KINGSTON, R.I. – April 3, 2019 – The University of Rhode Island’s Department of Kinesiology and the Bioengineering Laboratory in the Department of Orthopaedics at Brown University are partnering to bring National Biomechanics Day 2019 to Rhode Island students and teachers on Wednesday, April 10. Biomechanics is the science of movement of a living body – from individual cells and tissues, to how bones, muscles and tendons work together to create movement.

As part of the worldwide celebration, the University of Rhode Island will host high school students and teachers from around the state, in the Tootell Physical Education Center, West Gym, 105 Keaney Road on the Kingston Campus from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We are very excited to partner with our colleagues at Brown to bring Biomechanics Day to students in Rhode Island,” said Susan D’Andrea, a biomedical engineer and professor of kinesiology at URI, who is also an organizer of the event. “Biomechanics is everywhere – it’s all about how we move, and how we can move better. The activities and demonstrations we have planned will be very hands-on and allow students to experience and gain an appreciation of what biomechanics is and what it does.”

Among the activities will be demonstrations of motion capture technology, balance and sway, an instrumented football helmet that measures the impact of concussions and hits, wearable sensors, virtual reality, electromyography (EMG) devices, which assess the health of muscles and the nerve cells that control them, and many other activities.

Biomechanics is the fundamental example of STEM and STEAM educational initiatives. It combines science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics and its influence is far-reaching. It is a factor in the development of physical therapy and rehabilitation programs, prosthetics, medical devices, surgical approaches and much more, including robotics and special effects.

D’Andrea said, “The study of biomechanics helps us to understand how people move so that when they have problems moving, we can help to fix it – which is central to daily life. So whether someone is a high performing athlete who wants to break a personal record, or someone recovering from injury or dealing with a physical disability and in need of a rehab program or an assistive device, we are doing really exciting things in biomechanics that make a positive impact.”

To register your group or class for National Biomechanics Day, click here.