Abstract
The equitable distribution of resources, recognition, and institutional support is rarely guaranteed for marginalized groups. While conversations around inequality have long centered on race and gender, there exist other populations whose needs remain systematically understudied. Two such groups as collegiate cheerleaders and below-the-knee amputee patients occupy spaces where outdated structures, insufficient oversight, and a lack of tailored innovation have measurably lessened their quality of life and wellbeing. Cheerleaders compete at a high athletic level yet are denied the institutional protections afforded to recognized sport athletes. Amputee patients, many of whom manage multiple health risks such as diabetes, endure a prosthetic fitting process that remains largely subjective and prone to costly error. Though these groups exist in very different contexts, they share a common condition: the systems designed to serve them have not kept pace with their needs. Addressing both requires a willingness to look closely at overlooked populations and ask how better information, advocacy, and design can improve their lived experiences. This portfolio examines each of these challenges through two distinct but thematically connected projects.
My capstone project addresses a critical gap in prosthetic care for below-the-knee amputees. The current fitting process relies heavily on patient-reported, subjective feedback, which makes it difficult for clinicians to accurately assess socket fit and make precise adjustments. When a socket fits incorrectly, patients face physical consequences including blisters, pressure sores, skin lesions, and long-term tissue damage. To improve this process, my capstone team designed a pressure sensing application system that places sensors across anatomically significant load-bearing and load-sensitive regions of the prosthetic socket. These sensors capture real-time pressure distribution data and stream it through a user interface that clinicians can reference during fitting appointments to guide their adjustment decisions. This technology does not currently exist in standard prosthetic fitting practice. By replacing guesswork with quantitative, real-time feedback, the system has the potential to improve socket accuracy, reduce patient complications, shorten fitting timelines, and lower both material and clinical costs. Ultimately, this innovation represents a meaningful step toward a more precise and patient-centered standard of prosthetic care.
My STS research examines how the NCAA's classification of collegiate cheerleading as a non-sport affects the resources, protections, and institutional recognition available to cheerleaders across American universities. Because cheerleading is not formally recognized as an NCAA sport, universities are not bound by consistent standards in how they structure, fund, or oversee their cheer programs. This has produced a landscape of significant variation, where the lived experience of a collegiate cheerleader depends heavily on the institution they attend. My research investigates how this classification shapes access to key protections and benefits that NCAA-recognized athletes receive as a matter of policy, including NIL protections, scholarships, and academic privileges such as early course enrollment. The findings make clear that the absence of formal sport status leaves cheerleaders in a structural gap where they compete at a demanding athletic level without the institutional safeguards their peers in recognized sports enjoy. The paper concludes that meaningful reform requires both structural change within the NCAA and a broader cultural willingness to center the voices and experiences of cheerleaders themselves in policy conversations.
Both projects proved to be deeply rewarding and illuminating. Each required engaging seriously with a population whose challenges are frequently minimized or ignored, and each demonstrated how targeted examination, whether technical or sociological, can surface meaningful pathways for improvement. Through my capstone work, I developed skills in electrical engineering, sensor integration, human anatomy, and human-centered design. Through my STS research, I built competency in policy analysis, qualitative research, and institutional critique. Looking ahead, both areas offer substantial room for continued work. Future researchers might expand the pressure-sensing system toward clinical trials and broader patient populations, while STS scholars and advocates could build on this research to push for formal NCAA reclassification of cheerleading. Together, these projects affirm that paying closer attention to overlooked groups is not only worthwhile, it is necessary.
