Prosthetic arm designed by undergrads lets girl play violin

The pressure was on for Abdul Gouda and his classmates at George Mason University: Not only did their graduation depend on the success of their project, but so did the hopes of an impossibly cute 10-year-old girl. Fifth-grader Isabella Nicola wanted to play the violin, but she was born with no left hand and a severely abbreviated forearm. Her music teacher at Island Creek Elementary in Fairfax County had built her a prosthetic allowing her to move the bow with her left arm and finger the strings with her right -- the opposite of how violin is usually taught. But the prosthetic was heavy and he thought there might be a better option. He reached out to Mason, his alma mater.