{"id":3884,"date":"2019-09-18T12:01:01","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T12:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/?p=3884"},"modified":"2019-09-18T14:22:42","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T14:22:42","slug":"school-children-learn-all-about-sports-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/09\/18\/school-children-learn-all-about-sports-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"School children learn all about sports engineering"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Dr Simon Goodwill (head of sports engineering) recently visited Bradway Primary School to give a presentation\u00a0on sports engineering\u00a0to a class of children.\u00a0Here’s Simon discussing how\u00a0it went\u00a0. . .<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Bradway Primary School hosted a #WorldofWork week, which involved\u00a0inviting parents to come into the school and talk about their occupations to the children. My daughter\u00a0– currently in Y4 at the school – thought that her class would\u00a0find my job interesting.<\/p>\n

“I decided to split my presentation into\u00a0two halves.\u00a0The children and I first discussed what a sports engineer actually does. Amazingly, the children seemed to have a good understanding that a generic engineer is someone who designs products.\u00a0As a result, they quickly concluded that a sports engineer must be someone who designs sports equipment. To help illustrate the point, I used the example of a tennis racket. More specifically, I asked the class to think about what makes a good tennis racket, and how the racket’s design could be improved by a sports engineer. I then showed the children rackets from different eras: traditional wooden rackets, steel rackets, an aluminium racket, and finally a carbon fibre tennis racket.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Simon Goodwill is head of sports engineering at Sheffield Hallam University<\/p><\/div>\n

“The children wasted no time identifying the material used in each racket. They also concluded that sports engineers were making the head size of the rackets bigger – leading to improved performance\u00a0through making it easier to hit the ball. I used an oversized tennis racket to illustrate the practical limit to racket size (although we all agreed it would be fun to watch Andy Murray and Roger Federer trying to play a match\u00a0with oversized rackets), and how the engineer must optimise this design.<\/p>\n

“It was wonderful to see the children so engaged and interested in the concept of sports engineering. I asked lots of questions, and each child that answered a question won a tennis ball. This not only encouraged the children to answer, but also helped me work out which child had answered a question. I also learnt an important lesson myself: giving every child in a class of 30 a tennis ball can\u00a0rapidly lead to a lot of tennis balls flying about a room ( . . . fortunately, no windows were smashed)!<\/p>\n

“The second half of my talk involved explaining how sports engineering can also help measure athlete (and non-athlete) performance. Using a simple \u00a310 pressure mat, we worked out how high a person could jump. This was\u00a0calculated\u00a0by measuring how long the person was in the air for whilst jumping. The children grasped that if you were in the air for a short time, you did not jump very high. Conversely, if you were in the air for a long period, you did jump relatively high.\u00a0 Each child then had a go at jumping as high as possible, giving them first hand experience of conducting an advanced experiment. It was amazing to see the enthusiasm on the\u00a0faces of the children as they took part in the experiment.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Simon with his oversized tennis racket<\/p><\/div>\n

“Overall,\u00a0the opportunity to\u00a0discuss sports engineering with the children at Bradway Primary School\u00a0proved to be\u00a0a fantastic experience. The children took a keen interest in the topic and showed\u00a0an excellent ability to analyse and ask questions.\u00a0Hopefully\u00a0they also have lots of fun and exercise making use of their\u00a0new tennis balls!\u00a0As a research group we are constantly looking at opportunities to engage in STEM-related public engagement activities and would welcome any suggestions.\u00a0We regularly hold events for Science Week, and we are also active in submitting grant applications to deliver public engagement programmes.”<\/p>\n

Sheffield Hallam University\u2019s Enabling Healthier Lives campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n

From ground-breaking research to extensive and pioneering training programmes, Sheffield Hallam University is a national leader in creating innovative solutions that enable healthier lives. Our research, whether that be\u00a0virtual reality to treat burns patients\u00a0or developing bras designed for women undergoing breast radiotherapy, is rooted in working with partners to provide practical solutions for tackling today\u2019s health challenges.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can join our campaign on Twitter by using the\u00a0#enablinghealthierlives<\/strong>\u00a0hashtag.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr Simon Goodwill (head of sports engineering) recently visited Bradway Primary School to give a presentation\u00a0on sports engineering\u00a0to a class of children.\u00a0Here’s Simon discussing how\u00a0it went\u00a0. . . “Bradway Primary…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3083,"featured_media":3893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-staffnews"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/09\/Sports-engineering.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8KEAX-10E","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4298,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/11\/27\/registration-now-open-for-the-4th-sports-engineering-seminar-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":3884,"position":0},"title":"Registration now open for the 4th Sports Engineering Seminar Day","author":"Mark Greene","date":"November 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Registration is now open for the 4th Sports Engineering Seminar Day, hosted by the Centre for Sports Engineering Research and the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University on Thursday 20th February 2020. Please register here. This is the latest instalment of the free, one-day, student-led event, bringing together\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/11\/4th-Annual-Sports-Engineering-Seminar-Day.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/11\/4th-Annual-Sports-Engineering-Seminar-Day.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/11\/4th-Annual-Sports-Engineering-Seminar-Day.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/11\/4th-Annual-Sports-Engineering-Seminar-Day.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4580,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2020\/04\/30\/centre-for-sports-engineering-research-2019-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":3884,"position":1},"title":"Centre for Sports Engineering Research 2019 Review","author":"Mark Greene","date":"April 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Click here to read\u00a0the\u00a0Centre for Sports Engineering Research 2019 Review The Centre for Sports Engineering Research (CSER) is led by\u00a0Dr Simon Goodwill. It is the world's largest academic group in sports engineering and an internationally renowned centre of excellence for research and knowledge transfer. The centre's work is based on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Projects"","block_context":{"text":"Projects","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/news\/projects\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2020\/04\/awrc2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2020\/04\/awrc2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2020\/04\/awrc2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2020\/04\/awrc2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2020\/04\/awrc2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2206,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2018\/07\/19\/sports-engineering-students-visit-delft-technical-university-for-collaborative-programme\/","url_meta":{"origin":3884,"position":2},"title":"Sports Engineering students visit Delft Technical University for collaborative programme","author":"Sarah Briscoe","date":"July 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr Simon Choppin, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Sports Engineering Research talks about his recent visit to Delft Technical University in the Netherlands for a collaborative student programme. Every May, for the past three years, a group of students and lecturers from the MSc in Sports Engineering have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Student News"","block_context":{"text":"Student News","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/news\/student-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/07\/Collab-Delft-Tech-Uni-gallery.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/07\/Collab-Delft-Tech-Uni-gallery.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/07\/Collab-Delft-Tech-Uni-gallery.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2018\/07\/Collab-Delft-Tech-Uni-gallery.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3007,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/01\/30\/paramedic-students-to-deliver-first-aid-workshops-to-local-school-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":3884,"position":3},"title":"Paramedic students to deliver first aid workshops to local school children","author":"Mark Greene","date":"January 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"SHU Press Release Paramedic science students at Sheffield Hallam University are delivering first aid sessions to primary schools in South Yorkshire. Children aged between 5 and 11 will learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and basic first aid training as part of a series of workshops delivered by Hallam students studying on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Student News"","block_context":{"text":"Student News","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/news\/student-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/01\/Paramedics3.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/01\/Paramedics3.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/01\/Paramedics3.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/01\/Paramedics3.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2017\/04\/05\/publications-centre-for-sports-engineering-research\/","url_meta":{"origin":3884,"position":4},"title":"Publications – Centre for Sports Engineering Research","author":"Anna Gunn","date":"April 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"GOFF, John, KELLEY, John, HOBSON, Chad, SEO, Kazuya, ASAI, Takeshi and CHOPPIN, Simon (2017). Creating drag and lift curves from soccer trajectories. European Journal of Physics. (In Press) GUIGNARD, Brice, ROUARD, Annie, CHOLLET, Didier, HART, John, DAVIDS, Keith and SEIFERT, Ludovic (2017). Individual-environment interactions in swimming: The smallest unit for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Papers and Publications"","block_context":{"text":"Papers and Publications","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/category\/news\/paperandpubs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/04\/CSER.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/04\/CSER.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/04\/CSER.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/04\/CSER.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2017\/04\/CSER.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3096,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/02\/25\/dr-marcus-dunn-made-member-of-international-sports-technology-association-executive-advisory-board\/","url_meta":{"origin":3884,"position":5},"title":"Dr Marcus Dunn made member of International Sports Technology Association executive advisory board","author":"Mark Greene","date":"February 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The International Sports Technology Association has appointed Dr Marcus Dunn, research fellow in the Centre for Sports Engineering Research, to its executive advisory board. Speaking about his appointment, Marcus said, \u201cI\u2019m excited to be appointed to the ISTA executive advisory board. 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