Rio Harper to Complete Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Internship this Summer

Rio Harper ’27 will be doing a Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Internship at the University of Alberta this summer! The Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Internship gives U.S. students the opportunity to undertake advanced research opportunities in Canada for 10 to 12 weeks. Rio’s research, Therapy at Hand: Affordable Robot-Assisted Stroke Rehabilitation, involves building a robotic arm that can be remote controlled by a physical therapist to assist remotely with rehabilitation exercises.

Rio has been working on this project as a SOURCE Fellow alongside Professor Jamie Banks in the iSchool and highlights the importance of this research, stating, ” . . . many people in rural areas, particularly Inuit communities in Canada, live far away from hospitals and driving hours weekly to get therapy isn’t feasible for most. This aims to use modern WIFI and cellular technology to let people stay at home/in their communities and remotely perform the same tasks that they would do in a physical therapist office.” Congratulations to Rio for this amazing accomplishment!