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Suzie Bartram is a biomechanical engineer who enjoys creating items of all sorts, from jewelry and collages to interactive robots and medical devices. She grew up in Montana, where she learned to love and appreciate the outdoors. She looks to nature for inspiration. Frogs always have and always will have a special place in her heart.

Suzie Bartram

Leap of Faith

Change requires taking a leap of faith

The concept of leaping played a central role in my project, in which there existed a delicate juxtaposition of the power that a frog can produce during its jump against its fragility in surviving changing habitat conditions. Here, the frog was taking a leap of faith into an unknown future.

Looking back, I have come to realize that this concept was a recurring theme to my senior year. These past few months have been riddled with many leaps of their own that have brought me up to this point in time and are launching me into the next stages of my life.

The Details of the Piece

Frogs are among the world’s greatest jumpers. Some, such as Australian rocket frogs, can jump 50 times the length of their body (1.) Their muscular system is designed for maximal power generation during jumping. Microscopically, their muscle filaments have great overlap which produces greater force and faster contraction speeds than human muscle filaments (2). Zooming back out, the muscles work somewhat like springs; this “springiness” is known as the elastic mechanism of the muscle. It stores energy and can control the energy’s release to provide the frog with optimal acceleration and force while jumping (3). Even when stretched out, frog muscles generate tremendous power that helps launch the frog from the ground.

Frogs are also excellent indicators of environmental health. Their skin is particularly sensitive to chemicals and pollution and they lead biphasic lives— spending their larval form in water and their adult form on land. Therefore, they depend on the health of the entire ecosystem, aquatic and terrestrial, to survive.

Sadly, frogs are now poised at a critical moment of existence. Amphibians across the globe face significant peril due to habitat loss, infectious skin diseases, and competition from introduced species. One of the worst contributors is the Chytridiomycosis fungus, which can cause 100% mortality rate in certain populations and currently has no effective measure of control (4). Because of such factors, more than a third of the nearly 7,000 amphibian species on earth are now threatened with extinction, and over 130 have become extinct since 1980 (1,5). This is a problem across the globe. Locally, the California red-legged frog and mountain yellow-legged frog fight against extinction (6,7).

Supporting the conservation of wetlands and native habitats will help these and many other species thrive. With enough public awareness, we may just catch the frog before it falls.

My Journey Through TSR

When I returned to Stanford in the fall, I was not expecting to stay for a full three quarters. I was planning on finishing my degree requirements and then entering the working world. However, during Arts Intensive, Susan McConnell mentioned this three-quarter course she taught that fused the arts and the sciences, known as The Senior Reflection. I was intrigued and decided to try it out. I took that first leap into what became some of my best experiences of senior year.

TSR made a memorable impression from the start. For one of the first times during my undergraduate degree, I was asked to identify something that I was passionate about without the constraints of relating to specific course contents. I was very surprised to discover that this was really hard. I could easily identify things I cared strongly about, but to find that “perfect fit” for a project to pursue for the next six or seven months took a long time and some deep thinking. The best part was that I was not alone. Despite it being a personal project, support came from many directions—the instructors, mentors, and all of the students in TSR going through the same process. Soon, TSR developed a community feel that one rarely sees in a class under the quarter system.

The next defining leap of my experience was selecting my TSR project. As mentioned above, this was a process in itself. I felt like I was a freshman again trying to select a major—I wanted to do it all… how would I choose? Many ideas came up relating to health and the environment. Soon, the topic of frogs entered the discussion. For as long as I can remember, I have been enamored with these remarkable creatures. I remember as a child sitting on the floor with a box of pencils and a sheet of paper on which I sketched out and designed an elaborate “Frog Zoo.” Here, I imagined myself researching and caring for each species of frogs. I wanted it to become a sort of "frog city," where I could retreat in comfort. I am not sure what became of this paper – it probably got lost in my collections. However, the memory of it has remained imprinted on my mind ever since. To this day, I remain fascinated with frogs and continue to care deeply about their survival. When it came to selecting a project focused on these amphibians, the feedback that I received was a universal yes.

I feel lucky that as the details of my project unfolded, the better fit it seemed to be. Not only did it involve frogs, but it also involved motion, physiology, and biomechanics. Add on the fact that I got to work with metal and I was more than thrilled. In the past, I had created several small-scale metallic sculptures and loved working with this medium. Although each metal has distinct properties, in general they have some fascinating properties—they can be machined, melted, bent, and polished. This versatility allows for a wide range of creative approaches. Comparing my personal process here with other students, I feel like I took an engineered approach to the artistic side of the piece. Rather than simmering over how I want to convey my subject through art, I chose my artistic medium and topic rather separately and then thought through the best way to combine the two. It was at this point that I decided to weld/solder a metal framework of a frog’s body during its jump. I explored other processes, such as sand casting and collaging with natural materials, but I always ended up back at my original idea. It just felt right.

As I became more caught up in my project and the year, I soon began to struggle with the concept of leaving Stanford. I had learned a lot about myself through the internal reflection that TSR had taken me through in just a single quarter and I realized that my time as an undergraduate and as a senior is something I really need to treasure and should not rush away from. I cannot be more thankful towards TSR for providing this incentive to stay, for my last two quarters have been some of best I have had. Furthermore, the courses I was able to take with that extra time have driven me towards the pursuit of a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering. Looking back, I find it amazing how much one’s life plans can change in just a few months.

Returning to the topic of my project, I have to admit that the hardest part was the building-phase. I went through numerous iterations of every single part. I tried brazing brass rods together, but that seemed to turn out messy. I then tried soldering, which worked much better. However, not all types of solder create the same shiny finish. Therefore, it took numerous attempts and quite a bit of practice to melt the right type of solder to the right state of setting. Other challenges involved scale. I built an entire leg only to realize that the frog would have to be five feet long if I was to continue working at this size. Another challenge that constantly arises in engineering projects and again here is how to deal with connections and transitions. The connections of each segment of the body to the next, the springs to the legs, and the body to the pole had to be thought through and worked through. The list of examples goes on and on. While some challenges may have been avoided through a little closer attention to detail, most of them are inherent to the process of building. Once one is hands-on with a piece, he comes to better understand the material that he is working with. This is one of the reasons that I love being an engineer—one faces new challenges at every step of the way.

It was during the building phase that I faced the most internal doubt. The picture of what I wanted to create in my mind was often near impossible to achieve, so I had to find a way to get as close to it as possible. I worried that what I was building would not come together, that it would not be strong enough to support itself, or even that aesthetically it would be “off” in some way or unrecognizable as a jumping frog. I cannot count the number of brass rods that I discarded trying to create the proper form for the frog’s body. Since the project was built over such a long period of time, such doubts had to be reconciled or they would have driven me crazy. Initially, I was able to push them out of my mind. Soon, however, I learned to use them as motivation to keep going—to prove them wrong. With each success came newfound confidence that everything could and would come together.

Despite it being the most difficult phase, building was also the most fun. It was motivational to see the project evolve, piece by piece, after each new trip to the machine shop. Furthermore, interacting with other designers and constantly getting new feedback and opinions about the project was very valuable. It brought a smile to my face every time I was asked how my frogs were coming along. The workshops were especially great. For one thing, they kept me on schedule and very aware of my progress. More important, though, they provided critical and honest reactions about my design. It is a gift to receive such open feedback and definitely improved my work. It was an experience I will always remember.

Before I knew it, the year was coming to a close. The final hurdle was setting up for the TSR exhibit and reception. Here, all of the details came together and all of the uncertainties were resolved. It was both stressful and exhilarating. I cannot describe how rewarding it was to finally be able to step back and look at the complete piece, resting in the hall of Wallenberg. A lot of emotions went into the piece, and for me it gracefully displayed them all.

TSR was more than just TSR

TSR turned out to be what it described as an in-depth creative process that fused the arts and sciences to produce a capstone project. Yet it was so much more than this. In some ways, The Senior Reflection provided the assignment enjoy senior year. For one thing, it asked one to take a step back and think about his or her values and areas of intense interest. It provided the opportunity to ask oneself the difficult questions and search for the difficult answers. On top of this, it provided the time to get out and enjoy the creative process. This creative process is different for everyone and for me it is incredibly fun and fulfilling. It involves getting out and interacting with others—asking their opinions, receiving feedback, and discussing new ideas. It also involves working in solitude, in one’s own world. Finally, it involves taking a break. This can actually be the most difficult thing to do—recognizing when to take a step back and let the work “simmer” before you approach it again.

This was the first time I have undertaken a creative project of this scale and length. I am used to the quarter system whereby one works on a project for at most a few weeks. There is hardly enough time to deal with the emotions of doubt and fear—one just powers through it. Furthermore, one only iterates through two or three designs before needing to select one to carry forward. From this perspective, six months is an incredible amount of time. I was worried about how I was going to stay motivated and on top of the project, working intensely away at it week after week. I soon discovered the need to pace myself. Other courses had called for a sprint; this was a marathon. I would burn out of I did not slow down at times, did not stop to refuel, or did not have the end in mind. I know that this ability to pace through a large work will be invaluable during my future, whether it is in school, work, or other creative undertakings.

I have come a long way since that first TSR meeting in the fall. I have grown as a student and as an individual. I have strengthened my ability to express both myself and my interests. Whether I am taking on a new day, a new quarter, a new job, or even a new belief, I am undertaking a new leap of faith into an unknown and exciting future.

Special thanks to:

Susan McConnell & Andrew Todhunter
Sherril Green
Jonathan Edelman
The Senior Reflection Class
The PRL Shop TAs
My Mother

Thank you for all of your support and guidance. It was such an amazing year!

References

[1] “Frog.” Wikipedia. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog>
[2] Lutz, Gordon J., and Rome, Lawrence C. “Muscle function during jumping in frogs. II. Mechanical properties of muscle: implications for system design.” American Physiology Society. 1996.
[3] Roberts, Thomas J., and Marsh, Richard L. “Probing the limits to muscle-powered accelerations: lessons from jumping bullfrogs.” The Journal of Experimental Biology. 2003.
[4] “Chytridiomycosis.” Wikipedia. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Chytridiomycosis>
[5] “The Search For Lost Frogs.” Conservation International. 2011. <http://www.conservation.org/campaigns/lost_frogs/Pages/search_for_lost_amphibians.aspx>
[6] Barnett, Lindsay. "Endangered California red-legged frog to receive large new protected habitat area -- finally." The Los Angeles Times. March 2010. <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/03/endangered-california-red-legged-frog-to-receive-large-new-protected-habitat-area-finally.html>
[7] Zimmerman, Janet. "Region: Protection increased for endangered frog." The Press Enterprise. Feb. 2012. <http://www.pe.com/local-news/breaking-news-headlines/20120202-region-protection-increased-for-endangered-frog.ece>