During the National Biomechanics Day event, local high school students will participate in demonstrations and gain hands-on experience in the kinesiology and biomechanics laboratories on campus.
The kinesiology program in Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Behavioral Sciences and Education will host a National Biomechanics Day event on campus for local high school students on Wednesday, April 10 in the Capital Union Building.
Participating schools include Central Dauphin High School, Lebanon County Career and Technology Center, and York County School of Technology.
Biomechanics is the study of forces and motion of the human body. During the event, students will participate in demonstrations and gain hands-on experience in the kinesiology and biomechanics laboratories on campus. Students will rotate through three one-hour stations that highlight different aspects of biomechanics: motion capture technology, balance assessments, estimation of muscle output, and evaluation of oxygen consumption during exercise.
Penn State Harrisburg kinesiology faculty will supervise each station, and students in the program will assist as volunteers.
Biomechanical analysis is commonly used to help improve rehabilitation programs, better understand injury risks, and optimize athletic performance. In the past, biomechanics has only been studied at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but with the rise of health and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, it is now being introduced in secondary education.
National Biomechanics Day promotes biomechanics for high school students and teachers.
