Joseph Stevenson ’22, a biomedical engineering major, landed a part-time opportunity with Hartford Healthcare (HHC) as a biomedical engineer after completing an exciting internship this summer. Stevenson’s goal is to become a biomechanical technician upon graduation. Through his current role, Stevenson is conducting motion analysis trials for both the clinical and research aspects for HHC. He recently had the opportunity to take apart and reconfigure the Kestrel Motion Capture System in a new orientation and location for baseball analysis trials. Stevenson is working alongside individuals including Dr. Kristen Renner, Dr. Matthew Solomito, and Dr. Stefanie Bourassa in several research studies, including the Total Hip Arthroplasty and Rowing Biomechanics research studies.
He served as a biomechanist intern for the Motion Analysis Lab at HHC’s Bone and Joint Institute this past summer.During the internship, Stevenson performed motion capture analysis for rehabilitation patients, specifically working with gait, ACL, golf, baseball, and running assessments. “I conducted post-processes in programs such as Cortex and Visual3D, and worked alongside physical therapy doctors and biomedical engineers in several research projects regarding rowing biomechanics, retrospective ACL injuries, and total hip arthroplasty,” he says. “I also learned how to construct and calibrate a 12 Kestrel camera system for HHC, which was an exciting project.”
When asked how UHart prepared him for this internship, Stevenson says through the several classes he took, such as Biomechanics and Anatomy and Physiology, he was able to develop key skills in making assessments to assist the healthcare professionals. He also says through various opportunities to present research, he is grateful for the time he has had at UHart to develop strong communication skills.
Stevenson is pursuing a career in biomedical engineering because he enjoys reconstructing things to see how and why they work. He also feels inspired to help people biomechanically that are recovering from injuries. Stevenson found the perfect opportunity to attend UHart because of the location, atmosphere, and cost.
Since the start of his college career, Stevenson was not shy to get involved on campus. He has had a strong work ethic from the start, serving as a student monitor in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA)’s makerspace, ensuring students were safe when working on projects and tending to equipment updates and refurbishment as needed.
He also served as a biomechanics research assistant working alongside faculty to design a device that measures and calculates biomechanics of weight distribution and center of gravity. Through this role, he utilized the program LabVIEW in order to measure posture and load distribution on a chair and assess why students frequently suffer from back pain. He also designed a pipette holder for the University’s biology department using the software Autodesk Fusion 360. Stevenson is grateful for the connections he made with many of his faculty through these research opportunities, including biomedical engineering faculty Taka Asaki and Mary “Cater” Arico. He is also grateful for the support of his family and friends for helping him throughout his journey at UHart.
When asked what advice he would share to incoming students, Stevenson recommends finding a balance between work and play. “Don’t let yourself get consumed by schoolwork, but also don’t let it go the other way so you miss out on exciting opportunities, making memories, and having fun during these four years at UHart that will go by fast.” He also encourages getting involved. Stevenson, in particular, is a member of the ultimate frisbee club and ping pong club on campus.