Dr Hsiao-Wecksler visits NUPRL & RERP

April 1, 2008 -- Dr Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign visited NUPRL & RERP on February 1, 2008.  Dr Hsiao-Wecksler is part of an NSF funded Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power for which her group is attempting to develop a fluid powered and actuated ankle joint for Ankle Foot Orthoses.  During her visit, Dr Hsiao-Wecksler toured NUPRL & RERP and met with faculty and staff from the NURPL & RERP and SMPP.  Dr Hsiao-Wecksler gave a presentation on some of her work entitled “Improving gait: development of a power-harvesting AFO and tools for quantifying gait asymmetry”.

Fatone presents at the University of Illinois

November 5, 2007 -- Stefania Fatone, PhD, was invited by Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, PhD, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering for a day-long visit to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on October 15, 2007.   While at the University of Illinois, Dr. Fatone met with Dr. Hsiao-Wecksler, her colleagues and graduate students to discuss their research on fluid powered AFOs and also present a talk titled "Functional Evaluation of Ankle Foot Orthoses in Adults with Post-Stroke Hemiplegia" at their Bio-Interest Group (BIG) seminar series.

NSF’s Robert J. Jaeger, Ph.D., visits NUPRL & RERP

Andrew Hansen, Ph.D., (right) talks with Robert Jaeger, Ph.D.

October 9, 2007 -- Robert J. Jaeger, Ph.D., (Program Director of Research to Aid Persons with Disabilities Program; Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems Division; at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, VA) visited NURERC on June 12. From 1997 through 2006, Dr. Jaeger was on staff at the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.

Michael Dillon, Ph.D., spends sabbatical at NUPRL & RERP

Michael Dillon, Ph.D.

October 9, 2007 -- Michael Dillon, Ph.D., BPO(Hons), was in residence as Visiting Professor at NUPRL & RERP during the month of August. Dr. Dillon is Senior Lecturer in the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics in the Division of Allied Health at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Dillon has a broad background in clinical P&O for both adult and pediatric populations. His research foci are the biomechanics of ambulation, gait analysis, and transfemoral prosthetic suspension and alignment. His research interests include understanding the influence of different transfemoral socket designs and alignment practices on the mechanics of gait. An area of particular focus is partial foot amputation. While at NUPRL & RERP, Dr. Dillon, Stefania Fatone, Ph.D., BPO(Hons), and Andrew Hansen, Ph.D., worked together investigating the gait of persons with partial foot amputation. Learn more about Dr. Dillon and this research in the autumn issue of Capabilities.

Fatone joins AAOP clinical content committee

August 21, 2007 -- Stefania Fatone, PhD, was invited to be a member of the Clinical Content Committee for the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists.  This committee is responsible for determining the conference program with regards to instructional courses and symposia as well as reviewing abstract submissions.

ICADI conference to be held in St. Petersburg, FL

August 17, 2007 -- The International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence (ICADI) will be held February 20-23, 2008 in St. Petersburg, Florida.  The conference will focus on approaches to support people as they age in maintaining independence in daily living at home, at work and in the community.  If you would like more information, please visit the conference web site: www.icadi.phhp.ufl.edu.

RERC on Universal Design invites all to participate in online survey

July 2, 2007 -- The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design and the Built Environment (RERC-UD) , which is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, is conducting an online survey of the built environment’s (e.g., the design of entrances, intersections, sidewalks, and bathrooms) influence on the performance of routine activities.  All individuals are welcome to participate.  Each participant will be eligible to take part in a random drawing for one of three $100 cash prizes, and participants who complete all the surveys will be eligible to take part in a random drawing for a $500 cash prize. Participants will also be invited to join message board discussions where they can share ideas and talk about topics of mutual interest.

If you are interested in participating in this survey, follow this link to the RERC-UD website to learn more.

Wireless RERC seeks feedback on wireless device usability

May 17, 2007 -- The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) for Wireless Technology, which is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, is conducting a survey to determine how people living with disabilities use wireless products like cell phones and text messengers and why some individuals chose not to use such products.  The hope is that this information will help improve the functionality of wireless devices for all individuals no matter their abilities. If you are interested in taking part in this survey, follow this link to the Wireless RERC's website to learn more.

Now Available: 2006 State of the Science Report

April 25, 2007 -- NUPRL & RERP is pleased to announce that the report of the State of the Science Meeting held on February 28, 2006 is now available.  The report provides an overview of the discussions held at the meeting as well as the results of the online Survey and Forum that were held in anticipation of this meeting and the Symposium held after the State of the Science meeting at the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists annual meeting in Chicago in March 2006.  Please click on the following link to download a copy of the report in PDF format: NUPRL & RERP State of the Science Report.

Professor Dudley S. Childress' career contributions honored at scientific symposium

Dudley S. Childress, Ph.D., at gala dinner in his honor.

January 11, 2007 -- Dudley S. Childress, Ph.D., was celebrated with a festschrift at events held on the Chicago and Evanston campuses of Northwestern University and hosted by Northwestern University’s Prosthetics Research Laboratory (NUPRL) and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Program (RERP) on October 6 and 7, 2006.

Professor Childress is the renowned inventor of many assistive devices for persons with a disability. Millions of people have disabling conditions that prevent them from participating in daily activities, such as attending school, working or caring for themselves. During his forty years in rehabilitation engineering, Dr. Childress has combined his expertise in biomedical engineering to improve the lives of those with a disability by designing prostheses, orthoses and systems to help more people live independently and productively. Dr. Childress was instrumental in designing the “sip-and-puff” system that allows quadriplegic persons to operate wheelchairs and other machines such as computers.

Steven A. Gard, Ph.D., (right) presents to Dudley S. Childress, Ph.D., (left) a book of memoirs that were written for him by his former students.

As professor in Northwestern University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Prosthetics Research Laboratory and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Program at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, he has influenced hundreds of students, many of whom chose rehabilitation engineering as a career.

Symposium speakers were Dr. Childress’ colleagues and many students whom he has mentored over the years at Northwestern University’s Prosthetics Research Laboratory, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Dr. Hansen gives three lectures

January 11, 2007 -- Andrew Hansen gave an invited lecture at The Ohio State University's Mechanical Engineering Seminar Series in Columbus, Ohio, on October 20, 2006. Dr. Hansen spoke about roll-over shapes and their use for design, evaluation, and alignment of prosthetic ankle-foot mechanisms.

He also gave an invited lecture at the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP) One Day Seminar on Prosthetic Foot/Ankle Mechanisms. The course was held in Rosemont, Illinois on October 23, 2006. The title of Dr. Hansen's talk was Mechanical Analysis of Prosthetic Feet & How Prosthetic Feet are Studied “In the Lab.”

On December 1, 2006, Dr. Hansen gave an invited talk at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. The title of the talk was "Roll-over Shape: A Tool for Design, Evaluation, and Alignment of Prosthetic Ankle-Foot Mechanisms."