Hello to all our ASB Friends and Colleagues,

As the world awakens, we all emerge a bit differently than we were almost two years ago. National Biomechanics Day has also changed and now presents itself as both a Biomechanics STEM- and STEAM-based community engagement program and also a funding source supporting biomechanics students. After five successful years, NBD has become part of the Biomechanics firmament through the efforts of so many of you and of our colleagues around the world. NBD thanks everyone for your energetic support.

NBD events changed from in-person fun-fests to various forms of virtual and online experiences in 2021. The only roadmap we had for this departure from our previous efforts was your creativity about introducing Biomechanics to future scientists and practitioners. And we say loudly that your creativity was incredible and is on display on our website listing dozens of groups who created new, online learning centers for Biomechanics. Some sites also did combined virtual and live events with the in-lab group demonstrating Biomechanics to high schoolers zoomily viewing the event. Today we highlight from last year Auburn University’s series of Biomechanics lectures and Virginia Tech’s full slate of Biomechanics activities including TikTok dancing and gait Biomechanics at home. We admire so much the effort all groups made to producing fun, informative, and educational virtual experiences for the next generation of Biomechanists. We recently opened registration for NBD 2022 and we expect about half live and half virtual events this year. Of course, any NBD is a good NBD so full speed ahead!

We are most thrilled to report that NBD, through its parent organization, The Biomechanics Initiative, expanded its mission in 2021 with grant programs designed to aid Biomechanists in producing NBD events and attending conferences. We partnered with the ASB in the Black Biomechanists Outreach Through NBD program, with ISB in the NBD Outreach For Women in Biomechanics, with the Brazilian Society of Biomechanics in the Brazilian Biomechanics Experience, and with the Australian & New Zealand Biomechanics Society and Books of Discovery in the Australian Transportation grant program. Through these programs and with the contributions from these groups, we distributed over $10,000 for creating new NBD events around the world. “Around the world” included Nigeria, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, and the U.S. It is really through our loyal sponsors that we are able to now support individual Biomechanics people and groups and, we think, make a substantial contribution to our chosen science. We have four programs this year promoting biomechanics for women, blacks and LatinX groups and also promoting disability biomechanics. Please see the grant announcement page and apply soon (if still open). We hope to distribute up to $20,000 through partnerships with Bertec, Books of Discovery, and ASB this year. Funds can be used to support the NBD event and to attend a biomechanics conference such as NACOB 2022.

We also plan to hold our second NBD Sponsors’ Technology Forum, most likely in early March. Seven of our tech sponsors participated last year by demonstrating their products and ideas to many biomechanists through 8-minute informative presentations. Please watch for announcements.

We have introduced Biomechanics to well over 32,000 high school students since 2016 and we hope to double this number in 2022! Gotta think big, of course. We again thank all NBDers around the world and we look forward working with you on new endeavors next year.

Sincerely,

Paul DeVita, Lisa MacFadden, Felipe Carpes, and Adam Hawkey, NBD Board of Directors