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As my term as ASB’s Education Chair comes to a close, I want to begin by expressing my heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to serve this vibrant and inspirational community. It has been a privilege to lead the Education Committee over the past three years.

Congratulations Brooke Odle – ASB’s next Education Chair

Dr. Brooke Odle, from Hope College, will be taking over as Education Chair in August 2025. Dr. Odle is an emerging leader within ASB, winning the Up and Comer Award in 2021, and is this year’s winner of the Pytel Diversity Mentoring Award. She has also had a strong impact on our society through her contributions to the Teaching Biomechanics Interest Group and the Black Biomechanists Association, and will continue to impact our community through the Education Committee for the next three years.

Congrats to the Graduate Student Research Grant Awardees

This year there were a record number of applicants for the new and improved Grad Student Research Grant (GSRG, formerly the Grant in Aid). We are excited to announce the winners of this year’s grants:

  • Matthew Heindel – Relative Contributions of Tendon Structure and Brain Activity to Shoulder Disability and Recovery in Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy
    University of Southern California (Mentor: Lori Michener)
  • Mariana Jacobs – Knee Joint Health and Function in Children and Adolescents with Marfan Syndrome
    University of Kentucky (Mentor: Michael Samaan)
  • Tsung-Lin Lu – The Biomechanical Effects of Asymmetric Crank Arm Lengths on Recumbent Cycling in Post-Total Knee Replacement Patients
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Mentor: Songning Zhang)
  • Ria Rao – The Contributions of Morphology and Movement on Hip Joint Contact Stress in Females with Acetabular Dysplasia
    Boston University (Mentor: Cara Lewis)

Thank you to the Education Committee’s GSRG Review Sub-Committee, many of which stepped up at the last minute to help with the greater than expected demand of review for the large field of applicants: Sara Arena, Brad Bowser, Bobby Charalambous, FJ Goodwin, Chun-Hao Huang, Chun-Kai Huang, Nikita Kuznetsov, Ben Meyer, Scott Monfort, Megan Reissman, Nathan Robey, Ke Song, Wendi Weimar, Kristyne Wiegand, Feng Yang, James Yang, Brian Wallace, and Matt Wittstein.

Thank You to the Hosts and Attendees of ASB’s 2025 Regional Meetings

This year’s regional meetings took place in State College, PA, Chapel Hill, NC, Fort Worth, TX, Estes Park, CO, Vancouver, BC, Canada, and Omaha, NE. If you haven’t yet attended an ASB Regional Meeting, I highly recommend it. These meetings are perfect for maximizing the student experience and regional networking while maintaining a lower budget.

Prepare your applications now to host an ASB Regional Meeting in the spring of 2026. Applications are due September 30th, 2025 to the ASB Education Chair.

Thank you to the Education Committee’s Regional Meeting Review Sub-Committee: Lindsay Carroll, Tara Diesbourg, Craig Goehler, FJ Goodwin, Gu Eon Kang, Luke Pelton, Timothy Reissman, Brian Wallace, and Matt Wittstein.

Education Content at ASB 2025 in Pittsburgh

As Education Chair, I always look forward to attending the pre-conference workshops at our Annual Meeting. This year’s workshops on Wednesday 8/13 feature a variety of exciting, innovative content, ranging from pedagogical to cutting edge research methodology. Following up on the success of last year’s workshop, the Education Committee has helped to put together a new workshop entitled: Empowering Educators: Harnessing AI to Transform Your Pedagogy. This workshop should help educators in both the classroom and the laboratory best leverage AI in this rapidly changing world.

I’d like to thank the contributors to this workshop from the Education Committee’s Annual Meeting Sub-Committee: Sara Arena, Nikita Kuznetsov, Sabrina Lee, Megan Reissman, JJ Wallace, Kristyne Weigand, and Matt Wittstein.

I’d also like to highlight some other conference-related events I am excited about from an Education and Outreach perspective.

  • The importance of Advocacy in Biomedical Research at 9 am on Thursday, 8/14.
  • 3 Minute Thesis – I love watching these highly engaging scientific presentations by our students and voting on the winner each year. Don’t miss this oral session at 1:45 pm on Thursday, 8/14.
  • Last year’s Graduate Student Grant In Aid winners present on their findings:
    • Oscar Vila Dieguez, University of Southern California – Poster Sessions I (8/14 at 4:30 pm) and II (8/15 at 4 pm)
    • Grace Kellaher, University of Delaware – Poster Sessions I (8/14 at 4:30 pm) and II (8/15 at 4 pm), as well as a Thematic Session: The “Other things” that influence balance (8/15 at 8 am)
    • Jiyun Ahn, Georgia State University – Poster Session II (8/15 at 4 pm), and Podium Session (8/15 at 2:30 pm)
    • Kathy Reyes, Oregon State University – Poster Session II (8/15 at 4 pm)
  • Ten Education and Outreach poster presentations in Poster Session II (8/15 at 4 pm) – check out the meeting app for more details on this.

ASB Repository

The ASB Repository sub-committee has been working to update our Repository to include recent submissions, as well as submissions from its previous versions as the ASB Teaching Repository. This is a great place to post anything you think may be helpful for the ASB membership. I challenge you to share your teaching resources, lab protocols, outreach events, and more. These resources will help maintain the rigor and excitement in biomechanics for years to come. ASB is currently taking steps to protect your shared resources, so stay tuned for more information.

I’d like to thank the Education Committee’s Repository Sub-Committee for their continuing efforts to promote, maintain, and improve this important Repository: Brad Bowser, Dustin Bruening, Sabrina Lee, Herman van Werkhoven, JJ Wallace, and Kristyne Weigand.

Final Thoughts

Again, thank you for the opportunity to serve as the ASB Education Chair. It has been an honor to contribute to a society that continues to inspire and elevate the field of biomechanics. I’m so proud of all we have accomplished together and excited to see the momentum continue under new leadership. I look forward to reconnecting with many of you at our Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh this August!