Orthopaedic Biomedical
Engineering Laboratory
2009 Year in Review
Student Involvement
As an active member of the Rose-Hulman community, the Orthopaedic
Biomedical Engineering Laboratory has always embraced
undergraduate student experiences as the top priority in our educational
and research programming. It is our goal as a foundation to include as
many students as possible into the orthopaedic research
conducted in our laboratory.
The undergraduate research course is
the primary method for student
participation throughout the academic
year. During the 1 to 3 academic
quarters they choose to participate in a
research course, students develop and
execute in-depth research projects
addressing a wide variety of topics
within orthopaedic biomechanics. In
2009, five undergraduate students participated in an undergraduate
research course in our laboratory. Students involved in this program
during 2009 included: Leah Howard, Darcie Thomas, Didem Tunc,
Michael Volitich, and Sarah Younger.
The most in-depth and extensive projects undergone in our laboratory
are in the form of graduate thesis research projects. Graduate
students participating in JRSI sponsored thesis projects in 2009
included: Ryan Gergely and Susumu Tokunaga
In the spring of 2009, Dr. Renee Rogge instructed an Orthopaedic
Biomechanics Course for fifteen junior and senior biomedical
engineers. As a significant portion of this course, student were instructed
in the use of the medical imaging and computational analysis with
technology made available through our laboratory. With a gift from a
donor, we were able to provide significant subsidies to offset the cost of
student textbooks and software fees related to the course. As a final
course project, each student created a 3D model of a human femur using
CT scan data, implanted a custom femoral component during virtual
surgery, and performed a computational analysis of forces within the
implanted femur.
Paid summer internships are a way for students to work full-time on a
in-depth research project while earning money between academic years.
This year, two of these internships were co-sponsored with other
research programs and grants offered through Rose-Hulman. The three
students participating in summer internships with our laboratory during
the summer of 2009 were: Susumu Tokunaga, Michael Volitich* ,
Leah Howard**, and Jim Merchun***
* In conjunction with the Weaver Undergraduate Research Award
** In conjunction with the Rose-Hulman Interdisciplinary
Research Collaborative
*** Based at the Center for Hip and Knee Surgery,
St. Francis Hospital, Mooresville, Indiana
Publications and Presentations
During 2009, four research manuscripts from our laboratory were
accepted for publication in peer-reviewed medical and engineering
journals. These publications serve as a way to share information from
our laboratory with other engineers and physicians throughout the
world. Additionally, the publications serve as invaluable career
development opportunities for both Rose-Hulman faculty and students.
Since 2005, a total of nine peer-reviewed research manuscripts from
our laboratory have been published or accepted for publication.
For the first time in our program, two of our students were given the
opportunity to present their work at the national Biomedical
Engineering Society Annual Meeting. Seniors Sarah Younger and
Michael Volitich presented their two posters at the meeting in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October. Another biomedical engineering
student, senior Leah Howard, presented her research on acetabular
cup stability at the Rose-Hulman IRC Research Symposium as part of
the Rose-Hulman Interdisciplinary Research Collaborative she
participated in this past summer. In November, research from the
laboratory was presented to over 2,000 orthopaedic surgeons and
researchers at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas.
Expanded Research Capabilities
The integration of new technology into our research program is an
important way to ensure that our students receive the best
educational experience possible while conducting thorough, clinically
relevant orthopaedic research. In the past year we have integrated the
following technologies into our research program:
Medical Imaging and Finite Element Analysis Workstation
In January of 2009, we purchased the state-of-the-art MIMICS medical
imaging software package. This software utilizes medical image data
from CT and MRI scans and allows students to perform virtual surgery
and computational models on patient-specific bone geometries. The
software can additionally be used in other research fields including
biomedical fluid dynamics in human blood vessels and related tissues.
Expanded Implementation of Instrumentation
In prior years, we have depended on a single method of data collection
during our biomechanical tests. In 2009, we greatly increased our data
collection capabilities by integrating the use of strain gages onto the
surface of a test specimen. Not only does this integration of strain gage
technology enable our students to gain familiarity and practice with a
commonly used instrument within industry, it also refines our
measurement techniques to provide more precise data during our
research studies.
We have additionally implemented existing equipment from the John T.
Myers Center for Technological Research with Industry into our studies
and programming.
Students are now utilizing the Mitutoyo
coordinate measuring machine to precisely map data points across
multiple specimens, as well as the rapid prototyping machine to validate
CAD drawings of custom prostheses for finite element analysis testing.
Moreover, we are increasing our emphasis on CAD design and
machining components in our projects to give students additional
outlets for practicing those foundational engineering skill sets.
Research Projects
Several research projects completed during 2009 with several more
which are still ongoing in 2010. These projects include:
Pelvic Loading Following Total Hip Arthroplasty:
A Biomechanical Analysis of Cup Position, Cup Design, and Hip
Position During Simulated Gait
Leah Howard and Didem Tunc with Christine Buckley, PhD
Thermal and Mechanical Optimization of PMMA Bone Cement
Ryan Gergely with Kathleen Toohey, PhD
Insertion and Removal Energy Requirements in THA Acetabular
Components
Leah Howard with Renee Rogge, PhD
Strain in the Proximal Tibia Following Unicompartmental Knee
Arthroplasty: A Photoelastic Study of All-Polyethylene Designs
Sarah Younger and Michael Volitich with Christine Buckley, PhD
Change in Tibial Bone Density in a 25 year Follow-up of Total
Knee Arthroplasty Patients
Jim Merchun with Merrill Ritter, MD
Comparison of Photoelastic and Strain Gage Measurement
Techniques in a Total Joint Replacement Biomechanics Model
Darcie Thomas and Michael Volitich with Renee Rogge, PhD
Finite Element Analysis of a Composite Tibia Model using a
CT-Generate Mesh
Susumu Tokunaga with Renee Rogge PhD
Student Feedback
“My experience working with JRSI Research Foundation gave me
invaluable experience in research and offered me the opportunity to
obtain some real world experience. After working for ten weeks in the
lab on our project, I discovered that I enjoyed what I was doing. I was
looking into making something better and enhancing it in order to help
a person I did not even know in their everyday life. Even though what I
was doing was technically work, I loved it and never thought of it as
something I had to do. It turned into something I got to do every week,
and I had a great time doing it. Though I am not positive at this point
exactly where life is going to take me after graduation, this experience
confirmed that I chose the right field to work in.”
“My experience with JRSI included researching current technology and
designing and building a new test set-up in the field of orthopedic joint
replacement. More specifically, I designed a testing protocol to
examine surface strains in the ilium, ischium, and pubis based on
different orientations of the acetabular cup during total hip
replacement. I was also able to view surgeries and meet and work with
Dr. Michael E. Berend, M.D., a world-renowned joint replacement
surgeon of the Center for Hip and Knee Surgery in Mooresville,
Indiana. These are all experiences I likely would not have had if not for
my opportunity with JRSI.
“Because of my experiences with JRSI, I was able to make a smooth
transition into my [co-op at Biomet, Inc.] and begin contributing to the
company immediately. JRSI prepared me for my work at Biomet by
giving me real-world cutting edge experience in the field of orthopedic
joint replacement.”
We would like to thank the following people
for their generous support in 2009:
The Lookout Foundation, Inc.
Mr. Jack Ragle & Family
Mr. Gregory Gibson & Family
Joint Replacement Surgeons of Indiana Research Foundation
JRSI Foundation, Inc.
A Not-For-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization
©2010