Dr. Jim Bagian, the Director of the National Center for Patient Safety of the Department of Veterans Affairs, recently toured the Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory at Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Bagian is a mechanical engineer, physician, former astronaut and investigator on the Challenger accident. He came to view the research being conducted by Dr. Tamara Reid-Bush of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Laura Bix of Packaging. The areas of their research in which Dr. Bagian was most interested are decubitus ulcers and quantifying movement associated with the hands.