Engineering professor receives award from Biden administration

Nearly 400 professionals received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers on Jan. 14 from the outgoing Biden-Harris administration after being nominated by agencies such as the National Science Foundation. Among the recipients was Hannah Daily, ‘02, ‘06G, ‘09PhD, a Lehigh professor of mechanical engineering.

Originally created by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, the award is the highest honor from the U.S. government for outstanding scientists and engineers, according to a White House report. 

Dailey, who is also the director of graduate studies for Lehigh’s mechanical engineering department and a student advisor, focuses on orthopedic disciplines in her work. She was awarded for her research that led to the development of a new technology called the “virtual mechanical test,” which measures bone healing in humans and animals. 

Her research includes building a special kind of technology called “digital twins,” which is a virtual simulation that supports doctors and patients in orthopedic surgery. 

“Everyday people get hurt,” Dailey said. “They go to the hospital, and they need surgery to help them regain their life, livelihoods, mobility and independence. Orthopedic surgeons and engineers work together to make that happen.” 

She said those working in orthopedics design the tools and implants surgeons need to take care of patients, which is a collaboration she finds very motivating. 

Dailey, who specializes in long bones like the tibia or shinbone, is part of a larger collaborative effort of researchers working to create this bone-healing technology. She said she’s inspired by other female mechanical engineering professors who have paved the way for digital twins. 

She also said, however, there isn’t currently an accurate way to determine if a patient’s bone is fully healed after surgery, as the bone can’t be taken out of the patient’s body to be put under stress tests. This makes it difficult to know when it is safe to return to normal activities. 

Dailey said the digital twins replicate mechanical tests to determine if the bone has made a full recovery or if another surgery is needed.

The simulations are based on CT scans of bones, which provide 3D representations that are more comprehensive than traditional 2D X-rays. She said these scans are able to accurately replicate the patient’s bone and can be manipulated in a series of tests to determine the status of the healing process. 

The digital twins model was first implemented with a patient at Cork University Hospital in Ireland. Dailey said the research has now extended far beyond what she originally envisioned. 

In order for this technology to be used in hospitals across the United States, Dailey said it needs to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This is a goal she and her team are working toward in order to bring this technology to patients in the near future.

The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers isn’t the first National Science Foundation award Dailey has received for this research project. 

In 2020, she was awarded approximately $500,000 over a five-year period for the foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program, which is given to early-career faculty who demonstrate a combination of innovative research and community service. 

Dailey said these two awards have increased financial support for her future research proposals.

At Lehigh, she has four doctoral students currently working in her lab. She said she enjoys navigating challenges with students while they work on computational models, data collection, coding and more. 

“I get a sense of thrill out of solving problems,” Dailey said. “Sitting there with students, we do root cause analysis and try to figure out a creative work-around.”

Kylie Frew, ‘24, a mechanical engineering doctoral student in Dailey’s lab, has been working with her since her junior year of undergrad. 

She said a typical day of work includes working on multiple papers and documents at a time, data collection, running simulations, analyzing results and developing reports.

“When I stand back and look at the whole progression (of the research), it’s really cool to see how each student who works on it makes it better and builds on the ideas,” Dailey said.

Frew said the environment of Dailey’s lab doesn’t carry the stress and pressure that commonly arise in other research experiences.

“Dailey lets you come to her when you need the time with her,” Frew said. “It’s very nice because you’re independent, and there is trust between both parties.”

Frew said Dailey has become much more than a research leader. She has served as her academic advisor and teacher, and helped her write a proposal that led to her earning her own National Science Foundation grant.

“As an educator, she is fully invested in figuring out the best ways to help students learn,” Frew said. 

Doctoral candidate Maham Tanveer, another mechanical engineering graduate student, has been working with Dailey for the past two and a half years. She said after reading Dailey’s papers, she was immediately interested.

“She has an eye for detail but is also able to take a step back and look at the bigger picture,” Tanveer said.

Tanveer is currently working on two projects in Dailey’s lab. She said one focuses on how mechanical strain affects bone healing, and the other focuses on the optimization of density-based material modeling for mice digital twins.

Tanveer said she feels supported by Dailey in several ways. She aids her interests in research and development and also helps her make connections to achieve her goals.

“There is no other way to put it — Dailey is the perfect advisor,” Tanveer said. “She wants to see her students succeed academically and personally.”

Outside of her research, Dailey is a mother of two and the co-founder of an orthopedic technology company called OrthoXel. She said she also enjoys working out to strengthen her own bones.

Tanveer said she’s amazed by how Dailey balances all of her responsibilities while putting her all into everything she does.

“I’ve seen bosses, but she’s a leader,” Tanveer said. “She’s the one that takes your hand and pulls you up.”