Conference: Fostering Innovation through Enhanced Understanding of Healthcare Equity and Inclusion: A National Design Competition in Rehabilitation and Assistive Devices

This award supports a national design competition to be hosted at the Summer Biomechanics, Biotransport, and Bioengineering Conference (SB3C) where undergraduate teams from across the country submit their designs for rehabilitation and assistive devices. The abstracts will be reviewed by faculty experts and the top six teams will be invited to attend the venue and present their work in a special podium session. Each of the finalists will receive support for travel and prototype development. An innovative element of the competition is a complementary workshop that targets issues related to healthcare equity and its impact on technological innovation. Undergraduate students attending the conference through their involvement in the competition will learn about bio-solid mechanics, bio-fluid mechanics, device design, rehabilitation, cellular and molecular mechanics, functional tissue engineering, bio-heat and mass transfer, and bioengineering education. This project aims to promote student engagement in the device design and development process while raising awareness of healthcare disparity issues. The undergraduate design competition will further broaden its benefits and impact through fostering the inclusion of teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and primarily undergraduate institutions. The materials developed as part of this project will be shared with faculty mentors involved in prior and future competitions. Undergraduate students attending the conference will participate in a research-driven event with technical sessions, workshops, and presentations by faculty, clinicians, regulatory, and industrial representatives who have expertise in device design, rehabilitation, disabilities, and numerous other areas. Funding will make travel possible for students who otherwise might not attend an academic conference. Attendance at the conference provides valuable networking opportunities for the students, including contacts for graduate school and employment. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.