This past May, Virginia Tech hosted the Quality of Life Plus (QL+) National Design Competition. QL+ is a national organization dedicated to engineering an improved quality of life for those who served our county. Competitors were challenged to develop a lower-limb socket and/or liner that mitigates heat and moisture. Team members worked on their design during their senior year. There were 8 teams from 7 schools in attendance. Teams were given the option to attend virtually or in-person. The Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University Biomedical Engineering, Norwich University, and George Mason University teams attended in person. The University of South Florida, University of Dayton, Grace Collage, and Virginia Commonwealth University Mechanical Engineering teams attended virtually. The event was organized by Dr. Chris Arena, a Collegiate Associate Professor in the Virginia Tech Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics Department, and by Kristie Yelinek who is a Quality of Life Plus Program Manager. Students from the QL+ Student Chapter at Virginia Tech volunteered their time to help ensure the success of the competition.
Dr. Chris Arena was inspired by mechanical engineering competitions to create a similar opportunity for biomedical engineers. In the 2022-2023 academic year, the current challenge was presented to a team from the Virginia Tech Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics department. This paved the way for the inaugural competition QL+ National Design Competition that occurred this year.
The competition kicked off on Friday, May 3rd, 2024, with a judge’s meeting, a student mixer, and a meet, and greets dinner at Cabo Fish Taco. On Saturday, all the teams presented, and their designs were put through validation testing. In their presentations, teams were asked to introduce their teams, give an overview of the problem statement, state requirements and specifications, display their design, explain their testing, provide the budget, explain the future direction of their project, and give closing remarks. There were 7 judges who volunteered their time to this competition: Alex Barret, Courtney Lough, Bruce Bishop, Robin Ott, Dr. Rick Clark, Rick Henegar, and Richard Spice. Judges individually filled out a 200-point rubric for each presentation. Teams were ranked 1 through 8 based on their performance in the validation testing. The winning team was George Mason University.
Overall, the first QL+ National Design Competition hosted by Virginia Tech was a tremendous success. This will pave the way for many more biomedical engineering competitions. These competitions offer students a unique opportunity to foster critical thinking, creativity, and practical skills, in a dynamic, hands-on environment. They also allow teams to collaborate to create innovative solutions to address healthcare challenges and promote teamwork. They also serve as fertile ground for talent identification and recruitment in the biomedical industry. Biomedical Engineering design competitions contribute to a culture of innovation and improvement in the healthcare sector. The success of this event has set a solid foundation for future events. It demonstrated the value and potential of bringing together bright minds from various institutions to take on real-world challenges. This will help foster a continuous cycle of innovation, collaboration, and professional growth and pave the way for the growth of biomedical engineering competitions.
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