Bioengineering undergrads’ hard work pays
off at TSGC Design Challenge

For the third consecutive year, two undergraduate teams of Rice University Bioengineering majors participated in the Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) Design Challenge. Sponsored by NASA and administered by the Texas Space Grant Consortium, the event engages students in research, invention, and design while they work to provide a solution to a topic of importance to NASA and its mission. 

Design Challenge topics are submitted by researchers working with NASA, or its contractor community, on current projects of interest. For Rice University Assistant Professor of Bioengineering Michael Liebschner and Lecturer and Laboratory Coordinator Maria Oden, this event complements coursework and furthers Liebschner’s teaching and research interests in the relationship between bone tissue quality and mechanobiology.

“It is known that during prolonged space travel humans experience extensive bone loss from exposure to microgravity, known as disuse osteoporosis,” begins Liebschner. “For NASA to send a manned mission to Mars before 2030, scientists and the administration need to ensure that the crew can remain healthy throughout the long voyage. Bone loss, along with other physiological changes, raises the risk of fractures and poses serious questions to the body's ability to heal them.”

As faculty advisors for the High Performance Ninjas and the Thunderbirds, Liebschner’s and Oden’s objectives are multi-fold. The overall experience exposes students to the ongoing biomedical research affiliated with Dr. Liebschner and the Texas Medical Center. Students are tasked with incorporating research and providing engineered solutions as to how fractures heal in space. Upon completion of this objective, students then design and build a device applicable to prove their concept, develop business and marketing plans, and through educational outreach, impart their work to various, diverse audiences and competitions at several stages throughout the year.

At the TSGC showcase this past November, both Rice teams presented their design concepts together with 13 other teams from nine universities.

The Rice teams did exceptionally well, they won 13 awards in cash and prizes; nine of which were first place. The High Performance Ninjas won awards for the Best Team Website, Photo Essay, Documentary Short, Field Experience Report, K-12 Outreach Activity, Patch Design, and the Trump Award for the completion of the most levels and option areas. The Thunderbirds won the Best Team Oral Presentation and Editor’s Choice.

High Performance Ninjas (HPN) include the following students: Eric L. Vu, Peter J. Yang, Elaine F. T. Chan, Cynthia J. Chang, and Alexander C. Gordon.

Thunderbirds include the following students: Néha Datta, Vishal Gupta, Lei Ji, James Barnes, and Laura Higbie

To learn more, visit the High Performance Ninjas (http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~hpn/) and Thunderbirds http://www.ricethunderbirds.com/) web sites.