This three year REU site program at the University of Pittsburgh will provide an opportunity for undergraduate students to do hands-on research in the area of Rehabilitation Engineering (RE). Rehabilitation engineering employs a systematic approach to design, modification, customization and/or fabrication of assistive technology for persons with disabilities. Research efforts in rehabilitation engineering are focused on identifying and addressing problems critical to achieving and maintaining the highest possible level of function in areas related to mobility, communications, sensory (e.g., hearing, tactile, vision) and cognition and in activities associated with employment, independent living, and education. The primary objectives of this program are to provide an exemplary mentoring and resourceful environment that will enable undergraduate students to do the following: 1) transition from dependent to independent thinkers; 2) develop a sense of excitement about entering an engineering or technical field; and 3) be well prepared for future careers. A unique feature of the REU is that the students have the opportunity to experience first had the application of technology to real people in both a clinical and research setting. At the end of the program, participants will prepare a conference formatted research paper and make a formal presentation of their work at a Student Research Symposium.
In addition to the research projects, students will also be engaged in a series of enrichment activities that will help them become more confident as researchers, including field trips, seminars, and workshops on disability and technology, design and research practices, scientific writing and presentation of research findings.
Recruitment efforts will be targeted to participants from underrepresented groups, in particular, persons with disabilities and students from African-American, Hispanic and Native American descent.
This site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.
ASPIRE REU Students Conduct Important research in Rehabilitation Engineering Outcome: Undergraduate participants of the American Student Placement In Rehabilitation Engineering (ASPIRE) REU program at the University of Pittsburgh contribute to the field of rehabilitation engineering and technology in meaningful ways and improve the lives of persons with disabilities and older adults while learning about exciting careers in rehabilitation science. Impact/ Benefit: The ASPIRE REU program delivers many benefits: it engages undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds in the research process; excites them about careers in rehabilitation engineering; and ignites a passion to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and older adults. Explanation: For the past three years, the ASPIRE REU program has awarded students from underrepresented backgrounds, including students with disabilities, an opportunity to learn essential research skills in rehabilitation engineering while contributing to real research projects. ASPIRE students’ engagement with their summer projects has lead to discoveries that resulted in several important conference presentations and scientific publications. For example, Claire Hoelmer worked with her mentors Chung-Ying Tsai and Alicia Koontz, PhD to assess the validity and reliability of the Transfer Assessment Instrument (TAI 2.0), a tool that allows clinicians to evaluate the demands of sitting pivot transfers in wheelchair users. The team’s work was awarded an Honorable Mention at the RESNA Conference 2012, attended by assistive technology professionals from around the world. This year, ASPIRE student Karen Meess won the Best Student Scientific Paper Award at the RESNA Conference in Seattle. Karen analyzed the range of motion and translation movement of the trunk in three transfer techniques derived from the Clinical Practice Guidelines related to best transfer practices in order to assess which type of transfer was the most optimal. Innovation and entrepreneurship for aspiring engineers. Outcome: ASPIRE influenced the development of the Technology Innovations for People with Disabilities (TIPeD) program, funded by the National Collegiate Innovators and Inventors Alliance, to teach aspiring engineers the entrepreneurship skills that are essential to the growth and development of America’s private sector. Impact/ Benefit: Through the project-driven, team-based approach, undergraduate students learn how to better design and market technology for people with disabilities with a focus on entrepreneurship. Explanation: Several ASPIRE REU students worked with business students on the design and marketing of innovative assistive technology devices such as an anti-tip system to help stabilize a manual wheelchair without restricting the chair’s maneuverability. (Currently, most existing anti-tip devices are taken off by wheelchair users because they restrict safe maneuvers like going up hills and going over curbs). TIPeD/ ASPIRE teams spent ten weeks working on a technology innovation project and then generated a business and commercialization plan to develop start-up companies. Through their involvement in the projects and related workshops, this new generation of engineers learned the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, including design and marketing processes, intellectual property considerations, and business plans.
