Obama Bestows Highest Presidential Honor on Early Career Scientists and Engineers

At the White House yesterday, President Barack Obama bestowed on 100 men and women the United States government's highest honor for scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers--the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Among the awardees, twenty were nominated by the National Science Foundation. These awardees come from universities around the country, and excel in research in a variety of scientific disciplines: biological sciences, computer and information science and engineering, education and human resources, engineering, geosciences, mathematical and physical sciences, and social, behavioral and economic sciences.

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Virtual reality tele-rehab improves hand function: Playing games for real recovery

Remotely monitored in-home virtual reality videogames improved hand function and forearm bone health in teens with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, helping them perform activities of daily living such as eating, dressing, cooking, and other tasks for which two hands are needed.
While these initial encouraging results were in teens with limited hand and arm function due to perinatal brain injury, we suspect using these games could similarly benefit individuals with other illness that affect movement, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, arthritis and even those with orthopedic injuries affecting the arm or hand,' said Meredith R. Golomb, M.D, M.Sc., Indiana University School of Medicine associate professor of neurology.

This project was done in collaboration with the Rutgers University Tele-Rehabilitation Institute, headed by Grigore Burdea, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering. The study appears in the January 2010 issue of Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Full Story: Science Daily