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LeAnn Dourte ’05 (Lebanon, Pa.) is using the ANSYS computer modeling program and advice from medical experts to potentially aid in correcting a hip condition called slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE).
The condition usually occurs when overweight children hit puberty, and the top of their femur slips where it connects to the pelvis. SCFE, which is exacerbated by weight, can be corrected by a fairly simple operation that places a pin in the femur and stabilizes and aligns the bones.
“Our goal is to create a three-dimensional model that will help a surgeon place a pin in the femoral head to correct the condition,” says Dourte, a mechanical engineering major with a minor in Spanish, who is working on the problem through an independent research project. “The model will also be used to analyze the stresses and strains placed upon the femur when the pin is inserted.”
Robert Reid, visiting assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, is guiding the project, which grew out of work Dourte completed last summer through Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students assist faculty with research while earning a stipend. Lafayette is a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the 180 students who participate in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
Reid has served as president of his own engineering firm since 1989, maintaining hands-on responsibilities such as software development and design of mechanical, structural, and industrial projects. He also has held software development and structural engineering positions, as well as an engineering job with ANSYS, Inc.
Lafayette received a $243,526 grant from the National Science Foundation this year to establish its structural engineering laboratory, which is opening up new learning opportunities in several areas for mechanical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and mathematics students.
“Devising a way to make the surgery more exact is an important contribution both to the study of biomechanics and to the quality of life for those who suffer from the condition,” says Reid. “LeAnn is a very diligent and organized student who is making great headway.”
Dourte tackled the project because of her interest in biomechanics and biomedical engineering, and plans to attend graduate school in the field.
“I enjoy using my mechanical engineering knowledge for medical purposes, since it enables me to directly affect someone’s life in a positive way,” she says. “This research opportunity has helped me make this decision and continues to inspire me to pursue a field of engineering related to health care.”
She credits Reid with offering her opportunities to connect with experts in the medical field as well as providing excellent mentoring in her exploration of the subject.
“My adviser encourages me to ask questions when I’m confused and is highly qualified in finite element analysis using ANSYS. He is also in contact with doctors and surgeons so where our medical knowledge is lacking, we have expert resources to enhance our project,” says Dourte. “He oversees the project, suggests new ideas, and guides me as I work. He serves as a sounding board for new ideas.”
The independent study and EXCEL project are just two of the many innovative academic experiences Dourte has enjoyed at Lafayette.
“I believe Lafayette is an excellent environment for my independent study because of the attention to undergraduates. At a larger school with graduate students, I never would have been given this opportunity. Also, Lafayette allows me to work with a civil engineering professor, even though my major is mechanical engineering,” she says. “This type of opportunity allows me to expand my knowledge into other engineering disciplines, a chance I would not find at many other schools.”
She adds, “I believe Lafayette is one of the best undergraduate institutions to obtain a degree in mechanical engineering. I have confidence in the knowledge of my professors and feel that I am gaining a lot from their experiences. The facilities and equipment are up to date and enhance the learning experience.”
In January, she will travel to Africa for a Lafayette interim session course, Modern Sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya and Tanzania, taught by Rexford A. Ahene, associate professor of economics and business and co-chair of the Africana Studies program, and Kofi Opoku, professor of religion and co-chair of Africana Studies. The course combines a first-hand look at the socio-cultural environment and natural resources that shape development and change in Kenya and Tanzania.
“I am taking the course and trip as part of my Marquis Scholarship,” she says. “I think the interim trip is a wonderful aspect of this scholarship that truly helps Lafayette’s top students become well rounded members of society.”
Dourte is secretary of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, member of the Society of Women Engineers, serves on the Residence Hall Council, and is choreographer for the Marquis Players, a student group that produces an annual musical for charity.
She is a graduate of Cedar Crest High School.
Lafayette has gained national recognition for its success in attracting and retaining outstanding women engineering students like Dourte. Last year, women earned about 31% of the bachelor’s degrees the College awarded in engineering. Nationally women make up approximately 19% of engineering B.S. graduates, according to a 2002 National Science Foundation report.
The American Society for Engineering Education featured Lafayette in a cover story of its Prism magazine, entitled “Getting it Right: Attracting Women to Engineering is Tough, but Some Schools Have Found a Formula that Seems to Work.” Prism cites Lafayette among nine engineering schools nationwide that have “excelled in upping the ranks of women in their midst.” The other schools are Michigan State, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Purdue, Tufts, Tulane, and the universities of Colorado and Oklahoma.
In addition, Lafayette received a grant of $151,875 from the National Science Foundation to build on this success and further strengthen recruitment and retention of both women and minority engineering students.
The opportunity to conduct meaningful research with faculty is a major advantage for these students. As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Over the past five years, more than 130 Lafayette students have presented results from research conducted with faculty mentors, or under their guidance, at the conference.
Lafayette ranks No. 1 among all U.S. colleges that grant only bachelor’s degrees in the number of graduates who went on to earn doctorates in engineering between 1920-1995, according to the Franklin and Marshall College study “Baccalaureate Origins of Doctoral Recipients.”
Goldwater Scholarship. LeAnn Dourte ’05 received the premier national undergraduate award of its type in math, science, and engineering. One of her mentors is Robert Reid, visiting assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.