Mechanical engineering student Matthew Curtis, who recently graduated from Texas A&M University, served in the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan. While in the warzone, he identified a need he believes will save the lives of his fellow Marines and others.
The military-issued tourniquets sometimes malfunction and can be hard to use, Curtis said, so he set out to make something easier and more effective. Soon enough, he came up with a rough model for a more durable product that could be administered more easily by members of the military in highly charged moments when every second counts.
Curtis had the idea, the drive and some basic skills, but he needed help. That’s where Texas A&M came in.
“I could never really pursue the idea until I came here and had access to the resources and opportunities at the university,” Curtis said.
Recently, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp spoke with Curtis at the SuSu and Mark A. Fischer ’72 Engineering Design Center at Texas A&M.
“Everyone knows that Texas A&M is a military-friendly university,” Chancellor Sharp said. “But Matthew Curtis is flesh-and-blood example of how much we are dedicated to our troops. Matthew’s innovation and the environment that we foster at Texas A&M likely will end up saving American lives on the battlefield.”
Meet Curtis and watch him demonstrate his improved tourniquet to Chancellor Sharp in a video here: https://www.youtube.com/user/tamusystem.
Curtis is now considering pursuing a Master of Business Administration to work on growing his business and further develop his tourniquet technology.
Source: The Texas A&M University System