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Ready for the Front Lines

This UCF alum is advancing the frontiers of modeling, simulation and engineering to redefine military medical training. 

Angela Alban '04 unmolds an anatomical figure in her lab at SIMETRI

When Angela Alban 麻豆精品 S04 was younger, she, like many children, enjoyed playing make-believe. Although she wanted to be a doctor, she didn 麻豆精品 S檛 pretend to treat patients. Instead, she would play 麻豆精品 S渙ffice 麻豆精品 S 麻豆精品 S answering phone calls, scheduling appointments and drafting paperwork. She would later discover that creating systems was an effective approach to problem-solving.

With a knack for engineering and analytical thinking, she went on to earn a master 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in computer engineering at UCF. Today she 麻豆精品 S檚 combining her love of medicine, engineering and project management as president and CEO of SIMETRI, a company delivering cutting-edge technologies to facilitate medical training, primarily for the military.

Among SIMETRI 麻豆精品 S檚 premier designs are instrumented anatomical models built with embedded sensors that detect the precision of various medical procedures 麻豆精品 S such as applying a tourniquet or administering an IV. By uniting scientists, physicians, engineers and artists, these innovative devices 麻豆精品 S made to simulate lifelike injuries 麻豆精品 S provide military medical professionals with immersive training that prepares them to save lives.

麻豆精品 S淢edical providers, even those who do rotations in trauma centers, aren 麻豆精品 S檛 often exposed to the types of injuries found in war, so you have to recreate them, 麻豆精品 S Alban says.

Since its founding in 2009, SIMETRI has grown from a simulation-focused company into a leader in developing a range of specialized medical training products and services, guiding each stage from concept and research to development and manufacturing. The key to SIMETRI 麻豆精品 S檚 success, Alban says, is the varying expertise of its 46 dedicated employees 麻豆精品 S 10 of whom are UCF interns and alumni.

SIMETRI operates from a 15,000-square-foot facility that houses 3D modeling and printing software, workshops for mechanical engineers, an augmented reality space and an expansive special effects lab featuring an array of prosthetics designed to replicate the look, feel and physiology of war-related injuries.

Located just outside Orlando 麻豆精品 S the modeling and simulation capital of the world 麻豆精品 S SIMETRI is uniquely positioned to leverage Central Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 ever-growing talent pool in engineering and the sciences to revolutionize advanced technologies for government and industry partners.

麻豆精品 S淭he acquisition of all training devices and services for the [U.S.] Department of Defense happens right here in Orlando, 麻豆精品 S Alban says. 麻豆精品 S淪ome of these industries are co-located in Central Florida Research Park and collaborate with UCF researchers and faculty. So you have this triad of government, academia and industry, all working together to find practical solutions to real-world problems. 麻豆精品 S

Lena Stadler looks into a microscope as she assembles a circuit board

Mechanical engineering student and SIMETRI intern Lena Stadler assembles a custom-printed circuit board with integrated sensors and Bluetooth capabilities for use in an augmented reality training environment.

Although Alban is now a leader in her field, she says she struggled to picture herself in a position of power early in her career. It wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 until she became vice president and chief operating officer of Indra Systems, a company focused on aviation simulation and automatic test equipment, that she felt more confident guiding teams of experts.

麻豆精品 S淚 didn 麻豆精品 S檛 realize I had the potential to even speak in front of people, 麻豆精品 S she says. 麻豆精品 S淏ut I took that job very seriously, so I worked hard at creating a work environment where I could employ people the way they deserve to be employed. 麻豆精品 S

What drew Alban, a mother of two, to entrepreneurship was the work-life balance it afforded her, especially while caring for her young daughter with special needs.

麻豆精品 S淚 wanted to be fulfilled not just professionally, but personally. And I wanted to do that for other people because my parents didn 麻豆精品 S檛 have those opportunities in the U.S., 麻豆精品 S says Alban, a Colombian immigrant who moved to the U.S. when she was 5. 麻豆精品 S淓verything I do, from motherhood to my career, goes back to honoring their sacrifice. 麻豆精品 S

Despite having limited means, Alban 麻豆精品 S檚 parents instilled in her the importance of giving back, a value that has stayed with her as she works to effect positive change in her community. Alban is an active board member for several local organizations, including UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) Dean 麻豆精品 S檚 Advisory Board, and in 2022 she established the SIMETRI Dream and Achieve Endowed Scholarship for CECS students.

As Alban considers SIMETRI 麻豆精品 S檚 future, she plans to develop simulated tactical training for combat soldiers, something she did earlier in her career as a software engineer. Building a skilled and dynamic team 麻豆精品 S渉as enabled us to grow in the more general simulation space, 麻豆精品 S she says.

Whether building realistic simulators for the military or enhancing current medical technologies, Alban says she 麻豆精品 S檚 grateful to do what she loves: creating systems to solve problems.

麻豆精品 S淪imulating computers and machines is easy, 麻豆精品 S she says. 麻豆精品 S淪imulating the human body, and the processes that take place as part of the physiology, is much more difficult 麻豆精品 S but also more rewarding. 麻豆精品 S

Blayne Weir mixes a silicone base in the SIMETRI lab

Special Effects Engineer Blayne Weir collaborates with the engineering team to develop anatomically accurate models that integrate electromechanical systems and embedded software, resulting in high-fidelity simulation devices for advanced training applications.


Who:
Angela Alban 麻豆精品 S04
The Pitch:
A multifunctional facility bringing together teams of subject matter experts to deliver highly sophisticated products and services for medical training.
Inspiration:
To provide military and medical personnel with realistic training experiences using simulation and mixed-reality technologies.
Find It:
simetri.us