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