Jai Mukkamalla is a sophomore at Broad Run High School where he participates in DECA and debate. He has achieved notable milestones such as advancing to the Metro Finals for Debate and securing 1st place in the DECA district competition. Jai has contributed to Flexitube by assisting in the development of the first prototype and conducting extensive research to support the project.

Ishika Chelpati is a sophomore at Lightridge High School where she is involved in sports, FBLA, Speech and Debate, and STEM Research Honor Society. Outside of school, she dedicates her time to various STEM programs, continuously expanding her expertise and passion for the field. Ishika has made significant contributions to FlexiTube by conducting extensive research to advance the project and actively reaching out to medical professionals for their expertise and support.

Sarah Roelke is a junior at Lake Braddock Secondary School where she participates in Chemistry Olympiad, Biology Olympiad, and orchestra. Outside of school she is the student research director for the George Mason Health Services Mentorship Program, on the Girl Advisory Board of Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital, and leads and works on the CAD for Flexitube.

Lucas Liotta is a junior at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, where he serves as the first seat in the Windows Server 2016 division of the CyberPatriots Club. This prestigious group, sponsored by the U.S. Space Force, focuses on advancing students' skills in cybersecurity. Outside of his academic and extracurricular activities, Lucas enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, as well as programming and building neural networks. He played a key role in the initial development of a prototype, contributing to the design and programming of its control mechanism.

Tanvi Madavarapu is a sophomore at Broad Run High School and the Academies of Loudoun, where she is involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, including sports, FBLA, Science Olympiad, and Speech and Debate. She has competed at the NCFL Nationals in public speaking, earned state-level recognition, and excelled regionally in public forum debate. With aspirations of becoming a doctor, Tanvi is passionate about using science and compassion to improve lives. She contributed to the design of the FlexiTube prototype by conducting extensive background research and constructing the respiratory model that showcases the tube’s functionality.

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Meet Our Mentor

Dr. Liotta received his MD and PhD (Bioengineering) from Case Western Reserve. He is currently Co-Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine at George Mason University. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Liotta served as Chief of the Laboratory of Pathology, NCI, and Deputy Director of NIH. Dr. Liotta has invented and patented technologies in the fields of molecular diagnostics, cancer molecular therapeutics, microdissection (Laser Capture Microdissection), and proteomics (Reverse Phase Protein Microarrays, Biomarker harvesting nanoparticles, preservation chemistries for molecular analysis, and Protein Painting for protein binding site hotspot mapping), that have been used to make broad discoveries in disease biology, cancer diagnostics, and drug discovery.

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The Flexitube nasogastric device has transformed our patient care. Its innovative design and ease of use have made a significant difference in our daily operations.

Dr. Smith

★★★★★