Lily Bartel and Kathy Reyes - Grads Out There

Lily Bartel and Kathy Reyes photo

In the world of running, not all shoes are created equal. At least, that’s what Lily Bartel and Kathy Reyes (she/her) are analyzing at FORCE Lab, the biomechanics lab at OSU-Cascades in Bend. Lily and Kathy, along with many other undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, utilize FORCE lab to research aspects of biomechanics related to injury investigation and rehabilitation.
 
Both Lily and Kathy are Kinesiology students studying lower extremity mechanics: Lily looks at long-distance running while Kathy looks at trail running. In the video (slide three), Lily is tracking several different aspects of the participant.

First, a 3D motion capture system is used to define the different segments of the body. Lily explains, “As he moves, each individual marker will be labeled as one of those anatomical locations for us to analyze his running movements.” On the computer screen, gyroscopic data, muscle activation and electromyography (EMG) are being tracked.
 
The lab work has been exciting for them, but for Lily, it's all about the environment. “I love the lab environment and the people I get to do research with. It adds to the research experience!”