The J. Robert Beyster Computational Innovation Graduate Fellows Program was established by Dr. J. Robert (BSE M ’45, BSE P ’45, MSE Phys ’47, PhD ‘50) and Betty Beyster to acknowledge that Ph.D. students are “the originators and carriers of innovative ideas and solutions from the University to the world,” and to emphasize the pivotal role that high-performance computing must play in solving our societal challenges.
Callan Luetkemeyer is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a member of the Mechanics of Materials Laboratory. Her research uses state-of-the-art, full-field experimental and computational inverse techniques to build mathematical models of the mechanical behavior of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a commonly injured knee ligament. These models are intended for use in whole-knee finite element simulations to study the effects of potential injury risk factors and surgical reconstruction techniques. To achieve this, Callan adapted a computational inverse technique, the virtual fields method, for use with full-volume data, spatially-varying fiber directionality, and nonlinear boundary conditions.
Callan is also a focus group activity organizer for the Girls in Science and Engineering (GISE) camp. She plans to pursue a postdoctoral position after defending her dissertation in fall of 2019.