First prize was awarded to Marco Reijne from Delft University of Technology for his project on ‘The next level in pole vaulting: A mechanical model based on exploration’.

Second prize was awarded to Biem Wibbens from Delft University of Technology for his project on ‘The design of field hockey sticks’.

Congratulations to both Marco and Biem!

We received a high number of excellent projects this year which were a great reflection on the quality of sports engineering education around the world. The judges enjoyed reading the wide range of project areas that were submitted and thank you once again to all the applicants.

While completing his Masters of Science at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, Brock Laschowski worked alongside the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario and Rowing Canada Aviron to study how the mechanical properties of different oar shafts effect rowing biomechanics. This research was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Volker Nolte, and was partially funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Laschowski and Nolte recently published their findings in some of the leading sports engineering journals. These novel investigations involved both experimental [link] and model-based [link] approaches. Notably, their on-water experiments involved National and World Champion Rowers. Nolte is currently working at the Rio Olympics with Team Canada, while Laschowski eagerly watches the fruits of his labor from afar.

First prize was awarded to Davide Zampiere from University of Padova for his project on ‘Fabrication and mechanical testing of auxetic foam for sport safety applications’.

Second prize was awarded to Brock Laschowski from University of Western Ontario for his project on ‘The effects of oar-shaft stiffness and length of rowing biomechanics’.

Congratulations to both Davide and Brock!

The judges were very impressed with the quality of all the projects we received this year; they were a great reflection of the high standard of sports engineering work undertaken by our members at the moment. Thank you to all applicants.

ISEA2016 – THE ENGINEERING OF SPORT11

Date: 11 – 14 July, 2016 

Conference Location: Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

Conference Chair: Prof. Dr. Frans van der Helm

The 11^th conference of the International Sports Engineering Association will take place in Delft from 11-14 July, 2016. The conference program provides the conferees the opportunity to learn from inspiring keynote speakers via lectures, parallel sessions, poster presentations and networking sessions.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

You are encouraged to submit a 1-page abstract ( max. 350 words) before October 1^st, 2015 on any of the following topics:

• Aero- and hydrodynamics (including fluid mechanics)
• Biomechanics, materials and human material interaction (including sports equipment mechanics, sport products innovation)
• Measurement, feedback and simulation
• Motivation and persuasion to compete in sports, play and exercise
• Sports infrastructure and facilities (including sports surfaces)

Abstracts should briefly outline the main research question(s), research method, results and conclusions as well as their general significance. References might be added. Upon review of the abstracts, notification of acceptance will be made by December 1^st, 2015 (complete papers due February 1^st, 2016).

The abstract should be written in English following the ISEA2016 template which can be found here.

For all information, please visit www.isea2016.com or contact the Conference Secretariat at ISEA2016@tudelft.nl

Prof.dr. F.C.T. van der Helm – Head of Local Organising Committee

Routledge have recently published a new book, “The Science of Engineering and Sports Surfaces”, Eds. Sharon Dixon, Paul Fleming, Iain James and Matt Carre. This draws together the latest research on biomedical, medical and engineering approaches to the study of sports surfaces. It will be of interest to all ISEA members working in this field. More information can be found a at: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415500920 

The winners have been announced in the ISEA Image Competition 2013/14. The competition was an opportunity for those involved in sports engineering, science, and technology to showcase their work. Conveying the outstanding research and consultancy that is being conducted in sports engineering today.

Best in show was awarded to Jorge Santana Cabrera from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, for his short film titled “Swimmers Bubbles”. This shows his work into the study of entry angle into the water of a swimmers hand during crawl stroke. As Cabrera explains “The object of the filmed frames are the study of the incoming angle of the swimmer hand into the water during the crawl stroke style. This work is conducted to analyse turbulence generation during the contact between water and hand. The footage can then be shown to the swimmers to demostrate the affect of hand entry angle. For a clear view of the turbulence phenomena, a film filter software has been used and a “Detect Borders” filter has been selected. So, the water and bubbles generated from the stroke are clearly observed.”

[evp_embed_video url=”https://www.sportsengineering.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Jorge_Santana_Cabrera_Swim.mp4″ width=”700″]

The Best in Photographic award went to Nick Hamilton for his image of a mountain biker jumping a five foot shark fin, titled “Jumping the Shark”. This is an idiom that was born when the nostalgic American TV series Happy Days, a show based on family life, had the lead character, The Fonz, perform a stunt where he jumped over a captive shark on water skis, in an attempt to boost failing ratings. The idiom has now become synonymous with the moment a brands evolution of design, or creative effort, declines, and the brand in turn resorts to hype and gimmick. As Hamilton explains “Working as a full time Sports Engineer, developing and analysing the performance of sports equipment in the minutest of detail, I understand the impact this has in a sporting context. It was with great interest that I once listened to a large sporting goods manufacture detail how they spent 5% of their turnover on R&D and product development, while 45% was spent on marketing. Naively I had believed that the performance of the products was paramount and that solving problems and addressing needs were key. My bubble had been burst; they created the need and addressed only part of it. They regularly ‘Jumped the Shark’. In taking this photo we had lots of fun, thinking it up, setting up and getting the shot; just riding our bikes. In essence we loved jumping the shark but as Sports Engineers we really couldn’t care less about ‘Jumping the Shark’. “

Best in Computer Generated category went to Dr Marcus Dunn for his image showcasing his work in markerless measurement of step and movement strategy during elite match-play tennis. As Dunn explains “current knowledge of tennis player-surface interactions is limited. The analysis of player step and movement strategy during match-play tennis will improve knowledge of player-surface interactions”. The image demonstrates the application of a video-based method for measuring a player’s step and movement strategy during elite, match-play tennis. This application is the direct result of Dunn’s PhD project that developed a single camera method for measuring step and movement strategy in sport. The method does not require the application of sensors or markers, e.g. video-based, allowing analyses to be performed in situ, without interfering players. The method represents a flexible approach to gait analysis which could be used for different applications, ranging from sport to surveillance.

Ten best in show runners up were also awarded to:

• Sarah Carter, Griffith University
• Takeshi Asai, Tsukuba Univ.
• Jeffery Kensrud , Washington State University Sports Science Laboratory
• Matthiis Eversdijk, TU Delft
• Joost Pluijms, VU University Amsterdam
• Chantal Tutein Nolthenius, InnoSportNL
• Adeline Drillon, INSA Lyon
• Sean Clarkson, CSER, Sheffield Hallam University
• Andy Hext, CSER, Sheffield Hallam University
• Heather Driscoll, CSER, Sheffield Hallam University

Congratulations to all who won!