I know the arts are important, but...

I was at the local Longview Rodeo tonight, and the announcer introduced the girl singing the national anthem as a "Talented 15 year old from Pine Tree Junior High".

I know the arts are important, and she did have a great voice, but don't you think it might be time for her to start focusing on her grades so she can get out of Jr. High before she has her drivers license?

A realization

I came to a realization today - I've had this blog for just over a year - about a year and a week - and I've posted a grand total of 10 times. That's pitiful.

Maybe I should work on that.

Decisions have been made pertaining to the LEGS team and we are moving ahead with them. We have had to scale back what we had hoped to accomplish this year, but we understand that that's the nature of a research project. Things don't always go as planned. Instead of working to meet travel and implementation goals, the senior members of the team have decided to focus on improving the documentation that exists, and making sure that we don't leave taking any information with us. So I am now faced with a massive stack of research notebooks, a ton of MS Word templates, and lots of scratch paper as four of us begin the process of recording everything we know about LEGS.

In addition, I have to completely document a prosthetic foot testing machine that I designed and wired, but did not have time to program. So some poor guy next year gets to do that, and that means I have to write down a semester's worth of development with some degree of clarity.

I'll be honest and say I enjoy the development and manufacturing part more than the documentation.

It's also slightly frustrating to not be able to just finish the project - I know exactly what needs to happen, but simply don't have time to complete it. Too many end of semester reports and design reviews are due.

2.5 more weeks of LeTourneau, then 20 days in Europe, and then life. I honestly don't think its sunk in yet that I don't come back next year. Just like the last 3 years, I'm so ready to be done that I'm just looking forward to summer, like everyone else here. I think I'll miss this place.

I'm proud of a photoshop job I did. It's the background for the powerpoint for my final presentation on surveying instruments in ancient Rome.

Fun class - a lot of work and a ton of research, but I have enjoyed the learning.

Back to work.

LEGS

Well, strangely enough, right after I made an attempt to start blogging again, I actually have a request to make of my few loyal readers.

As you know, I'm on the LEGS team (www.letu.edu/legs). I know I may be slightly biased, but it really is a fantastic project. The need for prosthesis in the developing world is huge, and to date no one has worked to meet that need with properly engineered devices. The devices that are commonly available are widely accepted, but you have to realize that they're accepted out of great need. Just because someone doesn't have any other options doesn't give you an excuse to do a sub-standard job when giving them a "solution".

LEGS is working to develop a prosthesis which meets the same standards required in the first world (ISO standards, etc) while keeping the device extremely affordable and culturally appropriate.

It's hard to summarize the entire project in just a few paragraphs, but trust me - it's a great project and we are working hard on it.

Which brings me to my reason for posting. I would like to ask those of you who are willing to please remember LEGS in prayer. First, we are up against a wall called "no money" and simply cannot continue without further funding. We are waiting to hear back on some grants, and the Lyons Club international expressed possible interest in funding us, but are moving extremely slowly (and of course, funding always comes with strings attached....)

Second - we just found out in the last couple days of testing that one major design we were depending on to implement overseas this summer failed... Miserably. We had put our faith in some work done by another university on a foot design, and apparently that was not the wisest choice. It lasts about 5000 cycles of fatigue testing, as opposed to 2,000,000. We understand that this stuff happens with R&D work, but it's frustrating just the same, and we desperately need a solution or there's no reason to travel this summer.

Finally, we have been working closely with a clinic in Kenya for some time now, but the politics of the situation have gotten rough and are not improving. Without giving a ton of details, we are now faced with making the decision of pulling out of Kenya within the next few months. Doing this means that all 17 patients currently happily walking on our limb would have to give their prosthesis back because of the R&D agreement we have with both the clinic and the school.

I hope this isn't terribly confusing, but the essence of this post is - "Please pray". I firmly believe that God can (and has) used the LEGS initiative to change lives. Hopefully all of this is simply a temporary setback that needs to be overcome before further progress!

Thank everyone (i.e. Sarah ;)). In the meantime, I'm going back to work on this stupid foot.

Back by popular demand!

....ok, fine - so one person asked me to get my act together and post again, but for me, that counts as "popular".

I can't remember what I've talked about here in the past, but for those of you who don't know, I am student project manager of the LEGS team (www.letu.edu/legs). It has taken over a large portion of my life. I've effectively moved into the lab now, moving everything but my bed and clothing down here to save time walking back and forth. I'm growing to hate this lab. Kind of strange to walk in to a lab when it's sunny outside and come out when it's dark and realize that 8 hours have passed. I miss windows.

(see how exciting my life is?)

I've also been finishing up writing an interesting research paper on surveying instruments and methods in ancient Greece and Rome. Lots of work, but very interesting and quite impressive how accurate their results were given the limited technology.

On a much lighter note, my fiance is down visiting over Easter weekend - so I'm going to try to relax a bit in the next few days and avoid going insane.

...and now you understand why I haven't posted in forever. My life doesn't make that fantastic of a story...