*OpenSim Webinar: Muscle and Ligament Model of the Head and Neck to Study Physiological Motions and Dynamic Impacts* *February 12, 2019 10:00am Pacific Time*The head and neck is a complex musculoskeletal system comprised of high degree of freedom kinematics, redundant muscles, and passive structures. This complexity makes reproducing physiologically relevant motions and dynamic head impacts difficult in simulation platforms. In this webinar, Calvin Kuo from The University of British Columbia and Jon Mortensen from University of Utah will highlight improvements in head and neck modeling that address these challenges and discuss potential future applications. Learn more and register <https://opensim.stanford.edu/support/event_details.php?id=214&title=Webinar-Muscle-and-Ligament-Model-of-the-Head-and-Neck-to-Study-Physiological-Motions-and-Dynamic-Impacts> *Deadline Extended for NCSRR/OpenSim Visiting Scholars Program* *Application Deadline: February 15, 2019* The deadline for the NCSRR/OpenSim 2019 Visiting Scholars Program applications has been extended to *February 15, 2019*. The program is a unique experience that fosters expertise and collaborations in biomechanical simulations for rehabilitation research. Up to four individuals will be chosen to visit the NCSRR at Stanford University for a 5-week period during the summer of 2019. Each visiting scholar will be reimbursed for their travel and living expenses up to $8,000. Read more and learn how to apply <https://opensim.stanford.edu/support/scholars.html> *NCSRR/OpenSim 2018 Pilot Project Winners Selected*We got an outstanding response to our call for proposals this year. Given the high caliber of the applicant pool, we carefully reviewed the applications with the NCSRR Scientific Advisory Board, following NIH guidelines for conflicts of interest. We selected two projects for NCSRR Outstanding Research Grants (full Pilot Awards): - Dennis Anderson, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: Novel musculoskeletal models to assess spine segmental loads in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis - William Taylor, ETH Zurich: Shaky Knees: Simulation of musculoskeletal contributions to joint instability following total knee arthroplasty We also granted thirteen Outstanding Researcher Awards and Travel Awards, which include funds to attend an OpenSim workshop. - Outstanding Researcher Award Winners: Thomas Overbergh, Daniel Jacobs, Jennifer Nichols, Carrie Peterson, Saikat Pal, and Robert Gaunt - Travel Award Winners: Allison Kinney, Jessica Allen, Hans Kainz, Aaron Fox, Eric Perreault, Scott Brandon, and Wenlong Zhang See the full list of 2018 Pilot Project Program Projects <http://opensim.stanford.edu/support/pilot.html> on our website. Congratulations to all the winners! *Force-Based Spasticity Model Explains Muscle Activity during Passive Stretches and Gait in Children with Cerebral Palsy* Antoine Falisse and colleagues at KU Leuven in Belgium have developed and evaluated three different feedback models to investigate the mechanisms underlying the muscle spasticity often observed in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Falisse, et al. used the models to estimate the response of spastic hamstrings and gastrocnemii in children with CP to fast passive stretches and during gait, and found that estimates based on their force-based model better matched experimental results than estimates based on their velocity- and acceleration-based models. Read more about the study in PLOS ONE <https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0208811>. You can also download the code and data <https://simtk.org/projects/simcpspasticity> from SimTK to reproduce their results. -- *Jennifer Hicks, Ph.D.* Director of Data Science | Mobilize Center <http://mobilize.stanford.edu/> Associate Director | NCSRR <http://www.stanford.edu/group/opensim/about/index.html> R&D Manager | OpenSim <http://opensim.stanford.edu/> Stanford University 650-498-4403 | jenhicks@stanford.edu