Dr. Coats recently received NSF funding to investigate progresssive damage at the brain-skull interface. The study involves high-rate testing and imaging of repeated loading in the subarachnoid trabeculae and blood vessels. Constituitve formulations of damage progression will be created and integrated into our multi-scale computational framework to predict progresssion of brain strain during repeated head...
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The Coats lab received a $557K award from the Department of Justice for Phase 1 of their project to investigate the effect of skull thickness variability on skull fracture patterns in infant. This project, in collaboration with Dr. Ashley Spear from the Multiscale Mechanics and Materials Lab, will characterize skull thickness variability across the...
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A collaboration between biomechanics, robotics, biology, and electrical engineering has led to the proposed development of a smart helmet to reduce risk of concussion. The helmet would offer active (instead of passive) impact protection and offer a unique warning system that could reduce head angular accelerations from impact. Ed Yeates and KSL recently spotlighted the project. Funding...
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Dr. Susan Margulies came to the University of Utah as an invited speaker in the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Distinguished Seminar series. The Developmental Head Injury Biomechanics Lab was delighted to give her a tour of our facilities and ongoing projects. Dr. Margulies was Dr. Coats’ graduate adviser at the University of Pennsylvania where she...
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The Department of Defense Vision Research Program has awarded the lab a $1 million dollar grant to investigate long term ocular injury from blast exposure! The interdisciplinary 4-year project will investigate ocular trauma using clinical evaluations and experimental animal models. The project will support 2 graduate students for 4 years. We are very excited to...
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Pediatric Ophthalmologist and collaborator Gil Binenbaum, MD at the University of Pennsylvania was recently awarded a seed grant from the UPENN Vision Research Center to investigate changes in pediatric intraocular pressure with scleral depression. The University of Utah Pediatric Injury Biomechanics lab will design and manufacture the computer controlled depressor in order to assist...
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We will be presenting our work at the San Diego International Conference for Children and Families. The talk is in collaboration with Safe and Healthy Families at Primary Children’s Hospital. The talk is titled Video recorded reenactment of inflicted head and other injuries to a three-week-old infant: Biomechanical, clinical and psychosocial observations and perspectives....
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Our first publication detailing the occurance of ocluar hemorrhages in a porcine model from rapid head rotations is now available online in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS). Work is in collaboration with Gil Binenbaum, MD, a pediatric ophthalmologist at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. ...
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Recently published in the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering:In Situ deformations in the immature brain during rapid rotations by Ibrahim, Natesh, Szczesny, Ryall, Eucker, Coats & Margulies. This communication quantifies brain strain and brain/skull displacement during rapid head rotations in an immature brain....
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