Reflections of College Students Promoting Engineering through Biomechanical Outreach Activities Indicate Dual Benefits

Recent work by the National Academy of Engineering revealed that the public has a poor understanding of what engineers actually do on a day-to-day basis. This issue is compounded for non-traditional fields in engineering, such as biomechanical engineering. This is particularly problematic as such fields could draw interest from students not interested in traditional engineering careers, resulting in increased diversity. To address this, mechanical engineering students taking an elective course, Biomechanical Engineering, were given an outreach assignment to teach at least one individual under the age of 18 about the field of biomechanical engineering through a hands-on activity. Students worked with diverse groups and ages of young adults, with many presenting to classrooms or sports teams. Students were given examples of activities that could be used, including designing functional prosthetic hands out of simple materials. Upon completion of the outreach, a What? So What? Now What? reflection paper was used to assess the impact of the experience on both the student and on the young adults. The reflection was guided by a series of questions provided by the instructor, with students asked to focus on the issue of whether there is a general lack of awareness of engineering careers, especially of non-traditional types of engineering such as biomechanical engineering. Comments made in the reflections were categorized by the instructor, revealing several common themes. The reflections indicated that both young adults and college students benefited from the activity. College students conveyed their purposeful attempts to tie engineering to the interests of the young adults, while ensuring the appropriateness to the audience. In particular, many noted the challenge of communicating technical information to a non-technical audience. Over one-third of the class reported that the experience helped them realize their own interests and abilities to teach. College students also reported being surprised with the intelligence, creativity, confidence, and teamwork ability that the young adults demonstrated. Some felt young adults possessed engineering skills, but did not know them as “engineering”. Students were also surprised by the interest young adults had for participating, especially as most expected that the field was not viewed as “cool” or “glamorous”. Overall, the students felt that young adults didn’t really know what engineers did, and were especially surprised that it could be applied to medicine or sports. They felt there was a need to address this, especially with young females, but expressed varied beliefs as to whose job it was and how to best promote engineering

Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Society: \u27Engineering Design\u27

Engineers design everything from automobiles and bridges to prosthetic limbs and sporting equipment. Designing is different from simply building in that it requires the adherence to a very systematic, yet iterative, process known as the “engineering design process.” This process is to engineers what the scientific method is to scientists-guiding steps that help ensure that the end result is the best it can be. When a new product is created without following the steps of the engineering design process, there is a higher likelihood that the product designed will lack some important aspect: the end product may not appropriately account for the needs of its users, it may cost too much to manufacture, or it may not have been tested to ensure safety. Accordingly, the term “designing” refers to the entire process, such that an engineer “does design.” The use of the term “design” as a noun may be used at different points in the process but may have very different meanings depending on what phase of the process the engineer is in. Design may really mean “design idea” during the brainstorming phase of the process or “model or prototype of the design” during the building phase of the process. The engineering design process requires the application of mathematics in many of the steps. Throughout the process, engineers use basic mathematics concepts, including addition and multiplication to calculate costs; geometry to calculate surface areas for material needs; and measurements to ensure appropriate dimensioning. However, more sophisticated projects may require the application of higher-level mathematics, such as calculus and differential equations, to solve the technical engineering problems certain designs pose

Designing for Success: Developing Engineers Who Consider Universal Design Principles

Engineers must design for a diverse group of potential users of their products; however, engineering curricula rarely include an emphasis on universal design principles. This research article details the effectiveness of a design project implemented in a first-year engineering course in an effort to raise awareness of the need for engineers to be more inclusive when designing. Students were asked to apply universal design principles to redesign an engineering laboratory to make it more usable to all, including individuals with disabilities who use the room. A representative from the university’s disability services staff, as well as individuals with first-hand experience of disability, provided guidance to the class by serving as project mentors. Design decision analyses were reviewed to determine the specific criteria student teams believed were most important in identifying specific design ideas to pursue. These analyses were used to evaluate the success of this project in helping students be more cognizant of the need for designs to be flexible, versatile, and universally designed. These criteria were compared to projects from previous classes in which universal design had not been explicitly addressed. Results indicated that students who participated in the universal design project were much more likely to consider criteria related to universal design principles, though they identified accessibility as more important than the more overarching goals of achieving a universally usable design. Results suggest that such a universal design project is one possible model to better prepare engineering students and that the model can be strengthened through involvement of disability services professionals

A Multi-Directional Treadmill Training Program for Improving Gait, Balance, and Mobility in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Series

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(4): 372-384, 2015. Treadmill training is a commonly used intervention for improving gait in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, little is known about how treadmill training may also influence balance and other aspects of mobility. The purpose of this case series was to explore the feasibility and possible benefits of multi-directional treadmill training for individuals with PD. Four participants (62.3 ± 6.5 yrs, Hoehn & Yahr 2-4) performed 8 weeks of treadmill training 3 times per week. Weeks 1-4 included forward walking only, while weeks 5-8 included forward and multi-directional walking. Participants were tested every 4 weeks on 4 separate occasions. Outcome measures included the following: gait speed, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), instrumented Timed Up and Go, Four Square Step Test (FSST), Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), Activities Specific Balance Confidence scale (ABC) and the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Improvements were demonstrated for all gait and balance measures. Improvements exceeded minimal detectable change (MDC) and/or minimal clinically important difference (MCID) values for gait speed (3 participants), 6MWT (all 4 participants), and the Mini-BESTest (2 participants). Participants experienced greater relative improvements for most measures during the multi-directional walking portion of the program. Multi-directional treadmill training was feasible for 4 individuals with moderate to severe Parkinson’s disease and may have additional benefits for gait, balance and mobility than forward walking alone. Further research may be warranted for this novel intervention

Gains in Knowledge and Perception of Engineering after Participation in an Engineering Design Web-Experience Are Gender-Dependent

Web-based activities have the potential to teach engineering in both formal and informal science education settings, maximizing outreach efforts. To date, many activities available on the internet teach about engineering, but few allow students to truly “do” engineering. This project utilized web animation and interaction in the design of a web-based experience focused on engineering design. In this activity, targeted toward middle school students, users played the role of engineer and engaged in the process of designing a cell phone for the older adult market. It was hoped that this web-based activity would increase participant understanding of what engineering is and the steps of the engineering design process, while also encouraging students to consider engineering-related careers. An additional aim of this study was to determine whether the web-based application and the object of design (a cell phone) would appeal to female students as much as it would to male students. To test this, 162 middle-school students participated in the web-experience. Summative measures were taken pre- and post- activity using an on-line web-based survey to test their knowledge of engineering design and the engineering design process. The post-survey also asked additional questions to determine students’ perceptions of engineering and also perceptions of the web activity. Data were analyzed for the central tendencies of each question, item and scale means, and cross tabulated to identify statistically significant differences between the responses of male and female students. Prior to the web-based experience female students had a higher base-line knowledge of what engineering is than male students (p = 0.026), however after participation in the activity there were no statistically significant gender-based differences. The activity did increase understanding of engineering in the group as a whole, with a mean increase from 5.12 out of 10 correct responses on the pre-test to 7.10 out of 10 (p = 0.000). Regarding the web-experience, female students tended to express better perceptions of the elements of the activity, but these differences were not statistically significant. Despite the activity, female students exhibited less positive perceptions of engineering and engineering as a career than male students. They were less likely to feel they could become an engineer if they wanted to (0.005), to see themselves in an engineering-related career (p \u3c 0.000), and to see themselves as an engineer (p These results suggest that female middle-school students have a better base knowledge of what engineering is than male students, and that a web-based engineering experience can improve understanding in both genders. Both female and male students perceived the website activity positively, which promotes future use of this educational means. Future work is needed to determine how similar activities can be altered to better address the disparity in perceptions of engineering as a career between genders

Effectiveness of Group Kickboxing as a Means to Improve Gait and Balance in Individuals with MS

In recent years, there has been a particular emphasis on identifying and delivering appropriate therapeutic interventions that address the significant balance and gait impairments that affect individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Group interventions implemented in community settings have been especially of interest, including tai chi classes. Recently, the authors conducted a preliminary study to examine whether group kick-boxing, which requires more vigorous movements, might be a feasible intervention. Initial findings showed promise and led the authors to pursue a more rigorous follow-up study, with the objective of determining whether a 5-week group kickboxing class improved clinical measures of balance and gait in individuals with MS. Eleven individuals completed the 5-week kickboxing program, which met three times a week for an hour each session. Clinical measures, including the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) outcomes, were collected at baseline, before the intervention, and after the intervention. Quiet-standing balance was also measured, and self-reported survey data were collected. Data were analyzed using a Friedman ANOVA-by-ranks test with a Wilcoxon signed rank test as the post hoc comparison. Statistically significant improvements were seen after the intervention in the Mini BESTest, TUG, DGI, and Activities of Balance Confidence. The largest improvements were observed on the Mini BESTest, with a mean of 21.9% improvement between pre- and post-test scores. Participants showed the majority of improvement on tasks that required reactive postural control movements. These movements were similar to skills that were practiced during kickboxing (ie, rapid change of base of support upon kicking). This supports the concept of task-specific transfer, and may indicate why more static-type measures like quiet standing did not indicate similar improvement. Overall, though improvements were not necessarily clinically significant, they did demonstrate the potential and feasibility of the kickboxing concept

Task-Oriented Ankle and Foot Training for Improving Gait, Balance, and Strength in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effects and feasibility of a task-oriented ankle and foot exercise program on gait, balance, and strength in 6 adults with mild to moderate disability from multiple sclerosis (MS). The subjects participated in an 8-wk task-specific home-based ankle and foot exercise program. Outcome measures included stance phase ankle joint torque and power, limits of stability, isometric and isokinetic ankle strength, gait speed, and the 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12). Five subjects completed the 8- wk intervention. Following training, there were significant increases in ankle power during early (38.1%) and late (11.8%) stance, limits of stability (6.1%), and isokinetic dorsiflexion (26.4%), and plantar flexion (15.0%) strength. There were no differences in isometric strength, gait speed, or the MSWS-12. The findings indicate that a task-oriented home-based ankle and foot exercise program appears to be safe and feasible and may improve select measures of gait, balance, and muscle performance in individuals with MS who have mild to moderate disability. Further research may be warranted

Functional Performance of Older Adults with Dementia Participating in Adult Day Service Programs

Individuals with dementia are at a high risk of functional decline and falling. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between cognition and functional performance in older adults with dementia participating in Goodwill Easter Seals adult day service programs. This data may be helpful in understanding how cognition may impact functional performance and fall risk.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dpt_symposium/1023/thumbnail.jp

The Effect of Varied Recumbent Stepping Conditions on Lower Extremity Muscle Activity

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 3: Issue 1, Article 9, 2022. The purpose of this study was to measure lower extremity muscle activity during recumbent stepping under varied conditions. We hypothesized that different stepping conditions would lead to significant changes in muscle activity. Fifteen healthy adults (4 men, 11 women; mean age 24.5 ± 7.7 yrs) provided informed consent to participate. During a single session, electromyography (EMG) was used to measure muscle activity of the tibialis anterior (TA), medial gastroc (MG), rectus femoris (RF), and biceps femoris (BF) muscles as a percent of maximal voluntary contraction (%MVC) during five different stepping conditions: 1) Stepping with no foot strap (SnS), 2) Stepping with a strap (SS), 3) Pulling with toes with a strap (PullTS), 4) Pushing with heel with a strap (PushHS) and, 5) Pushing with toes with a strap (PushTS). There were significant differences (p \u3c 0.05) in muscle activity between stepping conditions for the TA, MG and RF muscles. TA muscle activity was greatest (21.3 ± 13.7%MVC) during the PullTS condition, MG activity was greatest (7.4 ± 3.4%MVC) during the PushTS condition, and RF activity was greatest (12.9 ± 6.1%MVC) during the PullTS condition. There were no significant differences for the BF between conditions. Different recumbent stepping conditions can significantly alter lower extremity muscle activity with the largest changes observed in the ankle muscles. Therefore, when prescribing recumbent stepping exercise, clinicians should be aware of how factors such as stepping direction, the use of a foot strap, and verbal cueing can alter lower extremity muscle recruitment to optimize therapeutic benefit

Community as an Institutional Learning Goal at the Unversity of Dayton

This working paper summarizes the work of the Habits of Inquiry and Reflection Community Fellows. It considers the meaning of community both in UD’s historic mission and in the ways it is practiced at UD now; identifies obstacles and failures; and offers recommendations for advancing community as a learning goal at UD