The Clinical Opportunities & Needs Networked with Engineering, Computation & Translation (CONNECT) Colloquium series brings together researchers, clinicians, faculty, and graduate students to identify shared research interests, exchange expertise, and create new interdisciplinary collaborations.
Each colloquium combines a research presentation with an extended discussion and brainstorming session. Promising connections can continue through follow-up meetings, researcher matchmaking, identification of funding opportunities, and collaborative proposal development.
How CONNECT Works
Each CONNECT colloquium is a 90-minute interactive session, with up to 45 minutes devoted to the presentation and approximately 45 minutes reserved for discussion and brainstorming. Presentations are designed to be accessible across disciplines, allowing participants to learn about research questions, methods, challenges, expertise, and resources beyond their own fields.
The goal is not simply to present research. The goal is to stimulate meaningful interdisciplinary discussions, identify complementary expertise, foster new collaborations, and transform promising ideas into joint research projects and competitive grant proposals.
When a promising connection emerges, the conversation can continue beyond the seminar through introductions, follow-up meetings, researcher matchmaking, identification of relevant funding opportunities, and collaborative proposal development.
Planning to present? Please review the Guidelines for Presenters before preparing your presentation.
Planning to attend? See the Guidelines for Attendees to learn how you can participate in the discussion, connect with speakers, and become involved in potential collaborations.
Colloquium Organizer: Dr. Majid Bani-Yaghoub, Email: baniyaghoub@umkc.edu
Fall 2026 CONNECT Colloquium Schedule
All seminars are 90 minutes and include time for presentation, discussion, and interdisciplinary brainstorming.
| # | Date | Time | Presenter | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday, August 21 | 3:00–4:30 PM | Dr. Antonis Stylianou | SOM, Theater A |
| 2 | Friday, September 18 | 3:00–4:30 PM | TBD | SSE, FH 531 (Toyota Room) |
| 3 | Friday, September 25 | 10:00–11:30 AM | TBD | SSE, FH 531 (Toyota Room) |
| 4 | Friday, October 2 | 10:00–11:30 AM | TBD | SSE, FH 531 (Toyota Room) |
| 5 | Friday, October 16 | 3:00–4:30 PM | Dr. Yugyung Lee | SOM, Theater B |
| 6 | Friday, October 30 | 10:00–11:30 AM | TBD | SSE, FH 531 (Toyota Room) |
| 7 | Friday, November 13 | 3:00–4:30 PM | TBD | SSE, FH 531 (Toyota Room) |
| 8 | Friday, December 4 | 10:00–11:30 AM | TBD | SSE, FH 531 (Toyota Room) |
| 9 | Friday, December 11 | 3:00–4:30 PM | TBD | SOM, Theater C |
Additional speaker names and presentation titles will be posted as they are confirmed.
Location and Parking Information
¹ Abbreviations. UMKC = University of Missouri–Kansas City; SSE = School of Science and Engineering; SOM = School of Medicine; CAM = Division of Computing, Analytics and Mathematics; FH = Robert H. Flarsheim Science and Technology Hall.
³ SOM / Health Sciences Campus. UMKC School of Medicine, 2411 Holmes Street, Kansas City, MO 64108.
⁴ Parking at SSE / Volker Campus. UMKC faculty, staff, and students should use parking areas permitted by their UMKC parking permit. Visitors without a permit should use designated metered parking or obtain an appropriate visitor permit. Metered public parking is available at locations including the 5050 Oak Garage and Cherry Street Garage (5009 Oak Street).
⁵ Parking at SOM / Health Sciences Campus. Parking options in the Health Sciences Campus area include the Hospital Hill Parking Garage, School of Dentistry Parking Garage, and other designated parking areas. Metered parking is also available in the Hospital Hill area. Attendees should follow posted parking restrictions and UMKC permit requirements.
⁶ Visitors and Guest Parking. Visitors are encouraged to review UMKC parking information before traveling to either campus. There is no free campus parking, including nights and weekends, and departments may arrange guest parking permits for special events.
Colloquium Details
Friday, August 21, 2026 | 3:00–4:30 PM, SOM, Theater A
Computational and Experimental Biomechanics and Clinical Applications
Antonis Stylianou, PhD
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Director, Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Laboratory
Associate Division Director, Division of Energy, Matter, and Systems
UMKC School of Science and Engineering
Abstract
Computational and experimental biomechanics provide complementary tools for understanding the complex behavior of the musculoskeletal system and translating fundamental biomechanical principles into clinically relevant applications. This presentation will highlight an integrated research approach combining musculoskeletal and multibody modeling, finite element analysis, motion analysis, and experimental measurements to investigate human joint mechanics and clinically important problems.
Examples will demonstrate how computational models, supported and evaluated through experimental data, can provide insight into joint loading, contact mechanics, ligament function, and musculoskeletal dynamics. Applications involving the knee and elbow will illustrate the use of subject-specific and anatomically based models to investigate joint contact forces and pressures, ligament deficiency, orthopaedic conditions, and injury mechanisms. More recent work extends these approaches to pediatric musculoskeletal biomechanics, including computational and experimental investigations of the knee and growth plate in relation to ACL injury risk.
The presentation will also examine the application of biomechanical engineering methods to surgical procedures. By integrating motion capture, computational anatomical models, instrumented surgical tools, and quantitative analysis of surgeon kinematics, this work seeks to characterize surgical performance and identify mechanisms associated with surgical error. These studies demonstrate how computational and experimental biomechanics can bridge engineering and medicine, providing quantitative tools to better understand musculoskeletal function, evaluate injury and pathology, and support the development of improved clinical and surgical strategies.
Opportunities for Collaboration
The presentation will highlight opportunities for collaboration between engineering and medicine in areas such as patient-specific musculoskeletal modeling, joint mechanics and osteoarthritis, pediatric knee and ACL injury, growth-plate biomechanics, surgical planning and simulation, surgical performance and safety, imaging-to-modeling approaches, movement analysis, and biomechanical biomarkers.
Clinicians and researchers interested in these or related areas are encouraged to participate in the discussion and explore potential collaborative projects.
About the Speaker
Antonis Stylianou, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Laboratory (MBRL). He also serves as Associate Division Director for the Division of Energy, Matter, and Systems in the UMKC School of Science and Engineering.
His research focuses on computational and experimental biomechanics, with an emphasis on musculoskeletal and joint mechanics. His work integrates multibody musculoskeletal modeling, finite element analysis, and experimental methods to investigate joint function, contact mechanics, injury mechanisms, and orthopaedic conditions. His research also applies biomechanical modeling and motion analysis to surgical procedures with the goal of improving surgical performance, reducing errors, and maintaining surgical skills.