Hours after a routine research meeting about a breakthrough scientific innovation, Janelle Lenzo-Werner learned her colleague and best friend of 22 years, Gina Freeman, had died in a car accident on her way home from work. The day was Sept. 1, 2022, and the meeting centered on an idea straight out of science fiction: 3D-printed arm braces that alleviate cerebral palsy in children.

Today, that far-out idea has become a reality, as Lenzo-Werner, a resident of Manahawkin, along with the rest of the…