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National Biomechanics Day Event Report #2 - Kylee Henson

9/27/2024 5:14 pm

This blog is the second entry into a series about award winners from the International Women in Biomechanics Outreach Grant for National Biomechanics Day events. Each awardee submitted a summary of their event, which has been condensed for brevity and clarity. You can find the first entry to the series here. 

 

Kylee Henson and Lakehead University were able to put on their first ever NBD event this year! They had 32 11th/12th grade students attend. Here’s an awesome video that gives you a bit of an idea of how much fun they had:

 

 

There were 4 stations available. All students received a demonstration at each station before dividing up into groups, where each was assigned a data collection question:

  • Station 1: Helmet impact testing and the risk of head injury in football helmets
    • Question: Does helmet fit influence head acceleration during side impacts?
  • Station 2: Gait and foot posture assessments & motion capture demonstration of the gait cycle
    • Question: Do shoes influence the way we walk?
  • Station 3: Stair climbing and the effects of momentum from a static or dynamic start position
    • Question: Is there a difference in time between a static start versus a walking start position on the Stair Climb Test?
  • Station 4: Grip testing with measures of electromyography and the effect of motivation
    • Question: Does motivation influence grip strength performance and muscle activation?

At the end of the day, each group gave a presentation on what they learned. This allowed the attendees to get an understanding of the scientific process, have hands-on time with data collection mechanisms, and practice their public speaking skills.

 

The organizers reported that “the biggest highlight was the excitement of the high school students getting to see all the different equipment and types of research that could be done. At every demonstration, the students were engaged and asked questions throughout, which further developed their understanding of what biomechanics is.”

 

Kylee’s advice for planning your own NBD event was: “[D]on’t let fear prevent you from taking the initiative. I found out about NBD through the BOOM podcast and thought it sounded like a fun event to host. As a first-year Masters student, it was intimidating to approach my mentor with the idea, but I figured the worst that could happen was that they would say no. By taking the initiative, I was able to recruit some wonderful people to volunteer their time and host a great event that will continue for years to come. If fear of failure is your main reason for not doing something, then I say do it anyway because you might be pleasantly surprised.”