Project Info

Muscle coordination and Biomechanics of Movement Transitions

Anne Silverman
asilverm@mines.edu

Project Goals and Description:

The goal of this project is to investigate the effects of different movement strategies used by older adults to maintain balance control and stability during daily activities. Specifically, this project will use surface muscle activity to quantify balance performance metrics during a common clinical assessment of balance, the five-times-sit-to-stand test. The student will analyze experimental data from human movement trials data and perform musculoskeletal simulations to help inform rehabilitation strategies and proactively reduce injurious falls.

More Information:

Grand Challenge: Not applicable.
  1. Compensation due to age-related decline in sit-to-stand and sit-to-walk. Eline van der Kruk, Anne K Silverman, Peter Reilly, Anthony M J Bull. J Biomech. 2021 Jun 9;122:110411. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33915476/)
  2. Estimating balance, cognitive function, and falls risk using wearable sensors and the sit-to-stand test. Greene, B., Doheny, E., McManus, K., & Caulfield, B. (2022). Wearable Technologies,3, E9. (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/wearable-technologies/article/estimating-balance-cognitive-function-and-falls-risk-using-wearable-sensors-and-the-sittostand-test/5B1702B224E281AA4AB67F24C16A6F32)
  3. OpenSim: Simulating musculoskeletal dynamics and neuromuscular control to study human and animal movements. Seth, et al., 2018 Jul;14(7):e1006223. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30048444/)
  4. Lab website: https://fbl.mines.edu/
  5. CITI Human Subjects Training (citiprogram.org)

Primary Contacts:

Dr. Anne Silverman, <a href="mailto:asilverm@mines.edu">asilverm@mines.edu</a> | Graduate Student Michael Miller, <a href="mailto:mfmiller@mines.edu">mfmiller@mines.edu</a>

Student Preparation

Qualifications

Introductory coding skills as well as a basic knowledge of dynamics and biology. Student should be self-motivated, with a desire to learn how experimental human biomechanics data is processed and used to construct musculoskeletal models.  The student should complete CITI training for the protection of human subjects prior to starting the project.

TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)

5

SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED

Coding in a team setting, clinical assessments of balance performance, data analysis of surface electromyography (EMG) signals, musculoskeletal modeling and simulation software, presenting written and oral results.

MENTORING PLAN

The student will present brief research updates at our biweekly lab meetings and meet with Dr. Silverman and Michael Miller on the weeks in between. The student will also work directly with graduate student Michael Miller, meeting with him formally each week for training, research updates, and guidance with questions. The student will be integrated into our research group with communication via Slack and professional development activities.  There will be milestones with a projected timeline setup at the beginning of the academic year and will be revisited periodically.

PREFERRED STUDENT STATUS

Sophomore
Junior
Senior
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