From left: Kwak and Nickel discuss a prototype of the prosthetic ankle Kwak studied. Photograph courtesy of NUPOC.
Samuel Kwak, a senior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), Aurora, has conducted a nine-month Student Inquiry and Research (SIR) on a National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)-funded project at Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center (NUPOC), Chicago, Illinois: Development and Evaluation of a Prosthetic Ankle that Mechanically Adapts to Sloped Surfaces. Kwak was advised by Stefania Fatone, PhD, BPO, and Eric Nickel, MS.
Kwak’s project received recognition as the Illinois Junior Academy of Sciences (IJAS) Project Exposition Finalist and will be presented on May 7 in Champaign, Illinois. Additionally, his project is designated the IJAS Region V U.S. Army Grand Prize Winner.
