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Cooper Engineering Students Awarded Venturewell Rising Star Prize In 2026 DEBUT Challenge

POSTED ON: September 15, 2026

screenshot of soe project

Engineering students David Brokhin ME’27, Nora Gallion ME’28, and Wilson Jimenez EE’27 were awarded the $5,000 VentureWell Rising Star Prize in the 2026 Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge for their innovative project, ClubFoot Instru-Sole, under the guidance of assistant professor of mechanical engineering, Michelle Rosen.

The 2026 DEBUT Challenge is one of the most competitive to date, receiving 119 applications from 64 universities across 29 states, with 490 students participating. The team's achievement will be recognized at the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, on October 23, 2026.

The team developed a thin, silicone-based insole equipped with force sensors to monitor pressure and foot positioning in infants undergoing clubfoot treatment. The technology aims to help parents ensure proper brace fit, improve treatment adherence, and reduce the risk of relapse.

Learn more about the project here. 

More News from The Cooper Union

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.