Student Spotlight: Lela Rose

From the moment you meet Lela Rose, her personality fills the room.

“I’m very talkative, very open, always looking to make a new friend. I always try to be cheerful and have a good time,” Rose said.

She thrives on connecting with the friends she studies with, the ones she goes line dancing with, and the ones she does crafts with, and behind that bright energy is a biomedical engineering student who has already immersed herself in research, industry and leadership at Mississippi State University.

The sophomore from Memphis always knew she wanted to be an engineer, and while at first she wasn’t sure what kind, she quickly discovered that biomedical engineering fit her goals better than any other major could. Her love of science and the biological process of the human body made biomedical engineering the perfect fit.

“I knew I didn’t want to be a doctor, but I wanted something that touched research, medicine and engineering all at the same time,” said Rose. “Biomedical engineering does all of those things.”

Her freshman-year internship confirmed she was exactly where she needed to be, landing a competitive research-and-development internship at Medtronic in Memphis, where she worked on spinal surgical devices. For one summer, Rose reverse-engineered mechanical testing components, recreating legacy parts from decades-old prints and designing a device that gave engineers insight into how surgical tools could be corrected for easier use.

She also observed cadaver labs and took part in surgeon feedback sessions, an experience Rose described as eye-opening, as she saw how engineers and surgeons collaborate to develop innovations that balance technical precision with ergonomic practicality.

Back on campus, Rose dove into undergraduate research quickly, approaching David Vandenheever about taking her on as an undergraduate researcher in his NERD Lab. When he did, rather than selecting an existing project, she proposed her own: researching how hormonal birth control affects emotional processing using EEG technology, a topic, Rose said, that has very little research.

Her study compares emotional responses in women on hormonal birth control and those who are not, accounting for different hormonal phases. The project earned grant funding and IRB approval, and she conducted 38 EEG sessions in a single semester, far exceeding typical lab expectations.

“I love that I get to do what I want to do in the lab,” she says. “I love that my grant allowed me to easily get participants who were eager for my research, it made doing my experiment worthwhile.”

Rose said that early data already suggests measurable differences, and she hopes to secure additional funding and publish her findings by her senior year.

Outside the lab, Rose has found her community as president of BEAM, the Biomedical Engineering Association of Mississippi State University. Under her leadership, BEAM hosts craft, game, and movie nights, creating space for connection among roughly 50 members.

“This is the first time I’ve ever done anything club-related,” she says. “I was nervous to be in charge, but it’s been fun.”

Her goal is simple: “I just want to see everyone succeed.”

Her advice to freshmen? “Get involved in research as early as possible. Look for internships as early as possible, and you’ll never know what will happen after that.”

By Camille Carskadon