Kevin Kriege
Milwaukee, WI University of Minnesota (Physiology)
Kriege can trace his love of science back to a single teacher, Mrs. Brenda Kuphall. “Her passion for science inspired me,” he said. As an undergraduate he worked at the Visible Heart Lab at the University of Minnesota where he worked at reanimating human and swine hearts. “Hearts are quite slippery,” he said, adding that a beating hart is incredibly strong and powerful. Kriege spent his gap year working in research and development at AtriCure, a surgical ablation company. He has several patents pending and plans on either becoming an orthopedic surgeon or a cardiothoracic surgeon.
Fun Fact: He was a defensive end at the University of Upper Iowa before transferring to the University of Minnesota. He thought about trying out as a walk-on for the University of Minnesota’s team but opted against it. “It’s so time consuming,” he explained. “I wouldn’t have ended up in medical school if I played football.”
