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Zelik Lab
For Biomechanics & Assistive Technology

Summer opportunity for high school females to learn about biomechanics

Posted by on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 in News.

We are excited to be offering a FREE, virtual, four-part biomechanics series to female high school students!

This event occurred in June 2021. It was an amazing week exploring biomechanics, sports performance, and rehabilitation engineering. If you are interested in any of the series content to share with students or help with your own outreach efforts, please reach out to Maura Eveld (maura.e.eveld@vanderbilt.edu ) or Rachel Teater (rachel.h.teater@vanderbilt.edu). They are happy to share!

Who: Any female high school students (rising 9th graders and older) can sign up by filling out the Google Form (now closed)
What: Maura Eveld and Rachel Teater, two Vanderbilt PhD students, are hosting a FREE, virtual series introducing the exciting field of biomechanics. This series will include interactive design activities and cover how science and math is integrated into the areas of sports performance and rehabilitation engineering.
When: June 21-24, 10-11:30am

Meet the coordinators:

Rachel Teater and Maura Eveld are PhD students at Vanderbilt’s Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Rachel graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2018. Her research at Vanderbilt focuses on developing new prosthetic devices and evaluating the ability of these devices to improve the mobility of lower-limb prosthetic device users. Rachel is an avid sports fan and also loves to rock climb and cook in her spare time.

Maura graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017. At Vanderbilt she studies the biomechanics of stumble recovery, using experimental insights to design and control assistive technology interventions (for example, prostheses & exoskeletons) that can reduce fall risk. Outside of the lab, Maura loves to run and has recently taken up baking pies and breads.

Background:

  • Only 19.9% of bachelor’s degrees in engineering and computer science are awarded to women
  • Only 6.1% of bachelor’s degrees in engineering are awarded to women of color
  • Only 13% of the engineering workforce is made up of women

We believe these numbers can grow through engineering outreach at the high school level! We have received a grant from The Biomechanics Initiative to share our passion for biomechanics and engineering research, and specifically to promote women in biomechanics.

Full Event Details:

This four-part series will introduce the exciting field of biomechanics. We will teach important STEM topics such as data collection & analysis, the engineering design process, and coding techniques through hands-on projects in Sports Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Biomechanics. We will end the session with a Biomechanics Career Panel to introduce students to the various career paths this field encompasses.

  • Session 1: Introduction to Biomechanics. What exactly is biomechanics? This first one-hour session will cover how basic math, biology, and physics principles can be used to assess how the body moves and develop technology to help it move better. We will end with a virtual lab tour – walking through our performance lab and engineering space to expose students to our state-of-the-art technology, like motion capture, force plates, wearable sensors, and robots!
  • Session 2: Sports Biomechanics. Biomechanics research plays a huge role in enhancing sport performance and preventing injuries. In this session, we will discuss this role and how we use various measurements and analyses to develop new technologies to help athletes. A hands-on activity with accelerometer data will teach the basics of gait analysis, data collection, and data processing!
  • Session 3: Rehabilitation Biomechanics. This third session will focus on how biomechanics can be used to develop wearable robotics and other assistive technology to help individuals with disabilities. Students will be introduced to the basic concepts of mechanical design, sensors, and coding and then form groups to design their own assistive technology!
  • Session 4: Career Panel. There are numerous opportunities to incorporate biomechanics into your long-term career! During this panel, we will hear from several women biomechanists from a range of fields (academia, industry, clinical) and engage with them about their career paths and journeys.

Questions? Contact Maura Eveld: maura.e.eveld@vanderbilt.edu