Jill Higginson, Ph.D.

UD research aims to improve the lives of those with limb loss

John Horne lost his right leg to bone cancer when he was a freshman in high school. This intensely personal experience spawned his career and passion for advocating for those with limb loss. The president of Independence Prosthetics-Orthotics on the University of Delaware’s Science, Technology, and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus has seen prosthetics improve significantly since his limb loss and since he was an undergraduate student at UD, interning at Nemours Children’s Health, where he poured prosthetic molds.

Now, Horne is part of pioneering research led by George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering Jill Higginson in the Neuromuscular Biomechanics Laboratory along with co-investigators Elisa Arch, associate professor of kinesiology and applied physiology, and Meg Sions, associate professor of physical therapy, in the College of Health Sciences. The study aims to test the potential of fabric-based sensors in monitoring load in individuals with limb loss, a development that could revolutionize the field of prosthetics and significantly improve the lives of those with limb loss… Continue reading.

UD engineers are researching and refining innovative nanomaterial-based sensors for human health applications

From keeping us warm and dry during a downpour to showcasing our Blue Hen spirit at Homecoming, clothing is essential for our comfort, protection and self-expression. But what if our clothing could do even more — what if, for example, our clothes could collect real-time data and provide feedback that could aid our recovery after an accident or surgery, or monitor our form or body posture during exercise and sports to prevent injury?

At the University of Delaware, a team of researchers from the College of Engineering has developed nanomaterial sensors that can measure precise changes in human movement while being both comfortable and cost effective. Now, thanks to funding from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program, the team will continue studying these innovative materials while collaborating with industry partners to explore new commercial opportunities in health-related applications… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Jill Higginson, Ph.D., Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware, to its College of Fellows.

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer. The College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice, or education” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”

Dr. Higginson was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for “contributions to the field of neuromuscular biomechanics of pathological movement, musculoskeletal modeling and simulation, and undergraduate research and education.”