As a capstone to the bioengineering program at George Mason University, each graduating senior student completes a team-based, two-semester design project where they develop solutions to real-world biomedical and/or clinical problems. Since the program began in 2013, scores of students have garnered accolades and attention for their ingenuity and novel solutions.
In 2024, The CryoCrafted Innovations; Project: “Prosthetic Cooling PCM Liner with Peltier Fan Add-On” sponsored by the non-profit QL+ won a national award at the QL+ National Design Competition in May. QL+ is a national nonprofit that sponsors multiple College of Engineering and Computing capstone projects where engineering students develop personalized solutions for injured veterans and first responders to enhance their quality of life.
Through extensive outreach and user feedback, the team gained valuable insights into amputees’ daily challenges. They learned that lower limb amputees often struggle with the comfort of their prosthetic devices, with temperature variance one of the biggest problems. Heat and moisture buildup caused by the variance frequently leads to skin irritation, lesions, and slippage.
For their project, team members Alessandra Coogan, Katie Harrison, Rachel Ometz, SuJung Rodriguez, and Karmel Webster developed a unique liner for prosthetic devices.
The liner incorporates a blend of silicone and two encapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) that absorb and release heat as they transition between solid and liquid states within a specific temperature range. This provides passive cooling to the residual limb.
“Our deep understanding of what solutions would be effective and market-ready alongside our iterative design process is what made us stand out in the competition,” said team member Alessandra Coogan, now a master’s student in bioengineering.