Jason Kutch, Ph.D.

I received a B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University in 2001. I received a Ph.D. in Applied and Interdisciplinary Mathematics in 2008 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. I was mentored by Tony Bloch (Mathematics), Art Kuo (Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering), and Zev Rymer (Northwestern University Physiology and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago). I developed experimental tools and computational analyses for understanding patterns of fluctuation in forces exerted by the human index finger, and related the observed force fluctuation patterns to muscle control strategies. I found that for motor tasks in some directions, forces oscillate along a single direction, indicative of control by a single muscle, while in other motor tasks, forces oscillate in a variety of directions, indicative of control by multiple cooperating muscles.

I am working now with cadaver hands actuated with computer-controlled motors to investigate how muscle force fluctuations propagate through bone and soft tissue. The purpose of these experiments is to validate the non-invasive methodologies suggested by my Ph.D. work, thus facilitating the research and clinical study of muscle activation patterns and motor unit recruitment.