A team of three female mechanical engineering students, Polina Bragina, Molly Rubin, and Anna Koulakova, have developed a 3D-printed vest to aid Chestnut, a sea turtle struggling with positive buoyancy due to an old injury. The injury occurred from a boat strike early in her life, causing Chestnut to float uncontrollably at the water's surface.
Chestnut was found stranded on November 8, 2010, near Zach’s Bay in Jones Beach State Park after experiencing cold-stunning and sustaining injuries from a boat strike. The New York Marine Rescue Center (NYMRC) began treatment immediately. Due to her inability to dive or evade predators properly, federal authorities deemed her non-releasable.
Currently residing at the NYMRC in Riverhead, the approximately 15-year-old turtle benefits from this new engineering solution aimed at improving her quality of life. With guidance from project advisor Leana Grotz and resources from The Space — an interdisciplinary makerspace at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences — the team spent a year designing the vest to enhance Chestnut's mobility and comfort.
The challenge was creating a vest that did not irritate Chestnut as previous designs had. "The most challenging part was designing the clips that would securely attach to Chestnut’s shell," said Polina Bragina. Initial trials showed issues with fitting and grip; however, by molding the edge of Chestnut’s shell using air-dry clay for accurate measurements, they redesigned the clip for better stability.
Anna Koulakova emphasized comfort in their design: “We used rubber padding... Combined with tension from the nylon straps and Polina’s redesigned clips." The vest is adjustable in size and weight to accommodate Chestnut's growth.
"Working in The Space gave us access to tools needed to prototype efficiently," said Bragina. Regular access to 3D printing facilitated weekly design meetings without delays. "Because of Leana’s 3D printing support... our design meetings were more comfortable," added Koulakova.
The project also highlighted teamwork among women engineers. “We’re all engineers... but we are close friends too,” said Koulakova. Rubin added: “I found it both comfortable and empowering... I’m proud of our work."
Leana Grotz commended their efforts: “This team tackled an incredibly complex problem.” Now used in monitored sessions, the vest helps improve Chestnut's mobility while highlighting women’s contributions in STEM fields.