RESNA Student Design Competition 2017

Rehabilitation Engineering And Assistive Tech Society Of Na, Arlington VA

Investigators

Abstract

This is funding to partially support the undergraduate Student Design Competition (SDC), which will be part of the 2017 annual RESNA conference to be held June 28-30 at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans. Today, over 56 million people in the United States report some degree of disability, a number which will likely grow in coming years as the so-called "baby boomer" generation ages. RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, is the one organization with an international focus that is devoted solely to technology for individuals with disabilities. RESNA's membership consists of individuals and institutions covering a range of disciplines (including researchers, clinicians, suppliers, manufacturers, consumers and educators who work in both non-profit and for-profit settings), all of whom are dedicated to promoting the exchange of ideas and information for the advancement of assistive technology. The annual RESNA Conference and the Student Design Competition combine to create a forum for interaction between experienced rehabilitation engineers and students who are about to enter the field. Unique in its primary focus on undergraduates, the event provides participants with experience and skills that help them succeed in their engineering and design careers. It encourages and mentors students in various disciplines to become involved in the assistive technology and rehabilitation engineering fields, and provides an opportunity for the students to network with their peers as well as participants in previous SDCs, many of whom are now leaders in service, research, and education related to technology for persons with disabilities. Furthermore, continuing a practice started a few years ago, all participants (not just the finalists) will create blog posts that capture and archive their submissions, and these will remain accessible indefinitely through the RESNA website and the AT Wiki. Thus, educators will be able to share this information with their students as examples of projects that others have done, while service providers and persons with disabilities will be able to search for unique solutions to barriers they may face. More information about RESNA and its annual conference is available online at http://www.resna.org while information specific to the SDC may be found at http://aac-rerc.psu.edu/wordpressmu/RESNA-SDC and student team entry abstracts are included on the AT Wiki http://atwiki.assistivetech.net/index.php/ATWiki_Home. The RESNA Student Design Competition fosters innovation and creativity with the ultimate goal of producing technology that can contribute to the independence of individuals with disabilities. The first SDC was held in 1980 as part of the inaugural RESNA conference; since then over 265 designs have been identified as winning entries from among over 850 submitted by students from over 125 different universities and institutes of higher learning. Both undergraduate and master's level graduate candidates are eligible to submit entries, which must represent the work of students only; no faculty or professionals may be included as co-authors, although faculty may be mentioned as advisors and/or mentors. NSF has been a supporter since 2005. This year's funding will enable the SDC to be further expanded and enhanced, so as to include more entries and support for more design teams, especially from minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities. A call for participation has been posted on the conference website, and also distributed electronically to a large number of colleges and universities with engineering and design schools. A team of 5 judges will pre-select at least 6 semi-finalist teams, from each of which two members will be invited to attend the conference fully supported with travel and hotel funds as well as complimentary registration. At the beginning of the conference these teams will make presentations and show off their working prototypes to the judges before a public audience during a platform session on Wednesday, June 28, where 5 finalist teams will be selected. Judges will have an opportunity to ask questions and make suggestions and recommendations to the design teams. In addition, finalists will have an opportunity to present their projects during the Annual Developers' Forum later that evening, which highlights new products under development (some past SDC student team designs have been patented and are now available commercially).