Student Project Proposal Format

Title: 

Reducing / Preventing suction and vacuum leaks in below-knee prosthetics

Part 1

1. What specific areas within the fied will be investigated, researched, and/ or studied?

            Within the field of prosthetics I will be studying specifically below knee prosthetics. I will be researching how to reduce failures in the current vacuum/ suction system caused by holes in sleeves. I will be studying more generally the entire process of making the prosthetic, from casting the limb, to the technique of making the socket, to the possible improvements. I will be investigating how to improve the durability of sleeves measured by the time they last without losing their vacuum seal.

2. How will knowledge or ability in the field be acquired, developed, and demonstrated through the year?

            I will acquire my knowledge of prosthetics by observing patient consultations with the practitioners and by observing the construction of the various stages of the prosthetic in the work shop. By observing patients I will be able to understand the medical aspect of the field and be able to apply it to the technical aspects which I learn by working in the back. I will also acquire knowledge by interviewing the different practitioners and technicians about their ideas and suggestions. I will demonstrate my knowledge by constructing my own socket and testing various improvements on it. Also, my abilities will be demonstrated by documenting pictures of the process.

3. What will be the product(s) and/or outcome(s) of the internship?

            The final product of my internship will be a model below knee amputee with a fitting socket, pictures of the process, and data from the testing done to find improvements in suction loss.

4. What proven need will be addressed?  What real problem will be solved?  What question will be researched?

            As proven through my interviews with various practitioners, technicians, and from observing paitients, it is clear that the frequency in which sleeves need to be replaced is a costly problem. Almost all below knee amputee paitients wear sleeves, so sleeve problems are some of the most often faced issues seen by practitioners. My project will research what changes need to be made specifically, in order to prolong the life of a sleeve.

5. What is the intended audience for the project?  Who, other than the student, will learn or benefit as a result of the work?  To whom will the outcomes be communicated? For whom is the product or result intended?

The intended audience for my project includes manufactuers, practitioners, technicians, and paitients. All four parties listed would benefit from my work because manufacturers need to know what are the best products they can produce to meet the needs of the paitients, practitioners can learn what are the best products they can prescribe to their paitients, technicians can learn whether the real problem is in the construction of the socket and what the best way to make things like trim lines is to reduce vacuum loss. Finally, paitients need to be educated on the problems and solutions to sleeves in order to increase their awareness to newer products, even below knee prosthetics without sleeves.

6. Will the audience be local, state, or national?   Note:  The mentor, the student, and the program coordinator should not be the only audience.

The audience will be local, to other companies like Dankmeyer, but the effects of the local spread will be much larger because these companies buy pieces of the prosthetics from worldwide manufacturers.

7. How will the product and outcomes be communicated to or performed for the selected audience?  What will be the outlet vehicle?

            My project will be communicated through my paper, my digication site, and the Howard County Conference.

8. What resources will be required for the project? (human, print, organizations, media)

Resources include help from multiple practitioners and technicians, observing patient appointments, and materials given to me by Dankmeyer Inc.

9. What are the special considerations of the project? (cost, materials, equipment,       transportation, special permission, printing/distribution)

Special considerations consist of my loss of time due to a prior mentorship which did not work out first and into second quarter, and limitations due to the availability of types and brands of materials such as sleeves to test with and the cost of constructing and altering the model