Engineering Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities: Experiential Learning for Undergraduates

0752344 Eberhardt该项目的目标是在生物医学工程（BME），机械工程（ME），材料科学工程（MSE）在伯明翰（UAB）的亚拉巴马大学的本科生进行设计项目，以帮助特定的残疾人或团体的个人患有衰弱的神经肌肉条件和损伤恢复。 在过去的十年里，通过NSF-RAPD项目的资助，成功完成了许多创新项目，并培训了200多名本科生。目前的项目旨在通过一个新生级的工程学入门课程和顶点高级设计，在此基础上，同时扩展到新的？体验式学习？活动 它们包括实习，科学和技术（ST）荣誉计划和BME荣誉研究。 其中许多项目将与伯明翰的联合脑瘫协会及其附属机构“手拉手”合作开展，这是一个既可容纳普通儿童也可容纳残疾儿童的日托设施。此外，UAB医院，亚拉巴马康复服务部和儿童？亚拉巴马的医院也是学生设计的接受者。 该项目不断寻求新的合作者，以提供项目需求和想法，并判断和/或测试最终的设计或原型。这两个级别的设计活动代表了不同的学术准备水平，智力成熟度和项目复杂性和持续时间。 咨询委员会由PI，个人客户，物理治疗师和合作机构的相关专业人员组成，将有助于确保学生在开发新设备时有足够的监督，以帮助残疾人。

0752344EberhardtThe objective of this project is for undergraduate students in Biomedical Engineering (BME), Mechanical Engineering (ME), and Material Science & Engineering (MSE) at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) to undertake design projects to aid specific disabled individuals or groups of individuals suffering from debilitating neuromuscular conditions and injury recovery. Previous funding through the NSF-RAPD program has led to the successful completion of numerous innovative projects and the training of over 200 under¬graduate students in the past ten years.The current project seeks to build on this foundation through a freshman-level Introduction to Engineering course and the capstone Senior Design, while expanding into new ?experiential learning? activities. They include internships, the Science and Technology (S&T) Honors Program and BME Honors Research. Many of the projects will be undertaken in partnership with United CerebralPalsy (UCP) of Birmingham and their affiliate, Hand-in-Hand, a daycare facility that accommodates both typical children and those with disabilities. In addition, UAB Hospital, the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services and the Children?s Hospital of Alabama are also recipients of student designs. The project is constantly seeking new collaborators to provide project needs and ideas and judge and/or test the resulting designs or prototypes.The two levels of design activities represent different levels of academic preparation, intellectual sophistication and project complexity and duration. Advisory committees consisting of the PI, individual clients, physical therapists and relevant professionals from the partnering agencies will help ensure adequate student supervision for develop¬ment of novel devices to assist those with disabilities.