Hugh Jack

Cancer Recovery Analysis System

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among women with over 230,000 incidences diagnosed every year. A typical breast cancer surgery might include but is not limited to, biopsies, breast conservation surgery or mastectomies. Moreover, these surgeries usually cause soreness in the shoulder and arms which in turn affect the ability of the patient to perform simple everyday activities.Lymphedema, another serious side effect of these surgeries, when coupled with radiation therapy, can appear in breast cancer patients during months or even years after the treatment ends. Lymphedema is a condition in which high-protein fluid collects beneath the skin and causes swelling, redness and discomfort. This condition occurs in breast cancer patients when lymph nodes are damaged or removed during the procedures.Research suggests that early physiotherapy as well as exercises can reduce the risk of lymphedema. Monitoring the progress during these exercises can be a first step in diagnosing lymphedema. Along with better prognosis, the patients can observe the benefits of early diagnosis with insurance coverage, since most insurance companies do not cover treatments associated with advanced stages of lymphedema. The initial stretching workouts, done during recovery, target the range of motion of the shoulder that is affected by the surgery. This range of motion, determined by the severity of the surgery, improves over time. These exercises can then be used to drain the lymph nodes and help retain flexibility in the affected muscles. A monitoring device engineered to provide data about the extent of recovery would be a significant aide to both the patients and healthcare professionals.The intent of the paper is to introduce a distinctive device that monitors workouts and uses the data as a motivating factor for the patient as well as an early detection system for lymphedema. The device shows the effort that the patient has put for each workout into user friendly real time graphs. Patients and healthcare professionals can then use this data and graphs to identify problem areas in the recovery process. Preliminary tests of this device, which are presented in this paper, showed promising results in accuracy and repeatability as the device calculated and displayed graphs which were a quantified estimation of the range of motion and workout effort of the user.Copyright

Integration of manufacturing into mechanical engineering curricula

This paper focuses on enhancing the integration of manufacturing principles and concepts within curricula in mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology education programs. The field of manufacturing engineering covers the broad spectrum of topics derived from the definition, “Manufacturing requires that a modification of the shape, form, or properties of a material that takes place in a way that adds value”. (ABET, Inc. 2010) The ASME’s Vision 2030 surveys of industry engineering supervisors and early career mechanical engineers have illustrated that the curricula of mechanical engineering and related programs have an urgent need to enhance students’ comprehension of ‘how things are made and work,’ e.g., the knowledge and skills needed to design and efficiently produce products via high-performance systems. (Danielson, et. al. 2011) This session is designed to be primarily a dialog among the participants and the presenters, focusing on a model for the manufacturing field called The Four Pillars of Manufacturing Knowledge, developed by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME 2011a), and how it relates to mechanical engineering education. Broader issues and resources related to enhancing manufacturing education are also presented.Copyright

Embracing Product Design Engineering

A Product Design and Manufacturing (PDM) Engineering emphasis has been designed to update a Manufacturing Engineering program at Grand Valley State University. While the program continues to include a major focus on manufacturing it also emphasizes crossing disciplinary boundaries for product design. Graduates of the program are educated to work in all phases of the product development process from concept to customer. The program includes a blend of courses from a variety of disciplines, tieing these together using a sequence of product design courses. Within the courses students are exposed to course work that encourages product oriented design including prototyping. The program redesign described in the paper could also be applied to Mechanical Engineering programs.Copyright