We are getting very close! In just over one month from now (August 21-25), we will be welcoming you to the Canadian capital of Ottawa for the 2022 North American Congress of Biomechanics (NACOB) – our Society’s joint meeting with the Canadian Society for Biomechanics (CSB). If you happen to be a history buff, this will be the first time our two societies have combined for this meeting since doing so in Ann Arbor, MI “way back” in 2008. I have been meeting weekly with our outstanding team of local organizers led by Drs. Daniel Benoit and Ryan Graham from the University of Ottawa, Co-Program Chairs from CSB Drs. Janessa Drake (York University) and Shawn Robbins (McGill University), and our Program Chair elect Dr. Ross Miller (University of Maryland). We are also supported by a contingent of talented and dedicated students spanning ASB and CSB, including our very own ASB student representative, Evan Dooley.
We received an impressive total of over 800 original research abstracts which we have since organized into roughly 300 podium presentations, 14 symposia, 24 thematic poster presentations, and ~500 poster presentations!
In January, I wrote to announce an outstanding lineup of keynote speakers, including Dr. Adam Douglas (Montreal Canadiens), Dr. Kharma Foucher (University of Illinois at Chicago), Dr. David Moher (University of Ottawa), and Dr. Katja Mombaur (University of Waterloo). I can also now highlight our series of preconference workshops on Diversifying Your Workplace, Multifractal Methods for Movement Science, Federal Funding for Biomechanics Research, Keys to Successful Outreach Programs, and a Clinical Trial Tutorial for Biomechanists. We will also have opportunities to contribute to new research discoveries through two participant research studies: “Sparse clinically-inspired dataset to inform creation of subject-specific musculoskeletal hand models via transfer learning” being led by ASB colleagues and “Effect of walking surface and age on gait biomechanics” being led by CSB colleagues. If you’ve already registered, be sure to check your email for information on how to sign up (or add yourself to the waitlist) for the Women in Science Event “Elevating and Championing Each Other Through Sponsorship”.
I have also been thrilled to hear about in-person meeting plans from a large number of our outstanding and well-organized Affinity Groups, including the Black Biomechanics Association, Latinx in Biomechanics, International Women in Biomechanics, Teaching in Biomechanics, Early Career Faculty, and Postdocs.
As you continue to plan your visit, you can always find guidance on travel to and from Canada on our destination page, here.
We look forward to seeing you next month in Ottawa for NACOB 2022!