After two years as an intern, Ella Willetts has officially joined ETC full-time as a Biomedical Engineer, continuing her work supporting Army Research Laboratory (ARL), including a project she co-authored that’s already making waves in the research community.
Intern to Engineer
During her internship with ETC, Willetts worked on biomedical research spanning 3D modeling, synthetic tissue materials, and projects supporting Army and defense applications. This experience helped to shape her career direction.
“My experience taught me how biomedical engineering can contribute to solving unique challenges in defense and research,” Willetts said. “I wanted to continue building on that work, particularly in areas like artificial tissue alternatives and neuroscience research. Joining ETC lets me continue this while growing as an engineer and contributing to ARL research.”
One of the standout projects from Willetts’ internship was her work developing synthetic materials for neuroscience research; work that led to her being named a co-author on ETC’s Synthetic Material Modeling publication. Using Blender, the team built a realistic bone model, then developed surrounding synthetic tissue to create a full-head model designed to support research and testing without relying on biological tissue.
“Being included in the publication was an incredible opportunity, especially as a senior in college just starting my career,” Willetts said. “It gave me valuable hands-on experience with the full engineering process and made me even more interested in pursuing research and engineering long-term.”
Her Next Chapter
Now transitioning into her full-time role, Willetts describes the shift as a natural next step. “Stepping into this role feels like a natural transition between classroom learning and applying those skills as a full-time engineer,” she said. “I’m looking forward to taking on more responsibility and learning from the supervisors and colleagues around me as I grow.”
Looking back on her internship, Willetts says one lesson has stuck with her most: staying open to new opportunities, even unexpected ones. “Some of the best opportunities came from things I hadn’t originally expected to pursue,” she said. A prime example was her opportunity to present at the DOD Basic Research Conference (DBRC). “It was a chance to practice public speaking and have meaningful conversations with other researchers.”
As she begins this new chapter, Willetts is looking forward to going deeper into the research areas that first drew her in. “I’m most excited to keep working in materials science and 3D modeling, developing artificial tissue alternatives and exploring how they can support neuroscience research,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing where new projects take me and continuing to grow as an engineer contributing to ETC and the Army’s research mission.”
ETC is proud to have Ella on the team!
