Application of Engineering Thinking and Problem Solving in Biomechanical Analysis

Abstract

Biomechanical analysis involves the application of engineering, physics, anatomy, and physiology principles to understand the human body. In this lecture, we will walk through an example research question from sports biomechanics, learn about how mechanics fundamentals should shape the formulation of the research questions, how to apply signal processing techniques to merge multiple sources of biomechanical data, how coding ability play crucial roles in taking you from raw data to end results, and lastly, how to understand the impact of your results and convey it to the end users. This process of engineering and inquiry, though exemplified through sports biomechanics, applies beyond the specific field and has implications for perspective biomedical engineers aiming to help people.

Biography

Sam Liu is a final year Ph.D. candidate at Stevens Institute of Technology and a recipient of the doctoral excellence fellowship award. Sam received his M.Eng. in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford, with a master’s thesis focusing on motions of the foot segments during turning gait. However, being a lifelong athlete, Sam sought to understand how skilled athletes perform sports-specific whole-body dynamic movements in complex scenarios. Sam’s research leverages fundamental physics and mechanical principle to understand execution and performance of baseball pitching and running jumps in basketball, as unlocking the strategies towards whole-body momentum control paves way for understanding how each individual athlete accomplishes the task. Sam’s work resulted him in being recognized as a finalist for New Investigator Award and World Athletics Award. Sam also enjoys teaching and sharing his passion for sports and biomechanics. Sam has been a peer mentor, an instructor for the Art Harper Saturday Academy program which serves local high school students for four years, a TA for Senior Design, and a mentor to over 20 masters, undergraduates and high school students.