Research Experience Undergraduates Present at CSNE

This summer the Steele Lab had the pleasure of hosting three undergraduate researchersJulia Costacurta from Johns Hopkins, Joe Lawler from the University of Washington, and Preston Pan from the University of Washington.

After a competitive selection process, students are offered a 10-week internship here at the University to work directly with a research lab on campus. One of the program’s final deliverables is a presentation of their work, both in podium and poster format, to members of the local and scientific community. Congratulations to Julia, Joe, and Preston for their successful time here in the lab, and for giving polished presentations.

Three undergraduates, in their early twenties, stand arm in arm as they smile for the photo. They are dressed in business casual attire and behind them hangs a series of scientific posters on biomechanics.

Julia’s work explored the impacts of Ankle-Foot Orthoses on transient gait, a period of walking where little is currently known about device dynamics.

Julia Costacurta and her mentor for the 2018 summer, Michael Rosenberg, stand in front of her scientific poster evaluating the impact of ankle foot orthosis stiffness on transient walking.Preston worked directly with Seattle Children’s Hospital to implement algorithms for detecting bimanual hand movement before, during, and after a common therapy used to promote improved motor skills for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

Preston Pan, in a white collared shirt and blazer, stands in front of his scientific poster evaluated a proposed motion tracking algorithm for bimanual movement.

Joe’s focus this summer involved working with the University of Washington HuskyADAPT program. HuskyADAPT is a student-run program in its second year and stands for Accessible Design and Play Technology. Joe’s research question asked, how we can improve upon and further promote an inclusive and sustainable program for assistive technology?

 

 

Members volunteer in the Special Olympics

Alyssa Spomer, Karley Benoff, and Michael Rosenberg volunteered at the cheer line, bocce,  and tennis sporting events as well as the awards ceremony for powerlifting at the Special Olympics. The University of Washington was proud to host this fantastic sporting event, the athletes from all over the country, and fans, family, and coaches. Congratulations to all of our athletes! 

Alyssa Spomer and Karley Benoff sit behind a fold out table underneath a white tent as they provide answers for athletes and families alike. The desk has two purple informational signs that read, "Sports Information Desk" and "Real-Time Results"

Purple and green tennis courts at UW span the photo. In the foreground an athlete finishes his/her serve as referees and volunteers look on.

 

Brianna Goodwin and Ben Shuman each selected as travel award winners

Congratulations to Brianna and Ben on being selected as two of the 23 awarded out of 272 applicants.

The De Luca Foundation informed Brianna that she had been selected as a winner of a 2018 Student Travel Award for funding to travel to the American Society of Biomechanics this summer. Her research focuses on “Wearable Technology to Monitor Hand Movement During Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy”.

Likewise, the foundation named Ben 1 of 8 student recipients of the travel award that will help fund his travels to Dublin for the World Congress of Biomechanics. His winning research topic was that “Pre-treatment synergy activations are associated with post-treatment gait in cerebral palsy”.

 

Steele Lab Presents at the Northwest Biomechanics Symposium (NWBS)

The Steele Lab had a great time presenting their research at the Northwest Biomechanics Symposium on May 4-5th, 2018 in Bellingham, WA. Ben Shuman, Brianna Goodwin, Claire Mitchell, and Keshia Peters all gave podium presentations during the conference, and Madelyn Lew, Leif Wesche, Alyssa Spomer, Michael Rosenberg, and Karley Benoff gave poster presentations.

A big congratulations to Alyssa Spomer and Karley Benoff for being awarded best graduate and undergraduate student posters, respectively, for the entire conference.

The Northwest Biomechanics Symposium is a student-friendly conference and incorporates research labs from all of the Northwest, including Canada. Irene Davis, a professor at the Harvard Medical School and Director of the Spaulding National Running Center, provided a great Keynote address to the conference attendees.

Nataliya, Ben, Keshia, Brianna, and Heather all pose arm in arm near a Western Washington University campus sculpture during the walk to the Symposium dinner. Leif, Madelyn, Ben, Claire, Karley, Alyssa, Brianna, Heather, Michael, and Keshia all pose in front of a Bellingham Bay sunset after dinner and trivia during the Northwest Biomechanics Symposium at Western Washington University. Michael Rosenberg, wearing a blue dress shirt and slacks, points towards a method figure on his poster while sharing about his research at the Northwest Biomechanics Symposium. Three community members look on and learn from Michael and his research poster. Claire Mitchell presents her research via a podium presentation. A slide is up on the projected screen describing muscle synergies and how they are processed. Brianna, Alyssa, Claire, and Heather sit in the auditorium seating during a brief break in podium presentations during the Northwest Biomechanics Symposium in Bellingham, WA Madelyn, Karley, Leif, and Ben smile while they sit in the auditorium seating during a brief break in podium presentations during the Northwest Biomechanics Symposium in Bellingham, WA Karley Benoff stands in front of her poster on upper-extremity orthoses in a white blouse and black slacks. She helps two graduate students from Simon Fraser University try on her orthotic device while explaining the device's mechanics and intended uses. Alyssa Spomer stands facing her poster and wears a teal blouse and black skirt. She gestures toward her experimental setup figure within her poster's method section while explaining her research to an onlooking member of the scientific community.