Awards & News

New Positions:

Dr. Anna Bailes was elected Student Representative, American Society of Biomechanics.
Dr. Rakié Cham was elected President-Elect, American Society of Biomechanics.
Dr. Kurt Beschorner: Editorial Board Member of Applied Ergonomics
Dr. April Chambers was promoted to Associate Professor.

Grants:

Zack Wilson, Exploring the feasibility of wearable NIRS technology for monitoring at home muscle health
NIOSH R21OH01216 (PI: Beschorner), Reducing slip-and-fall accidents in the workplace: Role of small-scale roughness of floor surfaces to improve friction
University of Pittsburgh Healthy Lifestyle Institute (PI: Chambers), Describing biomechanics and clinical presentation of movement in obese adults with different levels of physical activity engagement

Student Awards:

Sarah Hemler (graduate student)
- Nike Research Award at the Footwear Biomechanics Symposium for the manuscript Hemler SL, Plilner EM, Redfern MS, Haight JW, Beschoner KE, 2021, Effects of Natural Shoe Wear on Traction Perform: A Longitudinal Study, Footwear Science: https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/hemler-nike-award/
- First Place at Pitt's Three Minute Thesis Competition: https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/sarah-hemler-clinches-first-place-at-pitts-three-minute-thesis-competition/
Sarah Griffin (graduate student)
- Recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship: https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/15-pitt-students-earn-nsf-graduate-research-fellowships/, https://www.valpo.edu/news/2021/04/21/valpo-alumna-receives-national-science-foundation-award-two-alumni-named-honorable-mentions/
Julie Rekant (graduate student)
- Recipient of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Clinical Research Education Clinical and Translational Science Fellowship (TL1) https://www.icre.pitt.edu/tl1/tl1_fellows.html
Michelle Karabin (graduate student)
- Recipient of the NIH F31 award https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/finding-a-balance/
Natalie Bick (graduate student)
- Recipient of the NIH T32: Bioengineering in Psychiatry Fellowship
- Recipient of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2021 Annual Meeting Knights Templar Eye Foundation Travel Grant

Other Notable Accomplishments:

Dr. Kevin Bell received a $10,000 award to continue development of CuffLink, a remote rehabilitation system for rotator cuff injury: https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/kevin-bell-rotator-cuff-rehabilitation-tool/
National Occupational Research Agenda poster for assessing when worn shoes should be replaced based on our research: https://www.cdc.gov/nora/councils/ti/posters.html,
https://ohsonline.com/articles/2021/05/13/batteries-might-prevent-workplace-injury.aspx

Publications:

Griffin SC, Hemler SL, Beschorner KE, 2021, Investigating the Influence of Gait Spatiotemporal Characteristics on Shoe Wear, IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors UEHF (in press).
Karabin MJ, Sparto PJ, Rosano C, Redfern MS, 2021, Impact of strength and balance on functional gait assessment performance in older adults, Gait & Posture (in press).
McClincy M, Seabol LG, Riffitts M, Ruh E, Novak NE, Wasilko R, Hamm ME, Bell KM, 2021, Perspectives on the Gamification of an Interactive Health Technology for Postoperative Rehabilitation of Pediatric Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: User-Centered Design Approach, JMIR Serious Games, 9(3), e27195.
Walter PJ, Tushak CM, Hemler SL, Beschorner KE, 2021, Effect of tread design and hardness on interfacial fluid force and friction in artificially worn shoes, Footwear Science, 13(3), 245-254.
Ding R, Gujrati A, Pendolino MM, Beschorner KE, Jacobs TDB, 2021, Going beyond traditional roughness metrics for floor tiles: Measuring topography down to the nanoscale, Tribology Letters, 69(3), 92.
Pliner EM, Sturnieks DL, Beschorner KE, Redfern MS, Lord SR, 2021, Individual factors that influence task performance on a stepladder, Safety Science, 136, 105152.
Hemler SL, Sider JR, Redfern MS, Beschorner KE, 2021, Gait Kinetics Impact Shoe Tread Wear Rate, Gait & Posture, 86, 167-171.
Magaña LC, Murati S, Riffitts M, Harrison C, Harris A, Sowa G, Johnson JT, Bell KM, Nilsen M, 2021, Subjective and Objective Measures in Assessing Neck Disability and Pain in Head and Neck Cancer, Laryngoscope, 131(9), 2015-2022.
Seneli R, Beschorner KE, O'Connor K, Keenan K, Earl-Boehm J, Cobb S, 2021, Foot joint coupling variability differences between habitual rearfoot and forefoot runners prior to and following an exhaustive run, Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 57, 102514.
Cook A, Hemler SL, Sundaram V, Chanda A, Beschorner KE, 2020, Differences in friction performance between new and worn shoes, IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, 8(4), 209-214.
Bell KM, Onyeukwu C, Smith CN, Oh A, Devito Dabbs A, Piva SR, Popchak AJ, Lynch AD, Irrgang JJ, McClincy MP, 2020, A Portable System for Remote Rehabilitation Following a Total Knee Replacement: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Clinical Study, Sensors (Basel), 20(21), 6118.
Pliner EM, Dukes AA, Beschorner KE, Mahboobin A, 2020, Effects of student interests on engagement and performance in biomechanics, Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 36(5), 360-367.
Strayer ST, Moghaddam SRM, Gusenoff B, Gusenoff J, Beschorner KE, 2020, Contact pressures between the rearfoot and a novel offloading insole: Results from a finite element analysis study, Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 36(5), 326-333.
Bechard L, Bell K, Lynch A, 2020, Preliminary validation of a mobile force Sensing device for clinical and telerehabilitation, Journal of Biomechanics, 110,109973.
Merrill Z, Woolley C, Cham R, 2020, Impact of the Seated Height to Stature Ratio on Torso Segment Parameters, Ergonomics, 63(11), 1425-1433.
Hemler SL, Pliner EM, Redfern MS, Haight JM, Beschorner KE, 2020, Traction Performance Changes across the Life of a Shoe: Preliminary Results from a Longitudinal Study, Journal of Safety Research, 74, 219-225.
Beschorner KE, Siegel JL, Hemler SL, Sundaram VH, Chanda A, Iraqi A, Haight JM, Redfern MS, 2020, An observational ergonomic tool for assessing the worn condition of slip-resistant shoes, Applied Ergonomics, 88, 103140.
Wawrose RA, Howington FE, LeVasseur CM, Smith CN, Couch BK, Shaw JD, Donaldson WF, Lee JY, Patterson CG, Anderst WJ, Bell KM, 2020, Assessing the biofidelity of in vitro biomechanical testing of the human cervical spine, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 39(6), 1217-1226.
Sundaram VH, Hemler SL, Chanda A, Haight JM, Redfern MS, Beschorner KE, 2020, Worn Region Size of Shoe Soles Impacts Human Slips: Testing a Mechanistic Model, Journal of Biomechanics, 105, 109797.
Pliner EM, Novak AC, Beschorner KE, 2020, ASB Young Investigator Award Paper: Hand-rung forces after a ladder climbing perturbation, Journal of Biomechanics, 106, 109790.
Merrill Z, Chambers AJ, Cham R, 2020, Development and Validation of Body Fat Prediction Models in American Adults, Obesity Science and Practice, 6(2), 189-195.
Hemler SL, Charbonneau D, Beschorner KE, 2020, Predicting Hydrodynamic Conditions under Worn Shoes using the Tapered-Wedge Solution of Reynolds Equation, Tribology International, 145, 106161.
Martin ER, Pliner EM, Beschorner KE, 2020, Characterizing the Shoe-Rung Friction Requirements during Ladder Climbing, Journal of Biomechanics, 99, 109507.
Iraqi A, Vidic N, Redfern MS, Beschorner KE, 2020, Prediction of coefficient of friction based on footwear outsole features, Applied Ergonomics, 82, 102963.
Beschorner KE, Iraqi A, Redfern MS, Moyer BE, Cham R, 2020, Influence of Averaging Time Interval on Shoe-Floor-Contaminant Coefficient of Friction Measurements, Applied Ergonomics, 82, 102959.

Conference Proceedings/Abstracts:

Williams DW, Beschorner KE, Sturnieks DL, Lord SR, Pliner EM, 2021, The Effects of Environmental Factors on Ladder Overreaching, Midwest American Society of Biomechanics Conference, Cleveland, OH.
Rekant J, Betts B, Chambers A, 2021, Validation of Body-worn Inertial Measurement Units for Assessing Gait, American Society of Biomechanics, Virtual Conference.
Hemler SL, Pliner EM, Redfern MS, Haight JM, Beschorner KE, 2021, Shoe Wear Geometry Predicts Shoe-Floor Hydrodynamics, International Society of Biomechanics, Virtual Conference.
Bharthi R, Hemler SL, Beschorner KE, 2021, Correlation Between Wear Region of Shoes and Contact Region During Early Gait, International Society of Biomechanics, Virtual Conference.
Hemler SL and Beschorner KE, 2021, Out of the box and into the wild - the friction mechanics of worn shoes, Footwear Biomechanics Symposium, Virtual Conference.
Beschorner KE, Meehan EE, Iraqi A, Hemler SL, 2021, Designing Shoe Tread for Friction Performance: A Hierarchical Approach, Footwear Biomechanics Symposium, Virtual Conference.
Bick N, Redfern M, Conner I, Wollstein G, Chan K, Cham R, 2021, Step-to-Step Gait Symmetry in Glaucoma, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Virtual Conference.
Stuckey J, Tsizhovkin M, Beschorner KE, Pliner E, Sturnieks D, Lord S, 2021, User-specific factors associated with ladder handrail use, INGENiUM: Undergraduate Research at the Swanson School of Engineering, 7, 90-93.
Sukinik J, Bharthi R, Hemler S, Beschorner KE, 2021, Relationship between center of pressure and contact region during gait: implications for shoe wear and slipping risk, INGENiUM: Undergraduate Research at the Swanson School of Engineering, 7, 94-97.
Zhang Y, Chan C, Bell KM, Musahl V, Debski RE, 2021, Measurement of 6x6 Stiffness Matrix of The Knee: Implications For Knee Biomechanics, Annual Meeting of the ORS.
Riffitts M, McClincy MP, Seabol L, Novak N, Hamm M, Bell KM, 2021, Perspectives on Gamification of an Interactive Health Technology for Pediatric ACL-R Post-Operative Rehabilitation. Annual Meeting of the ORS.
Bell KM, Cook HA, Bosch PP. Attachment Point Optimization for A Dynamic Hip Stabilization Device, 2021, Annual Meeting of the ORS.
Bharthi R, Sukinik J, Hemler S, Beschorner KE, 2020, Correlation between the locations of shoe wear region and center of the contact region at peak friction, Biomedical Engineering Society, Online.
Sukinik J, Bharthi R, Hemler S, Beschorner KE, 2020, Relationship between center of pressure and contact region during gait: implications for shoe wear and slipping risk, Biomedical Engineering Society, Online.
Stuckey JX, Tsizhovkin ML, Beschorner KE, Pliner EM, Sturnieks DL, Lord SR, 2020, User-specific factors that predict ladder handrail use, Biomedical Engineering Society, Online.
Tsizhovkin ML, Stuckey JX, Pliner EM, Beschorner KE, Lord SR, Sturnieks DL, 2020, Relationship between Handrail Use and Balance Control and Sway during a Ladder Work Task, Biomedical Engineering Society, Virtual, Online.
Rekant J, Chambers A, 2020, Comparison of Portable to Laboratory-based Near Infrared Spectroscopy Sensors for Assessing Muscle Health During Exercise, American Society of Biomechanics East Coast, Virtual Conference.
Hemler SL, Sundaram VH, Beschorner KE, 2020, A hydrodynamic model to predict under-shoe fluid pressures based on the dimensions of a worn region, American Society of Biomechanics, Virtual Conference.
Pliner EM, Sturnieks DL, Beschorner KE, Deschler CL, Lord SR, 2020, Behavioral Risk Predicts Maximum Lateral Reach During a Roof Gutter Clearing Task, American Society of Biomechanics, Virtual Conference.
Bell KM, Riffitts M, Murati S, Harrison T, Sowa GA, Johnson J, Nilsen M, 2020, Objective Assessment Of Neck Disability And Pain For Head And Neck Cancer Patients. Annual Meeting of the ORS.
Couch B, Wawrose R, Chen J, Dombrowski M, Wang D, Bell KM, Lee J, Sowa GA, Vo N, 2020, Percutaneous Lumbar Annulotomy: A Novel Technique to Establish a Rat Model of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. Annual Meeting of the ORS.