Anaiya Shah ’27 is taking her passion for 3D printing and biomedical engineering to the next level and helping fellow classmate Emma Lange ’27 get back in the game.

During an Advisory class earlier in the year, Emma shared with Anaiya that she had injured her foot in June but was hoping to try out for the Girls Basketball team in November. 

“I came to King to play basketball,” said Emma, who enrolled at King this year.

Anaiya accompanied Emma to a meeting with Director of Student-Athlete Health Services Emma Jonsson, who noted that the commercial shoe insert Emma was using lacked toe support. Jonsson discussed how she wasn’t aware of commercially available inserts that would address the issue and that custom-made inserts can be very expensive. 

When Jonsson told the pair that she was going to ask King’s Innovation Lab Coordinator Mike Fischthal about the possibility of creating something, a lightbulb went off in Anaiya’s head. She felt confident that the knowledge she acquired in Fischthal’s Innovation 101 class last year could help her friend.

“I thought, ‘I can do that,’” she said.

After tracing and measuring Emma's insole, Anaiya used the CAD program Onshape to replicate the drawing digitally. The file was then sent to a Form4 resin printer in the Innovation Lab, and 11 minutes later, the first prototype was ready. 

The design was refined further after testing as Anaiya worked out the details.

“The measurements were definitely a challenge with multiple trial and error steps aiming for the right shape and size to fit in my friend's shoe,” she shared.

Emma added that with the most recent design, she feels a noticeable improvement in her shoe.

“It feels like I have more support and balance,” she said.

This collaborative approach to problem-solving reflects the hands-on, inquiry-based learning that defines King School.

“These sorts of projects and collaborations are perfect examples of the learning environment here at King,” said Jonsson. “When I see students embrace and dive into these sorts of projects, I feel joy, and it is proof of success in King's learning experiences. 

For Anaiya, the experience has only strengthened her interest in pursuing engineering in college, specifically applications of materials and design engineering.

“This is my first real-life application of what I’ve learned so far in 3D printing, programming, and materials design,” she said. “It’s exciting for me to be able to target these skills to help my friend achieve her competitive athletic goals.”

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