Clemson sports science endeavors to showcase at RECESS Symposium, Oct. 24

Clemson University’s Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute will host its inaugural Research and Creative Endeavors in the Sports Sciences (RECESS) Symposium on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 5-8 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the Madren Center at Clemson University.

The greater Clemson community — faculty, students, staff, alumni and others — is invited to attend RECESS to network, learn about the sports sciences at Clemson, engage in live technology demonstrations, participate in a mini-golf competition with prizes, enjoy complimentary food and beverages, and more.

Sports Science Endeavors

At the start of this academic year, the Institute awarded five seed grants to Clemson faculty engaged in sports science research:

• Reed Gurchiek, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering, for his work entitled, “A wearable device for assisting hamstring muscles during running.”
• Felipe Tobar, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, for his work entitled, “Understanding Olympic and Paralympic players experiences in a soccer virtual reality (VR) game: establishing the basis for the development of an inclusive soccer VR game.”
• Ashlyn Hardie, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, for her work entitled, “The starting block: accelerating sport for development organizations toward sustainable development on a global scale.”
• Brandon Boatwright, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Communication, for his work entitled, “Sportswashing, digital public diplomacy and international sporting events.”
• Jason Avedesian, Ph.D., director of Olympic sports science, for his work entitled, “Keeping the ball on track: preventing injuries to baseball pitchers with ball tracking data.”

Many of these faculty and others from Clemson will showcase their research and sports science technologies with posters and live demonstrations, including but not limited to: a makerless motion capture device made to alleviate hamstring pain, helmet impact testing, virtual reality soccer analytics, motion capture rowing, exoskeleton and physics demonstrations.

Activities will span colleges, departments and programs at Clemson. The student-led Clemson Formula SAE team will showcase one of their Formula One cars at RECESS. Clemson Adaptive Sports and Recreation will host a wheelchair basketball three-point shooting competition.

Mini-Golf Competition

Par 4 and More will be setting up a nine-hole, mini-golf course sponsored and themed by various Clemson colleges and departments. Guests will form four-person teams and compete to win individual hole prizes as well as the grand prize, donated by Clemson Athletics.

GRIT Awards

The Institute will be announcing recipients of their inaugural 2024 GRIT awards at RECESS, allocated to individuals or groups who have set themselves apart in the following areas of sports science: research, community and outreach, student engagement and furthering the mission of the Institute. A trophy and $500 will be presented to the winner of each category.

Faculty, staff and organizations may nominate themselves and others by filling out the form here. Nominations are due by Friday, Oct. 4.

All are welcome to drop in and experience the latest in Clemson’s sports science endeavors. From engineering to communications, we have topics and activities to interest everyone who value sport in their academic, athletic and recreational endeavors.

John DesJardins, Ph.D., interim director of the Institute

RSVPs for RECESS will be accepted here up until the day of the event.

Clemson University’s Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute supports and promotes the work of students, faculty and staff toward enhancing the athletic experience in mind, body, and place.