A Student Reflects on His Summer Internship in India
By Brent Niese (ME)
This past summer I participated in the second-year of a three-year project involving the research of the Jaipur foot- a low-cost, simple prosthetic. This project is a collaboration between The Ohio State University, Colorado State University, Dr. P. K Sethi Rehabilitation and Jaipur Training Center, and the Malaviya National Institute of Technology.
- testing the foot’s materials (wood and various rubbers) to record the material properties,
- building an accurate mesh from a 3-D model of the foot to predict failures, and
- creating an epidemiology report to find a correlation between past failures.
The eventual goal of the project is to reduce the weight of the prosthetic, standardize the components, and mass produce the prosthetic to impact as many amputees as possible.
The Jaipur foot project has been especially rewarding for me, getting hands on experience while participating in a project that I think can truly have an impact on the world.
During the 12-week research internship our group, consisting of two OSU students and two Colorado State students, worked with Professor Harlal Singh Mali of Malaviya National Institute of Technology and the graduate students in his lab. It was a unique experience working abroad because I had to overcome challenges that I hadn’t dealt with during my previous Co-Ops in the United
Growing up in a small farm town, I was excited for the chance to get out of my comfort zone and experience a culture completely different than my own. Living in Jaipur for the summer helped me experience India in a way you can’t do as a tourist. I was able to make some amazing friends and incredible memories I know I will remember for the rest of my life.