December 2018

ISBNow, December 2018

ISB News

Presidents Blog - Joe Hamill

ISB2019 - Calgary

Students Corner - Melissa Boswell

ISB Conference Award Information

ISB Tutorials - Calgary

Economically Developing Countries Report - Felipe P Carpes

Technical Group News

3D-AHM Group - Call for proposals to host

14th Biennial Footwear Biomechanics Symposium

Motor Control Working Group

 TGCS 2019 Conference

Presidents Blog - Joe Hamill

Recently, ISB lost a giant in the field of biomechanics.  Professor Paavo Komi, a long-time member and contributor to the ISB, passed away last month.  Paavo served as Secretary General of the ISB from 1977 to 1981 and as President from 1981 to 1983.  He hosted the ISB Congress twice at the University of Jyväskylä (1975, 1995).  In 2005, because of his numerous contributions to ISB, he was made an Honorary Member of ISB.  His passing is particularly poignant to me as he was the President of ISB when I first became a member of ISB in 1981.  I remember him fondly because he was friendly to me as a young member and always took time to speak to me at the many conferences at which we meet.  Paavo will be sorely missed by the biomechanics community and by me personally.  Please check the ISB web page for the obituary of Professor Paavo Komi.

Last week I attended and gave a keynote lecture at the Pan Pacific Conference on Rehabilitation in Hong Kong.  I was happy that many of the students that I spoke to were interested in ISB and the benefits of being an ISB member.  In particular, students were interested in the travel and dissertation grants that ISB provides.

The ISB Executive Council is busy pursuing their portfolios.  However, special mention should go out to Elizabeth Clarke whose portfolio includes overseeing the ISB Technical Groups and to Glenn Lichtwark who took over as Publications Officer in addition to his duties as Education Officer.

Please pay special attention to the announcement on the ISB web page of the upcoming election of new officers to the ISB Executive Council.  Every two years ISB members elect a new President-Elect and Executive Council.  Typically, there are 3 to 4 vacant positions on the Executive Council and the President-Elect position are open and must be filled.  Nominations should consist of the name of the individual and a brief biography (no more than 250 words) and emailed to Past President Andrew Cresswell at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The 2019 ISB Congress in Calgary, Canada is just around the corner and the organizing committee led by Drs. Walter Herzog and Benno Nigg have made great strides on the preparation for this event.  The web site is now open for registration and for abstract submission both of which begin on November 1, 2018 .  The list of keynote speakers for the Congress is truly impressive with Professor Hugh Herr presenting the Wartenweiler Lecture and Professor Ralph Müller the Muybridge Lecture.  Other keynote speakers include Professors Heike Vallery and Kim Bennell. Further details about the conference are available in this edition of ISBNow.

Lastly, please keep well and be safe in the upcoming holiday season.

Joseph Hamill

President, International Society of Biomechanics

ISB2019 - Calgary

Registration and abstract submission are now open!

Registration and abstract submission are now open!It is with pleasure that we cordially invite our colleagues and collaborators throughout the world to Calgary, Canada for the XXVII Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics 2019 (ISB 2019). This program will be held in conjunction with the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB).

We are in the process of creating a scientific program which will feature internationally recognized keynote speakers and an agenda which we expect to both inspire and exceed our attendee’s expectations.

For  all information regarding the  conference  including the  items listed  below,  please visit our site  at:  https://isb2019.com/en/

Confirmed Speakers

Key Dates

Abstract submission deadline:             January 31, 2019 (no extension)

Early registration deadline:                  May 15, 2019 

We want to thank you for providing us with the opportunity to host you, and look forward to exceeding your expectations.

Dr Walter Herzog 

Sandro Nigg (Event Director)

Students Corner - Melissa Boswell (ISB Student Representative)

ISB/ASB 2019 Student Events

Registration for ISB/ASB 2019 is officially open and there are exciting events available for students!  You can sign up for the events through registration, including:

Information on student accommodation, events, and grants can be found here.

Available Student Grants

There are grants available to ISB Student Members including:

1. The Matching Dissertation Grant program (MDG): There will be several competitive grants of $US2500 awarded for doctoral dissertation research (due December 15, 2018)
2. The International Travel Grant program (ITG): In order to allow student members to travel abroad to experience science in other countries and cultures, and to build up international collaborations we will offer several grants of up to $US2500 for travel related to biomechanics research (due December 15, 2018)
3. The Congress Travel Grant program (CTG): Will be offered in 2019 for the XXVII ISB Congress in Calgary, Canada

Additional information and applications can be found here.

Other grants especially for students can be found at the ISB website.

Biomechanics on our Minds (BOOM) Podcast

We have newly released episodes of Biomechanics on Our Minds (BOOM) listed below!  It is available for free on SoundCloud and on iTunes.  You can email us with ideas for biomechanics topics, what you would like to hear about, or to share a “research fail” on the podcast at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• Episode 9: Biomechantronics - In this episode, we dive in to titin's role in muscle contraction, followed by an interview with University of Calgary's Professor Walter Herzog who talks about the role of nutrition in osteoarthritis development, who he looked up to as a student in biomechanics, and more. Followed with research fails!
• Episode 10: Biomechanics of Breast Health - Dr. Deirdre McGhee shares her research on the biomechanics of breast health and her current study to improve the biomechanics of breast cancer survivors after surgery. It is followed with an interview with Dr. Jodi Steel who is a breast cancer survivor, part of Deirdre's study, and also working to improve the challenges that breast cancer survivors are facing.
• Special Episode: Mental Health on our Minds – In this special episode of BOOM, we talk with 3 graduate students on challenges that we face in graduate school and how it affects our mental health.

Checking In On Mental Health

Graduate students are more than six times as likely to experience depression and anxiety as compared to the general population according to Evans, Teresa M., et al. "Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education." Nature biotechnology (2018).  A new special episode of BOOM highlights specific mental health struggles and stories from three graduate students, but the messages are universal. Take a listen, start the discussion and share with your friends! A big thanks to Francis, Jenny and Christian who shared their stories with us.  I recently enjoyed watching a TED Talk on “Things about a PhD nobody told you about”, including times where you may feel alone and unmotivated.  A PhD is challenging academically and mentally, but we don’t have to go through these challenges alone.  It is ok, and oftentimes necessary, to seek help during these times, whether from a trusted friend or professional help. Check in with yourself often!

Connect with ISB on Social Media Keep up to date with ISB by liking our ISB Facebook Page, joining the Student Members Facebook Page and following ISB on Twitter! If you have any feedback, comments, suggestions or questions please feel free to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Kind Regards, Melissa Boswell

ISB Tutorials - Calgary

Tutorial 1A: Benno Nigg University of Calgary Paradigms of running biomechanics Paradigms describing running biomechanics have been proposed rather early in the recent research publications related to running. It has been proposed that 1) running should be modified to minimize impact loading and 2) running should be modified to minimize foot pronation, both to minimize running related injuries. We have proposed that these original running paradigms in their current form are not valid and should be rejected. Furthermore, we have proposed some new paradigms: 1)the muscle tuning paradigm and 2) the preferred movement path paradigm, both to improve the understanding of running biomechanics. This tutorial will (a) discuss the epidemiological and functional reasons why the impact and pronation paradigms should be rejected, (b) discuss and explain the muscle tuning paradigm and (c) discuss the preferred movement path paradigm. The tutorial will use lectures and discussions. Recommended literature: Nigg, B. M., Mohr, M. & Nigg, S. R. (2017). Muscle tuning and preferred movement path – a paradigm shift. Current Issues in Sport Science, 2:007. doi:10.15203/CISS_2017.007.

Tutorial 1B: Todd Pataky from Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine Statistics and Biomechanics This tutorial will review the history of applied statistics and its uses in biomechanics. The roles of classical, modern and computational statistics and machine learning will be highlighted along with some key examples from the biomechanics literature.  Increasingly popular analysis techniques will be reviewed including: functional data analysis, principal components analysis and statistical parametric mapping. Frequentist vs. Bayesian perspectives will be considered, and key statistical controversies will be discussed.

Tutorial 2A: Saija Kontulainen, University of Saskatchewan Bone strength and physical activity This interactive tutorial will discuss bone adaptation to physical activity with a specific focus on evidence from advanced imaging studies. The tutorial will review pertinent evidence from experimental and observational studies, as well as randomized controlled exercise trials assessing bone adaptation in clinical studies of growing and aging skeleton. Findings will be discussed in relation to theoretical bases of bone adaptation to loading stimulus with interactive examples. Theoretical bases will include the Mechanostat model, which explains how bone strain from loading stimulus leads to bone adaptation. The tutorial will also discuss physical activity interventions in individuals at risk of fracture as well as future research directions. By the end of this tutorial, participants will be able to describe, with examples: 1) bone structure and strength adaptation to physical activity/loading; 2) the Mechanostat model explaining bone adaptation to loading; 3) evidence of physical activity and bone strength in individuals at risk of fractures; and 4) areas of future research.

Tutorial 2B: Tim Derrick, Iowa State University and Stacey Meardon, East Carolina University Standardization of reporting kinetic data in biomechanics The calculation and presentation of 3-dimensional joint moments gives the researcher a variety of choices that must be made and documented.  From smoothing noisy kinematic and kinetic data, to choosing an anthropometric model and utilizing a specific method of calculation, there are a number of options that affect the joint moment values. Once the moments have been calculated there are additional choices that must be made so that the data convey the maximal amount of information. These include the choice of presenting the internal or external moments, the choice of a coordinate system, and the method of normalization. If these decisions are made carefully the joint moments can provide a wealth of information concerning human movement. Haphazard or undocumented decisions can lead consumers of the research to a frustrating experience. The purpose of this tutorial is to take a slow and methodical look at the calculation of joint moments. We will cover data smoothing, anthropometric modelling, and briefly describe methods of calculation. We will then look at the presentation of these data with special regard for the type of moments, the coordinate system and methods of normalization. Participants will have access to an online database that will allow an interactive how these varying methods affect the resulting curves.

ISB Conference Award Information

David Winter Young Investigator Awards

As of 2012, these awards are presented in honor of Professor David Winter and his pioneering contribution to the science and application of biomechanics. There are two YI awards, one for the best oral presentation (sponsored by the Journal of Biomechanics, Elsevier Science Ltd) and one for the best poster presentation (Sponsored by the organizers of the previous ISB Congress). The award recipients are offered a certificate, a monetary award of US $750. A short biography with an outline of the recipients’ professional background is published in the ISB Newsletter and ISB website.

 Requirements: Candidates must be the first author of an abstract submitted to the ISB congress for presentation. They should not have been awarded PhD by the time of the abstract submission, have a maximum age of 30 at the first day of the congress, and must have made the major contribution to the research presented in the abstract. If selected for the final round, the candidate must personally present the paper (whether oral or poster) at the ISB-congress. The abstracts for this competition are solicited with the call for papers of the ISB Congress. Please note: ISB has a policy that an abstract or submitted for an ISB conference award is non-identical to an abstract submitted elsewhere.

When applying for the award, please download the tick-box from the ISB web-side, answer the questions and send it back to the ISB Awards Officer, Prof Catherine Disselhorst-Klug (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Joint ISB/ ASB Clinical Biomechanics Award

This year the Clinical Biomechanics Award is given in co-operation with the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB). The winning paper will be published as the Joint ISB /ASB Clinical Biomechanics Award paper in Clinical Biomechanics (subject to a normal peer review process). The first author of the winning paper will receive a certificate and a monetary award of US $1250.

Requirements: Any scientist may submit an abstract for the award to the XXVII Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB2019). From the abstracts submitted, 5 are selected by the scientific committee of the Congress and nominated for the award. The authors of the 5 selected abstracts are requested to submit a full length paper prepared according to the guidelines of Clinical Biomechanics. The paper must be entirely original, not published at the time of the ISB-congress nor submitted for publication to any Book or Journal other than Clinical Biomechanics. A jury will evaluate the full papers and select the winning paper. The first author of the winning paper is expected to give a 20 min plenary session of the winning paper at the ISB-congress of the same year.

Abstracts are solicited for this competition with the call for papers for the ISB Congress. When applying for the award, please download the CBA tick-box questionnaire from the ISB web-side, answer the questions and send it back to the ISB Awards Officer, Prof Catherine Disselhorst-Klug (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Promising Scientist Award

The Promising Scientist award is designed to acknowledge people who have performed superior biomechanics research early in their career. It entails a certificate and a monetary award of US$ 5000 for scientific purposes, such as visiting another research group to collaborate on a project. The competition is held each year in which there is an ISB-conference. The winner of the award is expected to give a 30 min. plenary presentation over the recent studies that have contributed to the award at the ISB-congress of the same year.

Requirements: To be eligible for the award, a candidate must (1) be a member of the ISB, (2) be post-doctoral but not more than 5 years. Each candidate must submit his or her full curriculum vitae, identify at least two first author full articles in peer reviewed scientific journals that he or she has written in a single area of Biomechanics, and provide interpretative summaries describing the contribution of each article. Applications for the award are to be sent to the Jury chairman. Please send your applications to ISB Awards Officer, Prof Catherine Disselhorst-Klug (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by February 28, 2019. Additionally, please download the PSA tick-box questionnaire from the ISB web-side, answer the questions and send it back to the ISB Awards Officer.

Carlo de Luca Emerging Scientist Award

The ISB has had great pleasure to announce and award the Carlo de Luca Emerging Scientist Award in honor of Professor Carlo de Luca and his pioneering contribution to the science and application of biomechanics, in particular in the area of electromyography. The award honors excellence in graduate research in the area of motor control and electromyography and is associated with a monetary award of $US 2,500. The winners are selected prior to the next ISB Congress and will present in the award’s session at that ISB Congress

Requirements: Candidates must be at a very early stage of their scientific career and to be eligible must not have received their PhD degree before the previous ISB Congress (two years prior to the Congress where the award will be given). Current graduate students, including MSc level students, are also eligible. Please send your applications to Prof Catherine Disselhorst-Klug (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by February 28, 2019. The abstract must be in the area of motor control/electromyography. You are also requested to submit an up to date curriculum vitae and PDF copies of two of your refereed publications in the area of motor control / electromyography.

When applying for the award, please download the Carlo de Luca ESA tick-box questionnaire from the ISB web-side, answer the questions and send it back to the ISB Awards Officer, too. Please note: You are also required to submit your abstract simultaneously to the ISB congress organizers and that ISB has a policy that an abstract submitted for an ISB conference award is non-identical to an abstract submitted elsewhere.

Economically Developing Countries Report - Felipe P Carpes

ISB council members spent two days together before the WCB Dublin. During the meeting we discussed strategies to include EDC participants in the Society and the ISB congress in Calgary. Here I am summarizing some of the more important points and also showing to the ISB members some of the EDC activities in the past months.

EDC registration in Calgary

ISB 2019 Congress, prof. Walter Herzog, reported the advances in the conference organization and notice that EDC registration will be available at a lower rate. Additionally, there will be travel grants to EDC students. We strongly advice the students to regularly check the congress website (www.isb2019.com) and prepare application once the travel grant guidelines is available. There will also be travel grants from ISB. For this travel grants I strongly suggest to combine the congress participation and a short visit to some research laboratory in Canada, which will make your application stronger.

Congress in Chile

The II Congress of the Chilean Society for Movement Science was a huge success in Santiago (Chile) last August (2-4^th). You may want to learn more about the congress by visiting the ACCM website: www.accm.cl

Biomechanics Winter Schools in Brazil

During the months of July, August and September the Brazilian Society of Biomechanics supported 5 Winter Schools in Biomechanics. The schools achieved great success and were organized as follow:

• Biomechanics Winter School: “Biomechanics of Olympic Swimming”
  • Federal University of Manaus, Manaus, Brazil.
  • Chair: Prof. Kelly de Jesus Allen Graça
• Biomechanics Winter School: Signal Processing
  • Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, Brazil.
  • Chair: Prof. Felipe P Carpes
• Biomechanics Winter School: Biomechanics applied to daily life tasks
  • Pontifical Catholic University, Curitiba, Brazil
  • Chair: Prof. Eduardo Scheeren
• Biomechanics Winter School: Neuromuscular Biomechanics
  • Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
  • Chair: Prof. Fernando Diefenthaeler
• Biomechanics Winter School: UNIFESP Biomechanics School
  • Federal University of São Paulo, São José dos Campos, Brazil
  • Chair: Prof. Maria Elizete Kunkel

Journal subscription donations

EDC groups were benefit of one-year free subscription to online Journal of Experimental Biology donated by professors Rodger Kram and Glen Lichtwark. This was a nice contribution of these professors and will benefit many students and researchers.

We want you to join this journey!

We are looking for new EDC initiatives. In ISB 2019 we will promote a microgrant competition to support small projects and educational initiatives for biomechanics in EDC. Why not starts your project today? For details on proposing an EDC project check the ISB website (link bellow) and contact me. I will provide all the support.

https://isbweb.org/activities/economically-developing-countries/get-involved

3D-AHM Group - Call for proposals to host

The 17th International Symposium on 3-D Analysis of Human Movement

Biennial Symposium of the 3D-AHM Group, International Society of Biomechanics

The 3-D Analysis of Human Movement (3D-AHM) Group is a Technical Group of the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB), and has a special interest in the three-dimensional biomechanical analysis of human movement.  The biennial symposium is the major event of the group, which attracts generally more than 150 delegates to present research results and discuss issues related to the measurement and analysis of human movement in three dimensions as well as relevant applications.  The symposium is typically held over a three-day period in the summer.  The program consists of invited lectures, podium sessions and poster sessions.  The industry is also offered the exceptional opportunity to address the general assembly, rather than the typical commercial exhibits.

The 16th International Symposium on 3-D Analysis of Human Movement will take place on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, Iowa, USA in July 2020.  The host of the Symposium is Professor Li-Shan Chou, President of the 3-D Analysis of Human Movement Group.  More information about the group and symposia can be found at http://geocities.ws/3d-ahm/.

We would like to invite proposals to host the 17th International Symposium in 2022.  A one-page proposal identifying the host of the meeting and describing the affiliated institution and the facilities available for the meeting is requested.  Additional information about the organizing committee and potential topics for the meeting is welcome but not essential.  Also, tourist information about the region is useful since the meeting may coincide with summer holidays.  The selection will be based also on the record of research in the area of human movement analysis from the hosting group, and on previous commitments with the 3D-AHM Group.  The selected host will serve on the Executive Board as President-Elect.

DUE DATE FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION IS December 31, 2018.

PLEASE SUBMIT PROPOSALS ELECTRONICALLY TO Li-Shan Chou at

chou@uoregon,edu

You may also address questions about this Call for Proposals to Georgios Stylianides

at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

14th Biennial Footwear Biomechanics Symposium

Registration and abstract submission are now open!

It is with pleasure that we cordially invite our colleagues and collaborators throughout the world to Kananaskis, Canada for the 14^th biennial Footwear Biomechanics Symposium. The symposium will be held immediately prior to the 27^th ISB Congress with the aim of encouraging research and promoting discussion of biomechanical issues related to functional footwear, including sport shoes, clinical/prescription footwear and footwear designed for special purposes. The conference not only includes many ground-breaking presentations within the realm of footwear science but is fortunate to have a large industry presence including scientists and representatives from many of the top footwear companies. Aside from the many academic discussions and presentations, attendees will be invited to take part in multiple social activities throughout the conference, providing networking opportunities for students, academic researchers and industry representatives.

The scientific program will feature internationally recognized keynote speakers and an agenda which we expect to both inspire and exceed our attendee’s expectations.

 For all information regarding the conference including the items listed below, please visit our site at: http://fbs2019.footwearbiomechanics.org/

• Registration
• Accommodation & Venue
• Abstract Submissions
• Student Events
• Exhibitor and Sponsorship Details
• Program
• Scientific  Awards
• Student Travel Awards

Keynote Speakers

• Thor Besier - Professor at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland.  Research Interest: Wearable Sensors
• Breanne Everett - CEO and founder of Orpyx Medical Technologies Inc as well as medical doctor.  Research Interest: Wearable Sensors     
• Richard Kent - Professor at the University of Virginia and consultant for the National Football League.  Research Interest: Shoe/Turf Interaction Mechanics      
• Rodger Kram - Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. Research Interest: Physiology and Biomechanics of Terrestrial Locomotion 

In addition to the speakers listed above, the symposium will also include four Invited Speakers:

• Berthold Krabbe - Sen. Sport Science Director, adidas AG
• Alison Sheets-Singer - Nike Sport Research Lab
• Julie Steele - University of Wollongong, Australia
• Helen Woo - Sen. Director Biomechanics/Innovation, Under Armour

Key Dates

Abstract submission deadline:                                  February 15, 2019 (no extension)

Early registration deadline:                                        May 15, 2019

Student Travel Grants

For the first time, a number of travel grant awards of $500-$1000 (dependent on travel distance) to student members of the Footwear Biomechanics Group presenting at FBS2019.  These grants will be awarded on a competitive basis.  Full announcement and judging criteria will be available on the Footwear Biomechanics Group website.

Motor Control Working Group

The Working Group in Motor Control would like to thank the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) for helping us make 2018 our most successful year to date.

This past year, we hosted our 7^th and 8^th Symposia on Motor Control in Biomechanics, in conjunction with the 65^th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in Minneapolis (USA) and the 8^th World Congress of Biomechanics (WCB) in Dublin (Ireland), respectively. 

We would like to extend a special thank-you to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for their financial assistance in supporting our 7^th symposium at ACSM 2018, and for sponsoring NSF-funded travel awards in the amount of $500 USD for ten US-based undergraduate and graduate students to participate in the symposium.

We would also like to thank the De Luca Foundation (DLF) for their support, and for making available eight Student Travel Awards in the amount of $500 USD to support student participation to our 8^th symposium at WCB 2018.

Congratulations to the award winners and thank you to all attendees who made these events a success! More information on the symposia can be found on our website (see here). 

We look forward to our 2019 symposia, which we will host in conjunction with the 66^th ACSM and the 27^th Congress of ISB. 

Both events will feature internationally renowned speakers presenting their work at the intersection of Motor Control and Biomechanics.  Join us for the opportunity to discover the latest developments in these fields and discuss with experienced investigators.

We look forward to seeing you in 2019!

TGCS 2019 Conference

The TGCS 2019 website is now live!

TGCS 2019 is an upcoming symposium organized by International Society of Biomechanics members and its technical group partners that focuses on computer simulation in biomechanics. Keynote speakers include Wendy Murray (Northwestern University) and Ilse Jonkers (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven). The meeting will take place in beautiful Canmore, Canada from 28 to 30 July 2019. Don't miss the latest symposium news and help us with preliminary plans.