Ready for the Front Lines

When Angela Alban ’04 was younger, she, like many children, enjoyed playing make-believe. Although she wanted to be a doctor, she didn’t pretend to treat patients. Instead, she would play “office” — answering phone calls, scheduling appointments and drafting paperwork. She would later discover that creating systems was an effective approach to problem-solving.

With a knack for engineering and analytical thinking, she went on to earn a master’s degree in computer engineering at UCF. Today she’s combining her love of medicine, engineering and project management as president and CEO of SIMETRI, a company delivering cutting-edge technologies to facilitate medical training, primarily for the military.

Among SIMETRI’s premier designs are instrumented anatomical models built with embedded sensors that detect the precision of various medical procedures — such as applying a tourniquet or administering an IV. By uniting scientists, physicians, engineers and artists, these innovative devices — made to simulate lifelike injuries — provide military medical professionals with immersive training that prepares them to save lives.

“Medical providers, even those who do rotations in trauma centers, aren’t often exposed to the types of injuries found in war, so you have to recreate them,” Alban says.

Since its founding in 2009, SIMETRI has grown from a simulation-focused company into a leader in developing a range of specialized medical training products and services, guiding each stage from concept and research to development and manufacturing. The key to SIMETRI’s success, Alban says, is the varying expertise of its 46 dedicated employees — 10 of whom are UCF interns and alumni.

SIMETRI operates from a 15,000-square-foot facility that houses 3D modeling and printing software, workshops for mechanical engineers, an augmented reality space and an expansive special effects lab featuring an array of prosthetics designed to replicate the look, feel and physiology of war-related injuries.

Located just outside Orlando — the modeling and simulation capital of the world — SIMETRI is uniquely positioned to leverage Central Florida’s ever-growing talent pool in engineering and the sciences to revolutionize advanced technologies for government and industry partners.

“The acquisition of all training devices and services for the [U.S.] Department of Defense happens right here in Orlando,” Alban says. “Some of these industries are co-located in Central Florida Research Park and collaborate with UCF researchers and faculty. So you have this triad of government, academia and industry, all working together to find practical solutions to real-world problems.”

Mechanical engineering student and SIMETRI intern Lena Stadler assembles a custom-printed circuit board with integrated sensors and Bluetooth capabilities for use in an augmented reality training environment.

Although Alban is now a leader in her field, she says she struggled to picture herself in a position of power early in her career. It wasn’t until she became vice president and chief operating officer of Indra Systems, a company focused on aviation simulation and automatic test equipment, that she felt more confident guiding teams of experts.

“I didn’t realize I had the potential to even speak in front of people,” she says. “But I took that job very seriously, so I worked hard at creating a work environment where I could employ people the way they deserve to be employed.”

What drew Alban, a mother of two, to entrepreneurship was the work-life balance it afforded her, especially while caring for her young daughter with special needs.

“I wanted to be fulfilled not just professionally, but personally. And I wanted to do that for other people because my parents didn’t have those opportunities in the U.S.,” says Alban, a Colombian immigrant who moved to the U.S. when she was 5. “Everything I do, from motherhood to my career, goes back to honoring their sacrifice.”

Despite having limited means, Alban’s parents instilled in her the importance of giving back, a value that has stayed with her as she works to effect positive change in her community. Alban is an active board member for several local organizations, including UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) Dean’s Advisory Board, and in 2022 she established the SIMETRI Dream and Achieve Endowed Scholarship for CECS students.

As Alban considers SIMETRI’s future, she plans to develop simulated tactical training for combat soldiers, something she did earlier in her career as a software engineer. Building a skilled and dynamic team “has enabled us to grow in the more general simulation space,” she says.

Whether building realistic simulators for the military or enhancing current medical technologies, Alban says she’s grateful to do what she loves: creating systems to solve problems.

“Simulating computers and machines is easy,” she says. “Simulating the human body, and the processes that take place as part of the physiology, is much more difficult — but also more rewarding.”

Special Effects Engineer Blayne Weir collaborates with the engineering team to develop anatomically accurate models that integrate electromechanical systems and embedded software, resulting in high-fidelity simulation devices for advanced training applications.

Who:

Angela Alban ’04

The Pitch:

A multifunctional facility bringing together teams of subject matter experts to deliver highly sophisticated products and services for medical training.

Inspiration:

To provide military and medical personnel with realistic training experiences using simulation and mixed-reality technologies.

Find It:

simetri.us