Brooke Slavens, professor, mechanical and biomedical engineering, was a guest on Wisconsin Public Radio’s show “Wisconsin Today,” on April 4 to talk about her studies with users of manual wheelchairs.
More than 90% of wheelchair users opt for manual chairs, using their arms to rotate the wheels about a thousand times a day. Slaven’s research focuses on the impact of those repetitive motions in both adults and children. Her lab is one of the few worldwide investigating the biomechanics of pediatric wheelchair users and imaging their muscles with ultrasound.
“We noticed right away there needed to be more done to uncover better design of [wheelchairs],” she said, “as well as helping individuals who are using wheelchairs to be able to preserve their arms.” Listen to the segment.
Slavens, was awarded the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers earlier this year. The award is highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their career. Spectrum News also visited her lab. Watch the segment.