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.
