To check out what is happening in PEBL, follow the links shown below:
{I'm still developing this part of the website, but stay tuned!}
Undergraduate Research:
Graduate Research:
Patricia's Research:

My principal research interest is the study of locomotor energetics from the perspective of mechanical engineering.  To do this, I utilize many tools, including motion capture, SimMechanics (a module within Matlab), the fabulous new musculoskeltal modeling tool OpenSim, and kinematic/kinetic analysis. I use the motion capture capabilities of the Human Motion Analysis Laboratory of the Dept of Rehabilitative Medicine and I collaborate with researchers in the Departments of Orthopaedics and Sport Medicine and Mechanical Engineering. My research is, however, firmly grounded in modern evolutionary theory.  

If you are interested in modeling motion, helping people have a "normal" gait pattern, or in understanding how creatures move in their environment, you should check out this video of OpenSim in action:

http://opensim.stanford.edu/work/index.html

Locomotion is a fundamental, defining adaptation of our taxonomic family. It is imperative to understand the entire suite of locomotor behaviors including burden transport, group mobility strategies and the locomotion of juveniles--in both modern humans and in our hominid ancestors.

I have utilized macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta, nemestrina, fuscata and fasicularis) to study the etiology and progression of osteoarthritis.  Macaques exhibit substantial osteoarthritis in their spines and, as with all other animals that have been evaluated, chronological age is the strongest predictor of prevalence and progression.  I have "scored" thousands of longitudinal radiographs of macaque spines, but understanding the etiology of osteoarthritis remains a goal.

Injuries and inherent pathologies to the lower limb, especially the foot and ankle, can have profound consequences for the ability of people to move in their environment. Walking is a fundamental activity of daily living and interventions need to be assessed relative their ability to restore function. I have several ongoing projects designed to evaluate the walking characteristics of patients with foot and ankle pathology. Footrpint analysis is a key component of this work.