Trauma Biomechanics - How to Choose Your Project Pathway

This course offers four project pathways, each representing a different way of doing trauma biomechanics.
All pathways are equally valued, equally graded, and equally rigorous - they simply emphasize different skills and interests.

There is no “best” pathway.
The best pathway is the one that matches how you think and how you want to work.

🟦 Pathway A - Numerical / Computational Modeling (FEM)

Choose this pathway if you:

• Enjoy simulations and computational modeling
• Are comfortable with FEM software
• Like exploring “what happens if…” questions
• Want hands-on experience with injury modeling

What you will do:

• Build or adapt simplified FE models
• Apply impact or injury-relevant loading
• Compute and interpret injury metrics
• Perform sensitivity or parametric studies

You do NOT need:

• Very complex geometry
• Advanced material models
• High computational resources

Typical outputs:

• FE models
• Injury metric plots
• Interpretation of trends and limitations

Good fit for students interested in:

• Computational biomechanics
• Automotive safety
• Further numerical or PhD research

🟩 Pathway B - Experimental / Proof-of-Concept Design

Choose this pathway if you:

• Like thinking about how things are tested in the real world
• Enjoy system design, instrumentation, and feasibility
• Are interested in building research capability, not just using tools
• Prefer practical, engineering-oriented thinking

What you will do:

• Design experimental test setups (rigs, dummies, sleds)
• Define sensors, protocols, and safety considerations
• Think about repeatability, validation, and cost
• Work at the level of how testing could realistically be done

You do NOT need:

• Access to a real laboratory
• To build or manufacture anything

Typical outputs:

• Test system designs
• Experimental protocols
• Schematics and feasibility analyses

Good fit for students interested in:

• Experimental biomechanics
• Lab development
• Applied engineering and industry work

🟨 Pathway C - Data-Driven / Analytical Modeling

Choose this pathway if you:

• Enjoy deep thinking and analysis more than tools
• Like asking “why does this work?” or “when does this fail?”
• Prefer literature-based or conceptual work
• Are interested in research, theory, or PhD studies

What you will do:

• Analyze injury criteria, models, or mechanisms
• Develop simplified mechanical or conceptual models
• Study uncertainty, robustness, or injury evidence
• Synthesize and critique existing biomechanical knowledge

You do NOT need:

• FEM software
• Experimental equipment
• Advanced programming

Typical outputs:

• Analytical models
• Conceptual diagrams
• Critical synthesis and interpretation

Good fit for students interested in:

• Research
• Theory development
• Critical evaluation of biomechanics

🟥 Pathway D - Prevention, Design & Systems Thinking

Choose this pathway if you:

• Think at the system or policy level
• Are interested in safety design, standards, or regulation
• Like connecting biomechanics to real-world decisions
• Want to address local or national needs

What you will do:

• Design safety systems conceptually
• Analyze standards and injury assessment frameworks
• Study design trade-offs and feasibility
• Propose improvements grounded in biomechanics

You do NOT need:

• FEM
• Experiments
• Hardware design

Typical outputs:

• Evaluation frameworks
• System-level designs
• Standards critiques and redesign proposals

Good fit for students interested in:

• Safety engineering
• Industry, policy, or regulation
• Capacity building in developing contexts

⚖️ Important Notes

• All pathways are graded using rigorous, pathway-specific rubrics
• No pathway gives an advantage in grading
• Difficulty is comparable across all pathways
• You will be graded on:
  • biomechanical reasoning,
  • clarity of thinking,
  • justification of assumptions,
  • awareness of limitations

This course values thinking like a trauma biomechanist, not using a particular tool.

✅ How to Decide

Ask yourself:

• Do I prefer models, systems, data, or design?
• Do I want to work with software, concepts, experiments, or frameworks?
• Which project would I be excited to work on for several weeks?

If unsure, talk to the instructor - guidance is part of the course.

Final Thought

Trauma biomechanics needs modelers, experimentalists, analysts, and system thinkers.

This course allows you to grow in the direction that fits you best.