Home : Volume 33 : Spring 2007 :
GIFT REPORT 2006: Seireg fellowship offers students clinical experience

Ali A. Seireg (Large image)

Kaiser Chair of Mechanical Engineering Ali Seireg was best known for his research on biomechanics, or treating the human body as a machine. He taught in the College of Engineering for 31 years before his retirement in 1997 and maintained a presence on campus until his death in 2002. He authored seven books and more than 300 papers, edited two journals for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and created a “walking-machine” for paraplegics, which was exhibited at the Seattle World’s Fair and the History of Medicine and Science Museum in London. He was an award-winning educator and internationally recognized engineer.

And to his wife, Shirley, he was a hero.

In the mid-1970s, Shirley was suffering from pain in her left knee. The cartilage in the joint had been deteriorating since she’d injured the knee in a horse-riding accident at age 17. The pain became severe enough to hamper Shirley’s daily routine, even making it difficult to carry a pot of water from the stove to the sink.

To help his wife, Ali applied his biomechanical expertise to designing a knee and leg brace for her. “It was the best in the world at the time,” says Shirley. She says the brace staved off knee surgery for more than 30 years. Now, Shirley is honoring her husband in a way that will give other engineers the chance to help patients the way Ali helped her. She has established the Ali A. Seireg Graduate Fellowship, given annually to one student in mechanical or biomedical engineering who is interested in orthopedics.

In addition to tuition and a small stipend, the fellowship provides a unique interdisciplinary experience. Along with their engineering classes, Seireg fellows participate in two types of training with orthopedic residents—weekly lectures and rounds—to expose them to the principles of and the applications of engineering technology in orthopedic patient care. Fellows also initiate a clinical research project as part of their graduate studies.

Ameet Aiyangar (Large image)

Mechanical engineering graduate student Ameet Aiyangar received the fellowship for 2006-2007. His interests in research and design in the orthopedics industry include bone nature and growth, joint biomechanics, and computer-aided surgery. “The fellowship has changed my outlook on these topics,” he says. “Sometimes as an engineer, you can get narrowly focused on a topic, but when you hear the surgeons talk, you get a sense of the broader picture.”

The goal of the fellowship is not only to expose engineers to clinical experiences, but also to enhance orthopedic residents’ education. “It’s an effort to cross-pollinate engineering with orthopedics,” says Shirley. “I’m interested in helping doctors solve problems through engineering.”

According to Aiyangar, this goal is being met. His frequent interactions with surgeons and residents help him understand their perspective and have made him aware of how much studying biology and medicine can complement his engineering goals.

“At the same time,” he says, “it also gives me perspective on the engineering base the surgeons might be lacking and where engineers can really contribute to the medicine.”

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Date last modified: 05-Jun-2007
Date created: 05-Jun-2007

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