Faculty
David Lin, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorThe Gene and Linda VoilandSchool of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering Washington State University 118 Dana Hall Spokane St. P.O. Box 642710 Pullman, WA 99164-2710 Office: McCoy South 205 (Tel: 509 335-7534) Graduate StudentsSampath Gollapudi |
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Research Interests
Dr. Lin is interested in the integrated mechanical properties of skeletal muscle and spinal reflexes. Specifically, he studies how the individual components making up the peripheral neuromuscular system interact to stabilize posture while encountering a perturbation (e.g., an applied push to someone standing).
Dr. Lin's research is applicable to Rehabilitation Medicine, specifically disorders of the nervous system, such as stroke or spinal cord injury, and investigating the underlying mechanisms of abnormal posture and movement. In addition, Dr. Lin also formulates mathematical models of skeletal muscle. Of particular interest to his laboratory are the force-generating characteristics of different muscle fiber types, which can be categorized by their unique proteins. By relating muscle protein content to mechanical function via mathematical models, different levels of study, from the molecular to the behavioral, can be connected.
Another aspect of his research is to incorporate the unique features of neuromuscular systems into engineered robotic systems. Unlike robots, humans remain stable while interacting with different loads, such as carrying varying weights. Implementing mechanical properties similar to muscle into the actuators of a robot may solve this problem.
Biographical Information
Dr. Lin received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987. He completed the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1989 and 1997 respectively. From 1997 to 2000, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow both at Emory University in the department of Physiology and at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He accepted a joint appointment at Washington State University as assistant professor in the Departments of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Physiology (VCAPP) and Department of Biological Systems Engineering in 2001.
Selected Publications
- Lin, D.C. and Nichols, T.R. Parameter estimation in a crossbridge muscle model. ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. 125(1): 132-140, 2003.
- Lin, D.C., and Rymer, W.Z., Damping actions of the neuromuscular system with inertial loads: flexor pollicis longus muscle in man. Journal of Neurophysiology. 85: 1059-1066, 2001.
- Lin, D.C., and Rymer, W.Z., Damping actions of the neuromuscular system with inertial loads: soleus muscle of the decerebrate cat. Journal of Neurophysiology. 83: 652-658, 2000.
- Nichols, T.R., Lin, D.C. and Huyghues-Despointes, C.M.J.I. The role of musculoskeletal mechanics in motor coordination. In: Peripheral and Spinal Mechanisms in the Neural Control of Movement, edited by M.D. Binder. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, p. 369-378, 1999.
- Lin, D.C., and Rymer, W.Z., Damping in reflexively active and areflexive lengthening muscle evaluated with inertial loads. Journal of Neurophysiology.80(6): 3369-3372, 1998.
- Lin, D.C. and Rymer, W.Z., Mechanical properties of cat soleus muscle elicited by sequential ramp stretches: implications for control of muscle. Journal of Neurophysiology. 90(3): 997-1008, 1993.
- Lin, D.C. and Rymer, W.Z., A quantitative analysis of pendular motion of the lower leg in spastic human subjects. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. 38(9): 906-918, 1991.