Current Students

Meet our current students in Occupational Ergonomics and Safety.
We will introduce students from other concentrations soon. 

Name: Alicia Kurowski Country of origin: USA Degree & Concentration: Doctoral candidate, Occupational Ergonomics/Safety UMass Lowell E-mail: alicia_kurowski@student.uml.edu

Research: I am currently working on the evaluation of ergonomic exposures of nursing assistants in nursing homes before and after an intervention.  I am examining changes in postures, manual handling, and equipment use after the introduction of a No-Lift program.  I will also be developing an index of physical workload to evaluate the effects of multiple exposures on nursing assistants over a two-year time period. Why a student at DWE?:  I graduated from Northeastern University in 2004 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering.  While there, I took classes in work design and human machine systems, which introduced me to the topics of ergonomics and human factors.  I became more passionate about these topics than traditional Industrial Engineering topics, and in my junior year I became a student member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society so I could learn about graduate programs and careers.  One year after finishing my undergraduate degree, I applied to the Occupational Ergonomics masters program and was accepted.  At the end of my first year I began working on a health-care workers research project, which aligned well with my interests and was fulfilling.  At this point I decided to apply to the doctoral program to continue my work on ergonomic exposure assessment of healthcare workers. Hobbies: reading, painting, cooking, traveling, the Red Sox

Name: Gloria Foley Country of origin: USA Degree & Concentration: Masters of Science, Ergonomics and Safety Student E-mail: Gloria_Foley@student.uml.edu

Why a student at DWE?: Having been employed for more than 20 years in the industrial and financial work environment, I witnessed many co-workers and colleagues develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Musculoskeletal Disorders. This prompted me to begin exploring a new career path where I could make a difference. In the summer of 2008, I met with Dr. Brunette to learn more about the DWE program and was immediately sold on the Concentration in Ergonomics and Safety. Hobbies: Designing/sewing western fashion clothing for my daughter’s horse shows, attending and helping out at horse shows, designing/sewing contemporary quilts, long walks, reading & mentoring high school students.