MRI: Acquisition of Mechanical Testing Equipment to Support Musculoskeletal Research and Engineering Education

University Of Missouri-Kansas City, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant provides funding for the acquisition of mechanical testing equipment to support musculoskeletal research and engineering eduction. Measuring the mechanical properties of biological tissue, such as ligaments and bone, is important for understanding the function of these tissues. Characterization of mechanical properties is often performed using testing machines that apply a known force to tissue specimens and then record the resulting displacement. This project will purchase mechanical testing equipment capable of bi-axial loading and related motion instrumentation for use primarily in musculoskeletal and orthopaedic research. Researchers at the University of Missouri Kansas City are addressing a broad spectrum of issues related to aging and musculoskeletal health including research in movement simulation, musculoskeletal biomechanics, biomaterials, bone response to mechanical loading, muscle fatigue and aging, bone repair and regeneration, and cell level function. The requested mechanical testing equipment will significantly enhance musculoskeletal research at the body, organ, and tissue levels. In addition, the instrumentation will be directly incorporated into five courses in mechanical and civil engineering. These courses reach a mixture of undergraduate and graduate students whose education would be enhanced through learning on state-of-the-art equipment. Located in the heart of Kansas City, the School of Computing and Engineering hosts hundreds of students per year from local urban Kansas City schools and laboratory demonstrations are an important component of these visits. The equipment will also serve the broader research and engineering communities of Kansas City. The University of Missouri Kansas City has the only engineering program in the Kansas City metro area, a community of over 2 million people.