The main objective of the one-year project is to explore the potential for soft robots for telehealth monitoring of older adults
The McKechnie Family LIFE Home is a cutting-edge research center focused on innovations in home environments.
An increasing number of older adults live independently but have health conditions that must be managed—both chronic and acute. A grant awarded to an interdisciplinary team including KCH Professor Wendy Rogers aims to investigate some solutions to those issues.
Rogers will be working with Professor Girish Krishnan, an assistant professor in The Grainger College of Engineering, and Dr. Robert Riech of OSF HealthCare on a newly funded $74,086 grant from the Jump Applied Research through Community Health through Engineering and Simulation (ARCHES) program of OSF HealthCare.
The main objective of the one-year project is to explore the potential for soft robots for telehealth monitoring of older adults.
Soft robots, for the uninitiated, are composed of soft, elastic materials and offer unique opportunities in areas in which conventional rigid robots are not viable; for example, for drug delivery, non-invasive surgical procedures, as assistive devices, prostheses or artificial organs.
The project will have two prongs in the next year: first, there will be the design and building of a soft robot with a camera that can navigate toward a wound or other area of an older patient.
Krishnan has already built some soft robotic actuators known as Fiber Reinforced Elastomeric Enclosures (FREEs). The robots can achieve different motions such as bending, contraction and axial rotation.
The researchers plan to investigate a technique known as visual servoing, by which the robot can position its arms near a wound or a predetermined area, guided by visual feedback from the camera; the second aim involves exploring the needs of those who will interact with the robot, specifically healthcare providers and older adults.
Researchers plan to interview the healthcare providers to identify the cases in which the robots would be commonly used. They willl also interview older adults to determine how to build trust between them and the robots with which they will interact.
The interactions will take place in the new McKechnie Family LIFE Home on campus, Rogers said. The home simulation space will be used to enable older adults to interact with the robot prototypes. The video capabilities and remote access lab in the LIFE Home will also support the simulation of telehealth contexts for the healthcare providers to assess the utility of the prototypes.
If successful, the use of soft robotics for older adults through telehealth could disrupt the market as a cost-effective and safe alternative to more-costly health care. Additionally, the robots could be fitted with a gripper that could help older adults with daily activities such as reaching into kitchen cabinets, loading dishwashers and searching for lost items.
A pilot grant is helping a Health and Kinesiology professor to track healthcare workers’ anxiety
Wearable technology for health care workers.
Kinesiology and Community Health Professor Manuel Hernandez is among the researchers across campus who recently received funding through the Jump ARCHES (Applied Research for Community Health through Engineering and Simulation) research and development program. The Jump ARCHES program is a partnership between the University of Illinois and its College of Medicine in Peoria and OSF HealthCare.
Hernandez’s project involves monitoring the stress of healthcare workers, specifically physician trainees, through wearable technology.
The pilot grant of $75,000 for one year, Hernandez said, allows for his team to gather remotely collected multimodal wearable data, and to develop software aimed at integrating sensor data and creating a novel framework for detecting state anxiety.
The study subjects will wear Hexoskin smart shirts, wristbands (Embrace 2 sensors), and use a smartphone app (EARS) that will allow for physiological recordings and passive mobile sensing. The physician trainees will wear sensors for 8-12 hours a day for two weeks at a time, Hernandez said, in two separate, two-week sessions.
Hernandez said he hopes the study will provide a foundation for the development of a novel machine learning/artificial intelligence framework for detecting anxiety in adults.
It could, he added, “Allow us to quantify changes in mental health and wellness in physician trainees due to the ongoing pandemic.”
Third-year physician trainees were specifically targeted as subjects, Hernandez said, because of their exposure to clinical rotations, which is particularly timely because of potential COVID-19 exposure.
Hernandez said he and his colleagues chose trainees, rather than older, established physicians, because of the “long-term implications of mental wellness and health in young adults.” The project serves “as a starting point for future examination of mental health and wellness in adults in stressful environments. For physician trainees, even during normal times, the need to both provide care and learn clinical best practices already presents significant challenges for emotional well-being, let alone when faced with a pandemic.”
The study is vital now, Hernandez said, particularly because of the ongoing pandemic. Healthcare professionals often lack the time for traditional services to assessing their mental health, such as therapy.
“Given the potential long-term ramifications on mental health, such as anxiety, depression, or burnout, and well-being of our frontline healthcare providers, particularly trainees, there is an urgent need for objective measures and monitoring of mental health and well-being.”
Nothing in 2020 has gone according to anyone’s expectations, because of the pandemic. But thanks to some adaptation and innovation from College of Applied Health Sciences researchers and their cross-campus collaborators, Champaign County schoolchildren are learning some new life skills.
The Illinois Physical Activity and Life Skills Wellness Program, or iPALS for short, engages children in kindergarten through fifth grade in both physical activity and nutrition instruction. But according to KCH assistant professor K. Andrew R. Richards, iPALS was forced to undergo a COVID-related makeover.
“What we’re doing now is not what we had intended to do,” he said. “We’d been funded on an Illinois State Board of Education grant to run a summer program, an in-person, face-to-face summer camp style program in collaboration with (Champaign) Unit 4 (schools) that was going to be hosted at one of the local elementary schools. And we’d have about 150 kids that would come and spend the day with us for five consecutive weeks. And so that was the original plan, but then COVID happened. And all of that went out the window.”
With summer programming canceled by the University of Illinois and the school district, Richards and his collaborators were faced with a choice of having to spend the money by the end of this semester or having to return it to the state.
“And so that kind of left us with this decision, do we want to return the money?,” he said, “Or do we want to find some way to do some good with this in the local community to help children and family in the time of this pandemic, when health, and nutrition, and wellness are perhaps even more important than they ever have been?”
That’s where some of Richards’ collaborators come in, including fellow KCH assistant professor Naiman Khan, and graduate students in KCH and the Division of Nutritional Sciences. For example, Richards credits KCH doctoral student Shelby Ison for developing multiple options for a fall version of iPALS that included some face-to-face elements as well as virtual and asynchronous plans.
Richards and Khan then worked with Champaign Unit 4 Schools Director of Student, Family & Community Engagement, Katina Wilcher, about opportunities to engage more with the community.
“We brainstormed schools that might benefit most, developed a framework, the two agencies co-wrote a grant, and here we are,” Wilcher said in an email. “Of course, we had to adjust due to COVID, but the University did an outstanding job coming up with an alternative virtual program that is going well.”
IPALS has existed at UIUC in some form since the 1950s, Richards said, and at one point was called the Sport Fitness Program. It was once a multi-activity sport program, but Richards et al recognized iPALS needed to be more responsive to wellness in a broader sense. So, while there continues to be a physical activity component, they’ve added a social and emotional learning component, and a nutrition and wellness component.
Annabelle Shaffer, a master’s student in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, helped craft the nutrition element, part of which involves videos.
“They’ll get a video … basically just why you should hydrate,” she said. “What types of drinks are best for hydration, things like that. And then for their activity they’ll be provided cooking video that we’re making in collaboration with the ARC Instructional Kitchen, who has primarily dietetics and human nutrition undergrads teaching the courses. So they’ll create the cooking class video with the recipes given to them. And also we provide all the food for the kids with the socially distanced pickups.”
One-hundred and 10 children are participating in the program, which runs until Nov. 12. For the cooking program, they receive a set of child-safe knives, a spatula, their own mixing bowls, their own measuring spoons and cups.
“We wanted to be able to engage them in both physical activity and nutrition instruction,” Richards said. “But because we’re targeting primarily communities affected by poverty, we didn’t want to have to rely on them to have things that they were going to need.”
The researchers stressed that parents are involved in most aspects of the program, while still allowing their children to have creative freedom.
“Our current program is six weeks long, and each week students participate in three virtual activities through platforms such as Flipgrid and Edpuzzle. Each of the 3 activities have a different objective,” Ison said. “Activity 1 is designed to facilitate peer-to-peer social and emotional learning, Activity 2 is meant to educate children on physical activity and nutrition, and Activity 3 is the application of the learnings from Activity 2 where students work with their family members to complete a physical activity or nutrition activity or challenge.”
Khan, whose research interests focus in most part on nutrition, said one set of research outcomes would be “qualitative and getting an idea of the experience of the children participating in the program. We have an interest in our lab with physical health and mental and cognitive health in kids. So the Fitbits, for example, will be used to assess students’ physical activity.
“We’ll use a survey approach for them to report their nutritional intake. There’s a survey also on nutrition literacy that we’ve concluded to get an idea of their knowledge of foods and healthy eating. And some additional surveys that we have in place for understanding the home environment, in terms of just commotion and chaos in the household, some demographic information.”
The researchers plan to replicate iPALS next summer, although they’re uncertain if they’ll be able to host children in person. But they certainly hope for bigger grants as they go forward.
“If we were able to use what we’re learning and down the road leverage that towards larger, perhaps federal grant structures, then that might be able to set us up so we’d have funding for consecutive years,” Richards said.
“I feel like we’re in a position now, having been through this, where we won’t be going into that blind and trying to create the wheel while we’re driving the car. We’ll have the car created. And we can just gas it up along the way.”
Adam Bleakney and colleagues are pioneering a transformative wheelchair technology designed to increase independence, reduce injury risk, and reframe how society perceives mobility disability.
Illinois’ wheelchair track coach Adam Bleakney leads a cross‑campus team of engineers and designers from AHS and Grainger in testing PURE, the innovative hands‑free robotic wheelchair prototype aimed at “disrupting the wheelchair market” (Photos by Michael Hansen)
As coach of the Illinois wheelchair track team, Adam Bleakney knows about the chronic overuse of shoulders and elbows by his athletes. But as a daily wheelchair user himself, he also knows about the challenges of navigating life.
So Bleakney and his colleagues from Disability Resources and Educational Services, as well as cross-campus collaborators from the Grainger College of Engineering, and the College of Fine + Applied Arts, embarked on a plan to disrupt the wheelchair market.
“We wanted to design something that would break the mode of traditional wheelchairs, which has been essentially a chair supported between two large drive wheels with two casters, and has not changed since the first patents awarded in the 1860s,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering in the Grainger College of Engineering and the principal investigator on a project that recently received a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation under the National Robotics Initiative program to develop a wheelchair that will provide individuals with a physical disability a new and novel mode of mobility.
The project, called PURE (Personalized, Unique Rolling Experience) offers users hands-free movement using an interactive and adaptive robot that is uniquely personalized for each user.
Hsiao-Wecksler said the project was started in 2018 in response to the call for “radical improvements in the mobility and independence of people with lower-limb paralysis through smarter assistive technology” by the Toyota Mobility Unlimited Challenge.
Bleakney had worked with Toyota on a previous project, so he was intrigued by the opportunity, and he spoke with then-DRES director Dr. Pat Malik, whose husband, Ron, is a daily wheelchair user.
“The intent was to achieve an interdisciplinary effort, to combine the tradition and knowledge we have at DRES and AHS as leaders in disability access with the incredible resources that exist across campus,” he said.
“And Pat, Jeannette Elliott, Arielle Rausin, and I each bring a unique and personal disability experience perspective to the project. Pat, who’s married to a daily wheelchair user; Jeanette, who in addition to being the physical therapist at DRES uses a prosthesis and manual wheelchair; and Arielle and me as daily wheelchair users.”
Hsiao-Wecksler was asked to join the team since she had been working on hardware design of devices to assist people with disabilities and also wheelchair technology.
“I have worked on both wheelchair propulsion biomechanics with (KCH faculty) Jake Sosnoff and Ian Rice, and wheelchair wheel development with IntelliWheels, Inc., which was a local start-up that I, Jake Sosnoff, and our graduate students created.”
Three mechanical engineering graduate students—Chenzhang Xiao, Yinan Pei, and Yu Chen—worked on PURE prototypes, and Dr. William (Bob) Norris of Grainger, of Grainger (ISE faculty) who has expertise in control of autonomous vehicles and robots, was brought on as a co-PI. Dr. João Ramos, also of Grainger (MechSE faculty) and with experience with design and control of robotic devices, was added for the NSF proposal.
Illinois’ project reached the top 10 out of 80 applications for the Toyota Challenge. Bleakney and project co-PI Dr. Deana McDonagh of FAA represented the team in London for the competition, but only the top five submissions were funded.
Illinois’ team was unbowed and continued to move ahead, knowing it had a good idea.
“Without question everyone on the team recognized the value of the project and the need to look for funding opportunities to continue working on it,” Bleakney said.
“The traditional manual wheelchair needs to be reimagined,” McDonagh added.
Although Bleakney works with some of the best wheelchair athletes in the country, including multi-marathon winner Daniel Romanchuk, he knows there is a broader application for PURE.
“It’s (for) all daily wheelchair users and other individuals with a lower limb mobility impairment. So we do envision that it would be a mobility device that can be used by both daily wheelchair users and others that don’t necessarily always use a wheelchair but would perhaps use some other some other form of accessible mobility in certain situations.”
The device’s name—PURE—came about as a result of a team meeting, Hsiao-Wecksler said.
“We wanted to express the organic and pure nature of using lean-to-steer technology to propel the device, rather than requiring constant occupation of the hands such as with a manual wheelchair,” she said. “This mobility device will utilize personalized driving calibration to accommodate different trunk function abilities and custom seating of each user. The design is a uniquely different mode of rolling instead of the traditional wheelchair with two drive wheels and castors. And it will be a wonderful mobility experience for the user.”
The traditional manual wheelchair needs to be reimagined.
Deana McDonagh
Professor of Industrial Design in the School of Art + Design
The PURE design plan describes it as “discreet,” which McDonagh said refers to “seeing the person before the chair—which translates to seeing the person before the disability.”
Hsiao-Wecksler added that PURE’s footprint is “smaller than a manual wheelchair’s, being no larger than the user’s body dimensions while seated, providing access to smaller spaces such as inaccessible public restroom stalls.”
Bleakney also stressed PURE’s ability to address long-term health and wellness and safety.
“We look at how can we decrease acute injuries that may occur from falling,” he said.“And we wanted to mitigate that risk, but also mitigate the risk posed to the shoulders from pushing a wheelchair around on a daily basis.”
And McDonagh said, “health is not just the absence of disease. Health is connected with one’s sense of independence, mobility and ability to live the life you need to live. This device will enable the user to traverse a more diverse terrain while holding a coffee in one hand! Or holding the hand of a loved one. We are blending the functional with the emotional needs of real people.”
A prototype of PURE was developed for the Toyota Challenge in 2018, but since it had rather inexpensive components, it could only support a payload of 25 pounds. A second-generation prototype is in the works, one that can support a rider up to 250 pounds and operate on level flooring.
Thanks to the NSF grant, plans are in the works for more development of the second-gen device and then a third-generation chair with more advanced control. Eventually, the researchers see commercial opportunities, and recently submitted an application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
“We think the value is transformative enough that it can be used by not just daily wheelchair users, but also by a broader audience,” Bleakney said. “Envision being at Disney World. And instead of hundreds of three-wheeled scooters being driven around by folks needing mobility assistance, PURE is being used and providing a much more inclusive and fulfilling experience. So I think it has a fairly broad application to a lot of different individuals who would benefit from it.”
Wellness ambassadors support the University of Illinois’ COVID-19 educational compliance efforts by providing health resources to the university community. The College of Applied Health Sciences is proud to boast several students who are participating in the Wellness Ambassador program. Periodically, we’ll speak with a student about what they have encountered in their role. Today, it’s Lauryn Praet, a student in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences.
Q: What kind of training did you receive to become a Wellness Ambassador?
A: We were trained as a group in both a Zoom training, as well as in-person training. These training sessions were facilitated by both the directors of the program as well as professionals from McKinley Health Center and the Champaign Public Health Department. We receive ongoing support through bi-weekly Zoom trainings to answer questions and problem solve any concerns. As a team lead, I received additional training specific to how to support my 8 person team, as well as address questions or concerns in between our biweekly meetings.
Q: What kind of activities are you performing while working?
A: Our workdays vary as well. We always have free wellness packets to hand out to students and faculty. Sometimes we are handing those out on the quad encouraging everyone to use COVID precautions, sanitizing, mask-wearing, and social distancing. Sometimes we are at the COVID test sites helping to support student testing. In the upcoming weeks, we will be helping to encourage students and faculty to get their yearly flu shots.
Q: How many hours do you work a week?
A: On average, I work 8-10 hours a week.
Q: Where are you stationed?
A: We have the opportunity to work all over campus. We are able to choose where we want to work each day from a list of facilities or areas that request assistance from the ambassadors. I have worked on the quad, at the COVID testing sites, and a variety of other University buildings. Typically, we are places where you would find students, faculty, and activity.
Q: What challenges have you faced in doing the job?
A: Being a Wellness Ambassador has been enjoyable, and most students are accepting of the information and wellness packets. We have observed most students complying with precautions, however, have experienced a few individuals who do not respect the safety precautions. We can remind and offer safety materials but have no authority to enforce.
Q: What kind of reactions do you get from students or faculty when you encounter them?
A: I have received very positive reactions from students and faculty. Most students and faculty seem to want to do their part by respecting and complying with COVID precautions. Most people I have spoken to understand the importance of the measures and respect the University for its extensive efforts to keep us safe and on campus. Most students want to be on campus and comply in hopes of staying on campus.
Q: What’s the toughest part of the job?
A: As I stated before, COVID safety is not always easy to enforce. However, knowing that I am making this campus a safer environment for all students to live and learn at makes it all worth it.
Wellness ambassadors support the University of Illinois’ COVID-19 educational compliance efforts by providing health resources to the university community. The College of Applied Health Sciences is proud to boast several students who are participating in the Wellness Ambassador program. Periodically, we’ll speak with a student about what they have encountered in their role. Today, it’s Rachel Brokenshire, a student in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health.
Q: What kind of training did you receive to become a Wellness Ambassador?
A: For training, all of us (the Wellness Ambassadors) met with our supervisors over Zoom a week before school started to discuss more about the position. We talked about how things on campus would look different, how to be positive influences while at school, and overall what our tasks would be as a Wellness Ambassador. We also have biweekly training sessions to discuss things like being prepared for interviews, how to post on social media, and different ideas we can bring to life on campus.
Q: What kind of activities are you performing while working?
A: While we are working, there a variety of activities that can be done throughout our shifts. Our main task since the beginning of the school year has been packing “Wellness Kits” that includes a lot of resources about testing, the flu shot, and fun goodies (sunglasses, masks, hand sanitizer). We go out around campus and hand out these bags to students. We have also been to testing sites to pass out fun temporary Illinois tattoos. As Wellness Ambassadors, we are striving to bring more joy and positivity to campus during these confusing times.
Q: How many hours do you work a week?
A: I work between 6-10 hours a week.
Q: Where are you stationed?
A: Before our shifts, we either meet at the Illini Union or at a testing site that we are assigned to. It really depends what our tasks are for that day.
Q: What challenges have you faced in doing the job?
A: I think sometimes encountering people who may not want to wear a mask or seeing very large groups of people in a certain area can be a bit hard to see. As Wellness Ambassadors, our job is to not “police” students around and tell them what to do. We are simply being role models for our peers and when some students do not want to comply, it is a little disheartening. Other than that, the job is very rewarding in itself and I am so proud to be helping my college during a time like this.
Q: What kind of reactions do you get from students or faculty when you encounter them?
A: Mostly, students and staff are so excited that we are handing out free stuff. It is amazing to see others around us happy and thankful for what we are doing. That part of the job is my favorite and knowing that other students are seeing us make a difference on campus is great.
Q: What’s the toughest part of the job?
A: I think the toughest part of the job, as mentioned before, is seeing some people not wanting to comply with the rules on campus. As Wellness Ambassadors, it was hard having to read that email from Chancellor Jones when most of the students here are doing their part to stay on campus this semester. The actions of a few students may cost us the opportunity to stay here for the whole semester and we are trying our best to not let that happen. After the email, we realized we needed to work harder to promote social distancing and wearing a mask while in public, and that is exactly what we did. I am so proud of my fellow Wellness Ambassadors and the amazing work we are doing this year.
Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Skylar Peters, who got her Master of Science in 2016 in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism, and who is now a 4-H/Youth Development Educator with Penn State Extension.
Q: Why did you pick AHS?
A: I knew I wanted to choose a master’s program in the Parks and Recreation Management field. I am passionate about outdoor and environmental education and the use of our public land to encourage outdoor exploration, especially in the younger years. While exploring online options for master’s programs with that in mind, I came across this program at University of Illinois. After speaking with Tim Tiger, the academic advisor, I knew that AHS was the place for me! I am so grateful I chose this program!
Q: Which professors had the most impact on you?
A: Because I completed an online master’s degree so I could work full-time in Extension, I wasn’t able to meet any of my professors personally. They all were wonderful and understanding of our schedules as adult learners and often were graceful when we turned in late assignments. I was always so thankful for that! My advisor, Tim Tiger, had a huge impact on me, he had so much confidence in my abilities and was so supportive that it made the online process a lot easier and more enjoyable! I am very grateful for him and all that he does for his students!
Q: What course did you most enjoy?
A: I really enjoyed my first class I took, which had me exploring the start of parks in the United States. It set a solid foundation for me to remember the “why” in our goal in parks and recreation programs. When you can understand and appreciate the history behind your passion, it helps to support your goals and vision for the future.
Q: Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?
A: I entered AHS already working professionally as an Extension Assistant working with youth development and the 4-H program in Pennsylvania. AHS helped support my professional career so I could be promoted to an Extension Educator (my current role) and support the events and programming that I develop. I knew I had a passion for parks and recreation and knew that AHS would help me explore that passion while I completed my degree. Because of AHS, I know my future career options are wide open in both the agriculture and parks fields.
Q: Did your AHS experience lead to your current job?
A: My master’s degree and the work I did in AHS aided in my promotion to Extension Educator. In AHS I refined my research abilities and my evaluation skills to finish a project that directly impacted the work I was doing in Extension. Without AHS, I would not be where I am professionally.
Q: What was your favorite on-campus experience?
A: Because I completed an online master’s degree, I only have one experience on campus. I was lucky enough to be able to make the trip to receive the Outstanding Online Masters Degree Student Award before I graduated. I explored campus, tried local favorites and was able to meet my advisor in person! It was a great trip!
Q: What does AHS mean to you?
A: AHS means the opportunity to explore my passion, challenge my thinking and develop new ways of thinking about the industry that is near and dear to my heart. AHS means establishing a future for myself while supporting my professional career. AHS was a chance for me to learn more about myself and my capabilities and learn from peers in the field. AHS was a chance for me to grow and become a better educator.
The College of Applied Health Sciences has experts in many areas that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Periodically we will ask these experts about how their areas of expertise have been impacted and what we can expect in a post-COVID-19 world. Today, we ask KCH professor Jeff Woods about complicating risk factors, vaccine production and virus spread.
Jeff Woods (Photo by Jerry Thompson)
Q: What are some of the complicating risk factors of COVID-19?
A: There seem to be many conditions, including advanced age, that complicate the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Others include cardiovascular disease, asthma, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Exacerbation of COVID-19 symptoms in those with underlying respiratory or heart problems is self-evident, but we do not know why other comorbidities make some susceptible to it. In addition, recent reports indicate that even young adults can experience hospitalization and severe symptoms. On the other hand, many others have tested positive without symptoms. Bottom line is that it is too early to tell all the factors that may make us susceptible to COVID-19 and it is too early to understand the mechanisms of why some condition increase or reduce severity. One factor that is always difficult to ascertain is the viral load of the inoculum that an infected person experienced. High loads should lead to more severe consequences. This is why wearing masks and reducing exposure to people via social distancing or reducing contact time is so important not just to prevent infection but also to lessen the viral load of exposure.
Q: The Spanish Flu erupted in spring, went dormant in the summer and then came back in the fall. Do you expect a similar pattern with COVID-19?
A: I do not think we know what to expect. This is a new virus we don’t know a lot about and comparing social dynamics as it relates to virus transmission across a century of time (e.g. comparing with Spanish Flu) is fraught with interpretive problems. The main reason that scientists believe that some viruses are seasonal have to do with living conditions—more people inside during winter, therefore greater chance of exposure and spread between people. In addition, some viruses are susceptible to light and humidity, both of which are lower in winter months thereby reducing fomite transmission.
Q: Dr. Fauci expressed hope for a vaccine within the next 6-8 months. But we haven’t been able to find a vaccination for the common cold. Is there any reason to have any greater hope for COVID-19 than we’ve had for these common diseases that have been around for decades?
A: Yes, I think so. The common cold has never shut down our economy before or caused significant human suffering or death. COVID-19 has. This fact alone has motivated much research and development regarding a vaccine. There is currently an unprecedented and well-funded effort to realize one or more SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in the near future. Scientists are also using different strategies, either targeting viral RNA or the ‘spike’ protein of the virus that increases the probability of success. That said, there are no guarantees in a war with a virus. One reason that you need an annual influenza vaccine is that influenza can mutate rather quickly. There is evidence that SARS-CoV-2 mutates more slowly, which is a good thing when trying to develop a universal vaccine against it.
Q: For people who have aging parents or relatives, how do we best protect them?
A: The best thing to do, at least until we get a successful vaccine, is to isolate them against potential infection. This means mask wearing and social distancing of at least six feet, but maybe more. This is important for older adults because their immune systems undergo senescence making the system less effective at combating pathogens or responding to vaccinations. If they get infected, there is a higher chance of a poor outcome.
Q: When will we know that the pandemic is lessening in the U.S.?
A: When the number of laboratory confirmed COVID cases (i.e. virus testing) drops and stays low for a significant time period. Symptom confirmed cases are not a great indicator because some people are infected and remain asymptomatic. Antibody tests tell us about individual exposure and in the case of some other viruses (e.g. influenza) indicates a certain level of protection from reinfection. However, at present, we do not know if antibody presence predicts protection against COVID. This big unanswered question needs to be answered. In short, we do not know if prior exposure leads to protective immunity or whether people can become reinfected after an initial exposure.
Alumni of the College of Applied Health Sciences have myriad career options thanks to the tremendous diversity of programs. We periodically will put the spotlight on an alum to find out what they’re doing now, what experiences they had and what AHS means to them. This week, we talk to Grace Merrett, who graduated in 2018 from RST with a focus on recreation management and now works as a garden and cooking educator for two elementary schools in the San Diego area. She is pursuing a Master’s degree in Education at the University of Washington.
Q. Why did you pick AHS?
A. The majors in AHS center around serving others; I picked this college because I knew it would allow me to be surrounded by students and professors that cared deeply about taking care of their people. The small class sizes and ample group projects allowed me to build a deep and wide network of funny, intelligent, and loving friends and mentors that I am super thankful to still have today.
Q. When did you graduate and with what degree?
A. August of 2018 with a degree in Recreation Management, minor in Horticulture, Certificate in Leadership
Q. Which professors had the most impact on you?
A. Robyn Deterding and Jonathan Hicks: These professors really saw their students as people and genuinely cared about my passions and accomplishments. They were incredibly thoughtful and intentional about the content they taught and were able to foster classes that felt more like communities.
Q. What course did you most enjoy?
A. I found so much joy in a course called “Children and Nature,” which focused on the importance of green space for kids. Our final project was to create a program for kids in the outdoors. Mine was creating a garden bed that included all of the ingredients you would need to make salad (tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, onion, jalapeños). Fast-forward three years, and I was able to actually facilitate this lesson as a garden educator! Over the course of three months, we learned about what seeds need to grow, parts of the plant that we eat (did you know the part of celery that we eat is actually the stem?!), and gained knife skills in cutting our tomatoes and de-seeding our jalapenos to create what was seriously the most delicious salsa I’ve ever had. I was smacked in the face with real world experience during my time in the Community Recreation Planning course. We were tasked with partnering with a small town to facilitate a SWOT (strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats) analysis, and then put together a proposal to the town’s mayor on our recommendations. I was part of the leadership team for a parking lot-to-park renovation. Through this, I was able to explore my passion for graphic design by creating a digital 3-D model of our vision, and I lived out my once-dream of being a landscape architect, as I was responsible for choosing the specific trees and flowers that would best flourish in the space. AHS allows for so many opportunities for cross-discipline exploration!!
Q. Did you enter AHS knowing your career path, or did AHS help you decide?
A. I did not enter AHS knowing my career path—all I knew is that I liked being outside and working with people. My professors and advisors (shout out Patty and Lori Kay Paden!) encouraged me to reflect on other aspects of work I enjoy and I included “creating programs” and “hands-on work” to my list of things I like. Because of their encouragement to self-reflect, I sought out work with the National Park Service and worked 2 seasons as a park ranger and fell in love with informal education in the outdoors. I plan to go to graduate school in the fall to develop my educational philosophy and techniques.
Q. What is your current job?
A. After being a park ranger at Canyonlands National Park, I made my way to San Diego, Calif., where I work as a garden and cooking educator for two elementary schools. This upcoming fall I will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Education at the University of Washington to develop my educational philosophy and techniques.
Q. What was your favorite on-campus experience?
A. I have super-fond memories of eating Auntie Anne pretzels on the blue tables outside of the union, laughing the days away with my friends while colorful leaves sweeping across the union patio.
Q. What does AHS mean to you?
A. To me, AHS means dedication to improving communities through providing essential wellness opportunities.
The students collaborated on a grant application to make protective masks for people with spinal cord injuries
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people to pause plans, change directions and pivot to new careers. For two Illinois students, it means becoming inventors and distributors.
Joey Peters, a Ph.D. candidate in Kinesiology and Community Health, and Gies College of Business alum Arielle Rausin collaborated on a grant application to make protective masks for people with spinal cord injuries, and found out this week that the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation—which focuses on funding projects for people with an SCI—awarded them a $10,000 grant.
The funding is provided through the Neilsen Emergency grants, which are intended to directly support the provision of services to those living with SCI and their caretakers to relieve the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. People with SCI have above-average risk in the COVID-19 pandemic due to the prevalence of comorbidities that could complicate any SARS-CoV-2 infection. Also, obtaining effective masks for people with SCI has proven challenging.
Peters and Rausin will help make 750 masks, using 3D printers located at Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES), and the company Rausin started, Ingenium Manufacturing.
It’s fitting that DRES is involved since that is where Peters and Rausin met. Peters was a renowned gymnast when he got to Urbana-Champaign in 2013, as a two-year American junior national team member. He quickly established himself as a star athlete on campus, however, he sustained a left rotator cuff injury before his senior year and could not compete that season.
The time away from competing allowed him to reflect on what was next and he decided to pursue a master’s degree in Kinesiology. His advisor, Laura Rice, is married to Ian Rice, another member of the KCH faculty and a former gymnast himself.
“Dr. Ian Rice had a research project looking at pressure, like preventing pressure ulcers and adapted sport equipment,” Peters said. “And so it seemed kind of interesting. So I wanted to get involved in it, so I got involved in that project and did my masters with that. And with that, I kind of got involved with the racing team here, doing research on them. And then, next thing you know, I’m volunteering, going out on the road with them, and kind of fell in love with the sport. And that was about four years ago, four or five years ago, and I’m still here.”
Peters became the grad assistant for the wheelchair track team, and that’s how he met Rausin, one of the athletes. Rausin herself has a spinal cord injury.
Since Peters plans to focus on SCI research and preventing secondary complications with SCI, working with Rausin made perfect sense.
“Arielle has an amazing 3D printing company, and it just seemed like a really good fit for the whole sort of COVID relief kind of plan to action,” Peters said. “We thought it could be a really cool idea to help people in need in the SCI community.”
This grant won’t be the first time Rausin has put her skill to good use for a good cause.
In a class during her junior year, she was tasked with creating a prototype of a useable product. Thanks to her passion for wheelchair racing, and a challenge from her coach, she decided to make wheelchair racing gloves. A good pair of wheelchair racing gloves is as important as good shoes for a marathon runner, but they’re very costly, going for as much as $250 a pair. Rausin decided to create a more durable, more affordable solution.
From that idea was born her company, Ingenium Manufacturing, in 2016, currently the only business in the country which offers wheelchair racing products using 3D scanning and printing technology.
In the grant application, Peters and Rausin said they could begin production on the masks within a week of securing funding. Rausin said logistics of distribution haven’t been worked out yet, but they’ll be working with DRES partners, and they plan to mail some to Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA), a youth organization in Chicago that promotes physical activities for people with a physical or visual disability.
The masks have been approved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but they’re not taking supplies from N95 masks that are meant for first responders and hospitals, Rausin said.
“The 3D printed mask that we’re going to be distributing, it’s meant for community use,” she said. “It’s going to protect people better than the cloth masks or bandannas or whatever that they have around their home. And so this is just an opportunity for us to give them a free mask that’s going to be better than their own, but still not taking away from the need that doctors and hospitals have.
“This was a perfect opportunity for us to be able to donate the use of the printers towards a good cause, and use them to help people.”
