Research Experiences for Undergraduates Student (Summer 2023)

"Throughout the course of the REU program, I worked with Dr. Valentina Graci and Madeline Griffith, MS on the redesign of an occupant compartment in a centrifuge sled designed to recreate AEB (Automatic Emergency Brake) pulses to determine occupant kinematics. The redesign of the occupant compartment started with an overview on prior work, including a comprehensive literature review of occupant safety, injury biomechanics, and the importance of AEB testing.

Deconstructing the existing occupant compartment required hands-on dedication to take it apart (including some iteration with a heat gun) and to fully understand how the parts interacted with each other. Next was the planning, the measuring, and the design pitch, featuring a more reliable, repeatable, lighter weight occupant compartment with a lower center of mass and additional safety features to be included. The design pitch went from a sketched-out rendering to a 3D CAD model using Autodesk Fusion 360 of the aluminum frame, plywood platform, seat adaptors for connection, and seat. This new compartment will be built and used to determine occupant movements during AEB pulses, leading to a safer future.

This process was full of constant iteration and my being completely unafraid to ask questions. Working as a part of the SLED Lab was a fantastic opportunity to work on an interdisciplinary team of people who could offer different perspectives on each other’s projects. Learning how to be grateful for feedback was a skill I couldn’t have otherwise learned. Learning how to be wrong was (believe it or not) another skill–messing up is okay if you have people supporting you along the way. I always felt safe and heard in the CIRP environment because of the team with which I worked.

I applied to this role knowing I loved research, particularly around people, but the world of injury biomechanics was entirely new to me. This experience helped me realize that making things better, more reliable, and safer for everyone, especially for vulnerable populations like women, the elderly, and children, is where my passion lies.

I am so thankful for both the REU program itself and the team of passionate researchers with which I worked. Dr. Valentina Graci and Madeline Griffith are two of the most wonderful individuals I have ever met. In a male-dominated major, the mentoring from intelligent women in STEM has been a rewarding experience and has helped me solidify that grad school is my next step for a career in research!"