Kids in Danger, an organization that fights for product safety for children, presented their Best Friend Award to Erin Mannen, an assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering and director of the Boise Applied Biomechanics of Infants lab. Mannen received the award “for her groundbreaking infant sleep research that has led to policy changes and saved lives.”
Mannen’s research, inspired by her concerns for the safety of her own children, focuses on how babies move and use their muscles while using various commercial products.
Her findings led to the recall by the Consumer Product Safety Commission of millions of dangerous infant-inclined sleep products. As a result, a new standard for infant sleep products will soon be in place.