Olivia Colavito, a senior at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, is set to graduate in May with a degree in biomedical engineering. Her interest in the field was sparked by her experience with physical therapy as an eighth-grader and further fueled by her grandfather’s military service. “Every Veterans Day, he will wear an Army hat,” she said of her grandfather, Michael Quartana, a former U.S. Army combat medic.
Colavito has been interning with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs since August 2023. She works on projects involving artificial intelligence to analyze CT scans of veterans’ lungs at the New Jersey War Related Illness and Injury Study Center. Her research highlighted inconsistencies in image resolution due to varying CT scanner parameters.
Initially a business major, Colavito switched to biomedical engineering after volunteering at Children’s Specialized Hospital and working as a physical therapy aide. She wanted “a career where I can help people through innovative design.” Despite risking her Honors College scholarship tied to her initial major, she received support from J.D. Bowers and Andrea Rydel at Rutgers.
Bowers described Colavito as “very accomplished and insightful” and noted that her decision to switch majors was driven by a growing interest in interdisciplinary challenges.
Outside academics, Colavito is active in several university organizations including Delta Gamma sorority and the Rutgers University Ski and Snowboard Team. Looking ahead, she envisions running her own lab or working for an innovative medical device company: “I just want to do something not stagnant or boring.”
