[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 79 (Thursday, June 6, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3983-S3984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO KATHERINE BOMKAMP

 Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, today I wish to recognize 
Katherine Bomkamp, a West Virginia University student who has, out of 
profound compassion for wounded veterans and incredible talent in STEM 
sciences, created a prosthetic device to address phantom pain felt by 
millions of the world's amputees.
  At a young age, Katherine spent a significant amount of time at the 
Walter Reed Army Medical Center with her father, a U.S. Air Force 
veteran. There, she discovered her passion and eagerness to help 
suffering soldiers as she listened to the difficult challenges many of 
them were facing upon returning home.

[[Page S3984]]

  The conversations between Katherine and the many veterans she 
encountered are what inspired her to create the Pain Free Socket, an 
invention that incorporates thermal biofeedback to eliminate phantom 
pain. This device began as a tenth grade science project and has made 
her a hero to veterans in distress.
  Since patenting the invention, Katherine has started her own company 
and will soon begin clinical trials.
  Not surprisingly, Katherine has received a lot of media attention as 
a result of her innovation and achievement, including global coverage 
by CNN, the New York Times, BBC, and many others.
  The West Virginia University junior was even featured in Glamour 
Magazine as one of the Top 10 College Women in the country and won 
$2,500 from the L'Oreal Paris Beauty of Giving Award.
  Katherine, who came to West Virginia from Waldorf, MD, is an 
extraordinary example of success in the STEM fields of science, 
technology, engineering and mathematics, not just in my home State, but 
across the Nation and the world.
  A Newman Civic Fellow, she is one of the youngest ever to present to 
the Royal Society of Medicine's Medical Innovations Summit in London, 
England.
  I am so proud of Katherine and her dedication to helping those who 
have fought courageously and honorably for this country. She has found 
a way to serve those who have served this great Nation--and who have 
risked it all in doing so.
  On behalf of the State of West Virginia, I congratulate Katherine on 
all her achievements and wish her the best of luck in her very bright 
future. And I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in thanking Katherine 
for her compassion to work for the brave men and women of our Armed 
Forces.

                          ____________________