Dayton Engineer

A team of UD engineering seniors took home second place at the inaugural Quality of Life Plus National Design Competition.

The UD team of Andrew Genzel, Jacob Maskrey, Meredith Tropeano and Kyle Shrader, along with seven other university teams, were tasked with designing a lower-limb socket for a prosthetic that mitigates heat and moisture. 

QL Plus challenges university STEM students to create innovative technology solutions that improve the quality of life for injured veterans and first responders.

“Many of those with a prosthetic device report some kind of dissatisfaction with their device, including moisture from sweat and heat build up in the prosthetic socket,” said Kristie Yelinek, program manager at QL Plus. “This can lead to problems such as skin breakdown or slippage within the socket, potentially leading to infections or falling. Current solutions on the market are often ineffective, expensive or time-consuming.”

Student teams presented their design in a short presentation plus testing and validation of their product.

The project was a part of their senior design capstone, a culminating project of their engineering skills to solve a real-world client problem. 

UD’s School of Engineering Innovation Centers has partnered with QL Plus to sponsor more than ten senior design capstone projects in the past eight years.

“Quality of Life Plus and the Innovation Center have forged a remarkable partnership over the past eight years, working together to innovate and improve lives,” said Becky Blust, director of the Innovation Center. “In addition to our collaborative efforts, QL Plus has consistently provided our students with challenging engineering capstone design projects, enriching their educational experience and empowering them to make meaningful contributions to society. 

“Our students have been dedicated to developing solutions to improve the quality of life for their users, embodying the spirit of innovation and service.”