Dr. Terry Trammell Wins Louis Schwitzer Award

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Photo of Dr. Terry Trammell by Dana Garrett
Photo of Dr. Terry Trammell by Dana Garrett
 

The 55th annual Louis Schwitzer Award was presented Friday, May 21, to Terry Trammell, M.D., for his work on biomedical engineering for IndyCar driver safety. 

Trammell’s numerous contributions have advanced motorsports safety and prevented driver injuries. Utilizing a data-driven approach, engineering principles, and medical expertise, his efforts have been recognized across multiple motorsports safety organizations throughout the world. 

In addition to Trammell’s renowned orthopedic abilities, his undergraduate degree is in chemical engineering with a specialization in biomedical engineering. From the early 1990s, he has worked to develop definitive data from racing crashes using the latest technology. From the earliest accident data recorders to later units like the new ADR4, Trammell has been integral to their development. The resulting G-force database has been used to continuously develop improved race car materials and design.

“I’m very honored to have received this,” Trammell said. “I want to express my appreciation to the Louis Schwitzer Award committee for awarding me this honor. It was unexpected, to say the least. I want to thank Borg-Warner for sponsoring. 

“The beginnings of my engineering education and what I intended to do to pursue a path in biomechanical engineering, actually was doing a senior research project for industry when my adviser suggested if I was going to pursue this, I should go to medical school.

“I took his advice; I went to medical school. The closest thing I could find to biomechanical engineering in medical school was orthopedic surgery. When you really think about it, a large number of orthopedic surgeons have an engineering background. One of the core principles throughout an orthopedic residency is regular education in biomechanics. When you’re putting hardware in people, it’s a good idea to know how heavy the hardware has to be, how many screws, how long a plate, what kind of material, so on and so forth. Without really knowing that’s we’re doing, that’s what we do every day.”

Presented by engineers to engineers, this annual award sponsored by BorgWarner memorializes the innovative spirit of Louis Schwitzer, an automotive engineer and pioneer who won the first automobile race at IMS in 1909. Each year the award is presented to innovative engineers who have developed cutting-edge concepts that improve competitive potential and focus on advancements that increase the safety, performance, or efficiency of Indy 500 race cars. Award recipients receive $10,000, and their names are added to the Louis Schwitzer Award trophy, which sits at the IMS Museum.

For more information, visit indianapolismotorspeedway.com.

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