra engineering – creativity, perseverance, and collaboration across disciplines to solve practical problems,” DeGuzman said. “Evan, Anu, and Miko demonstrated professionalism and innovation well beyond their years, and their recognition by the NIH and VentureWell is well deserved.”
