National Biomechanics Day honors the breakthrough science of the 21st century. This global celebration was observed in the Florida Gym as an annual outreach event that brings together labs from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, College of Public Health and Health Professions, and the College of Health and Human Performance. The purpose of this event is to provide students with hands-on experiences that highlight principles of biomechanics and movement science within daily life and sports.
On Wednesday, April 6, students from Howard W. Bishop Middle School were invited to experience body-motion science through a series of activity stations designed by faculty and doctoral students.The activities included demonstrations of the importance of motion tracking, models of traumatic brain injury, illustrations on how movements can be measured in 2D or 3D, and testing balance under various conditions to see how it can be challenged.
Thanks to the American Society of Biomechanics Student Chapter at the University of Florida for bringing together faculty and students within the applied physiology and kinesiology department, biomedical engineering department, mechanical and aerospace engineering department, and the industrial and science engineering department. Through these efforts, the students were able to immerse themselves in activities where science meets fun.
These colleges are hopeful that through this workshop, the subject of biomechanics will begin to be a topic K-12 students world-wide can familiarize themselves with and will enrich the surrounding Gainesville community through the expansion of youth education and interest in STEM.