Each year System Engineering students from around the country gather at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point NY, to test their wits against the best system engineers in the nation. Thirteen teams from the George Mason University's systems engineering department competed this year.
The Mason teams competed in Tracks for Decision Analysis, Process Modeling & Analysis and System Design.
The team of system engineering students Maribeth Burns, Andrew Tesnow, Amr Attyah, Sam Miller won First Place in the Systems Design Track for their project: Design of A System for Identifying Risk and Mitigating ACL Flexion/Extension Injuries.
In the U.S. there are over 300,000 surgeries performed each year to repair torn Anterior Cruciate Ligaments (ACLs). Female NCAA athletes are the hardest hit, with a 1 in 13 chance of an ACL tear. The students developed a mathematical model of the forces on the knee and used this model to isolate the leg and foot angles as well as the landing dynamics that lead to excessive force on the ACL (known as the Tibial Shear Force). Using this information, the students designed a micro device with sensors worn in a sleeve on the knee, to estimate forces on the knee and provide an audio warning when a motion leads to high forces. In addition to the real-time feedback in a game, the athlete and trainer can review the data after game.
"We are very proud of our students and their accomplishments," said Dr. Ariela Sofer, Chair of the System Engineering & Operations Research Departments. "Their creativity in solving hard engineering problems to make the world a safer and better place is inspiring."
