Whitaker Fellowship Experience
By: Matthew Major
Fellowship Year: 2006-2007
Fellowship Country: United Kingdom
Project Title: User-Responsive Prosthetic for Lower Extremities
Home Institution in the US: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Host Institution Abroad: University of Salford, UK
Following a successful application to the Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program, I performed a study at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom during the academic year of 2006 and 2007. I feel this experience was tremendously valuable to my life, allowing me to develop both professionally and personally in ways that could not be achieved solely through my university education in the US. During my Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I undertook courses in Bioengineering and human physiology, which subsequently sparked my interest in prosthetic devices. I began to appreciate how engineering could be used to improve the quality of life for those who suffer from certain deficiencies.
Fuelled with my desire to experience the world through travelling abroad and pursue an academic career in Bioengineering, I began to explore means in which I could simultaneously accomplish both. Thus, I discovered both the University of Salford and the Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program. Through this fellowship, I was granted the opportunity to conduct a research study into the development of a user-responsive prosthesis for below-knee prosthetic gait. During this time, I also performed clinical observations and attended undergraduate courses on prosthetics and orthotics, which provided me with a clinical education to compliment my technical background. This experience has truly been instrumental in helping me achieve my long-term career objectives. Essentially, this project has formed into my PhD, which will be completed by the beginning of 2010 at the University of Salford.
However, as with many experiences, one must endure both challenges and rewards. These obstacles were not only project-related, but also in regards to living and working in a different culture and environment. During this process, I was very quickly reminded that academic work requires both time and patience. I came to realize that the overall project objectives I had originally detailed were slightly overambitious and I would have to develop a more defined project plan. Part of the reason for this was that I did not take into account the amount of time necessary for acclimating to a new culture and academic environment; the former directly affecting the latter. Even the most subtle of cultural differences, such as the one which exists in vocabulary and spelling between American and British English, can present a challenge. However, the amount of time afforded by this program allowed me to fully adjust and integrate into not only my research institution, but also the community in which I was living. I became actively involved in a nationally-run scheme that provides engineering and science lectures to grammar school students throughout the United Kingdom.
Despite these challenges, I am tremendously pleased with all that I have accomplished during this program and how far I have progressed since then. Results from this study and those that followed have been presented at seven national international conferences and will be presented at a world congress on prosthetics and orthotics in Germany in 2010, where I will be providing an invited lecture. Through the international exposure generated from the Whitaker Program, I have developed strong academic relationships not only with researchers in my particular institution, but also from universities in other countries (e.g., Germany, Australia, and the United States). As I intend to pursue an academic career in the US, the relationships I have developed will surely help me secure future transatlantic collaboration, and consequently strengthen the quality and global impact of research being conducted in Bioengineering.
Having completed this Program, I believe I am certainly more culturally aware and have a better understanding of how the Bioengineering research culture operates in the United Kingdom. However, most importantly, this experience has helped me refine a crucial skill in life, to be flexible in order to succeed. My personal growth resulting from this program has made me more independent, and has helped me develop into a more confident and effective researcher. Everything I experienced during this fellowship has enriched my life in one form or another.