BME alumna helps Olympians speed ahead
September 10, 2024 — Margaret “Marge” Hartfel, University of Minnesota Biomedical Engineering PhD alumna, continues to make waves in the world of Olympic sports.
Her involvement with the Olympic program began in graduate school, when she led a research project on sprint starts in speed skating at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics in Alberta, Canada. Her graduate research still influences the USA Luge and Speedskating teams today.
Now in retirement following a nearly 25-year career with 3M, she continues to participate in research with the USA Luge national and Olympic teams— and gives back regularly to her alma mater too.
She mentors students at the Earl Bakken Medical Device Center, and has established fellowships in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering for graduate students to pursue engineering on the Twin Cities campus.