Work Week

This week in ISM was mainly focused around individual work time and a self-paced schedule, which allowed me to get started on several long-term assignments and stay ahead of the due date calendar. Because I had a mentor visit last week, I wrote an Evidence of Learning detailing the differences between some of the most commonly used suspension systems for prosthetics. Even though it was initially difficult to understand how each system worked, seeing them in person during the visit really helped me integrate the descriptions I had read with the functions and purposes of each system. For example, I learned that a suction system is more passive than a vacuum, because suction simply pushes air out from the socket through a valve while a vacuum actively pulls air out using either electronic or mechanical means. Also, I had a short phone call meeting with my mentor during the week, and we discussed Final Product ideas some more and spoke about the progress I had made on my Original Work report. I believe we're getting closer to finalizing an idea for Final Product, so then I will be able to write the Product Proposal and create a calendar with deadlines to help my mentor and me plan out the remainder of this year. This upcoming week, I want to finish the majority of my Original Work report and write another Evidence of Learning. 

Suspension Systems

One of the biggest factors in the overall comfort and effectiveness of a prosthesis is the suspension system used to attach the device to a patient. Three of the most commonly used suspension mechanisms are suction, a vacuum, and a shuttle lock, and there are several variations of each of these that can be adapted to better suit a patient's needs. 

To read my analysis, click here.

Mentor Visit #2

During my second mentor visit with Mr. Wilson, we discussed the responses I had received for my Original Work, how to organize and analyze this data, and brainstormed some ideas for my Final Product.

To read my analysis, click here.

Final Product Brainstorming

This week in ISM, we started talking about possible Final Product ideas and discussed products that had been done in the past. Even though it seems that Final Presentation Night is really far away, I know that things are going to start moving crazy fast from now until that date, so I'm trying to stay ahead of the due date calendar. First, we got into small groups and took turns sharing any ideas we had for our own product, and I realized that everyone else was struggling just as much as I was with coming up with a unique and cohesive product idea. Currently, I have several smaller ideas, but I still haven't been able to think of a way to combine them all together or encompass everything I've learned so far. Through my study of prosthetics this year, I'm most interested by the different suspension systems used to attach lower limb prosthetics to the user, because they each have their own pros and cons. Because I also had a mentor visit this week, my mentor and I talked through some of these ideas, but we haven't settled on anything definitive just yet. I'm hoping that my Original Work report will serve as a source of inspiration and give me an issue or pattern that I can then solve or represent in a final product. This upcoming week, I will continue working on my Original Work report, write another Evidence of Learning, and test out more ideas for a final product.

Updating My Blog

This week in ISM, I spent most of my time organizing the survey responses I was receiving for my Original Work and updating my blog. Currently, I'm planning on analyzing the data based off two groups: lower limb vs. upper limb prosthetics. Because there are several differences between the designs of these two types of prosthetics, I believe separating the responses into groups will allow me to draw a stronger conclusion at the end. The only issue I face while following this method is that I have received significantly fewer responses for upper limb prosthetics, which mainly has to do with the fact that these amputations are much less common. As a result, the sample group for upper limb could be too small to get an accurate representation of the entire population, but I still think the pros of this method outweigh its cons. Another aspect of this week was that I fully updated my blog by posting all the research assessments, interview assessments, and the first evidence of learning that I have completed so far. I also scheduled my second mentor visit for next Wednesday, and I want to utilize that time to get my mentor's help with organizing my survey responses and planning out my Original Work analysis. By the end of this upcoming week, I'm hoping to have gathered about 30 responses, so that I will have plenty of time to complete my analysis and draw my final conclusions. 

Research Interview #6

My sixth research interview was with Ms. Jacqueline Adolph, who is an instructor at UT Southwestern specializing in Prosthetics-Orthotics. Because Ms. Adolph works directly with patients in a clinic and at a hospital, I thought that this interview would be a great way for me to understand the future for the field of prosthetics and learn about any current advancements or trends for these devices.

To read my analysis, click here.

Research Interview #5

I had my fifth research interview with Ms. Samhitha Mohan, who is currently a graduate student at the University of Texas at Dallas. She works in Dr. Prasad's research lab, which is focusing on the development of biosensors to detect various proteins and place biomarkers on different molecules.

To read my analysis, click here.

Creating My Original Work Survey

After two weeks without school, it felt strange entering my ISM classroom on Monday morning. Over the holidays, I had created the survey for my Original Work, and I had also reached out to the director of Dallas Amputee Network, Ellen Fernandes. Because I want my survey to determine how patients feel about their prosthetics and how different suspension systems could affect their overall comfort level and satisfaction, I was really hoping that Ms. Fernandes would be able to send out this survey to the members of this local organization. She agreed to help me gather the necessary data to analyze and draw conclusions from, and I have about 20 responses so far, which is incredible! It's extremely beneficial to receive feedback directly from those individuals who use these devices, because this helps me compare opinions across age groups, different number of years of usage, and various suspension systems. I hope to get about 40 responses total, so that I will have a large enough focus group to reach a general conclusion. The rest of this week was spent writing my first Evidence of Learning, and I chose to analyze my sixth research interview for this assignment. This upcoming week, I want to schedule another mentor visit and continue to organize the survey responses I get for my Original Work, which is due on February 12th.

Research Showcase

On Thursday, December 17th, we had our Research Showcase at Heritage High School. I had already packed everything I needed the night before and created a checklist to make sure that I didn't forget anything at home accidentally, so by the time I arrived at the school, I felt prepared and really excited to talk about my field. Setting up my table only took me about ten minutes, because I knew exactly where I wanted to place everything, so I had plenty of time to walk around and see the students' boards at other schools. By 6:30 pm, I was back at my table, ready to start talking to the guests who were arriving at the event. Overall, I think Research Showcase went really well, because I had a lot of fun sharing all the knowledge I've gained so far throughout my ISM experience. Most of the questions I was asked were clarification questions about what exactly biomedical engineering is and why I chose to study prosthetics specifically. I realized just how many kids are interested in this field, and it was so incredible to encourage them to pursue biomedical engineering and tell them about the different options they would have within this field. Research Showcase marks the halfway point in my ISM journey, and I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. I've learned so much already, and I can't wait to continue my mentorship experience and delve even deeper within my field of study for the rest of the year!