Biomechanics on our Minds
by Drs. Melissa Boswell and Hannah O’Day
Your favorite biomechanics podcast! Melissa Boswell, PhD, and Hannah O'Day, PhD, researchers at Stanford University, talk to researchers around the world about the exciting field of human (and animal) movement biomechanics. They also cover overcoming failures, collaborations, open science, leadership, and more. For more information, visit our website biomechanicsonourminds.com.
Episodes
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Bonus BOOM for ALS: Boston Marathon-Sports Performance & Medical Research | Kristin Whitney
This is a special episode all about the Boston Marathon. The 129th Boston Marathon will take place on April 21, 2025 and holds a special place in the hearts of those in this episode. There are also 174 charities participating in the marathon. See below on how to show your support. Our guest in…
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Episode 69: Biomechanics On Our Minds Forever
Thank you for six incredible years. Biomechanics on our minds! <3 Melissa and Hannah
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Episode 68: Choose the Impossible | Olympic Gold Medalist Jenn Heil
Our guest in this episode is Jenn Heil, a Canadian freestyle skier, two-time Olympic medalist, and reigning world champion in dual moguls. Jenn is a Guinness World Record Holder, Canadian Order of Sport Recipient, Stanford Graduate School of Business Leadership Award Winner, Founder of a startup...
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Episode 67: The Human Performance Series Part 3 | Satchin Panda
This is Part 3 of our series on human performance supported by the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance! In this episode, we talked with Dr. Satchin Panda, a professor in the Regulatory Biology Laboratory and the Rita and Richard Atkinson Chair at the Salk Institute, as well as the Director of the…
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Episode 66: The Human Performance Series Part 2 | NiCole Keith
Welcome to Part 2 of the Human Performance Series supported by the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance! In this episode, we talked with NiCole Keith who is a Professor at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and the current president of American College Sports Medicine. NiCole shared...
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Episode 65: The Human Performance Series Part 1 | Caroline Kryder
In this episode, we interview Caroline Kryder, the Women’s Health Lead and Product Marketing Manager at Oura, a company that makes a smart ring device to track sleep, physical activity, and much more. Caroline shares how Oura is working to close the gap in Women’s health research and how they use...
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Episode 64: Objective Biomarkers of Health and Biomechanics Applications | Ryan McGinnis
We talked to Dr. Ryan McGinnis, an Associate Professor and Assistant Director in the department of electrical and biomedical engineering at the University of Vermont. He leads the M-Sense research group which takes the tools we make in biomechanics and empowers people out in the real world. We...
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Episode 63: Building a Lab and Discovering a Unicorn | Rafael Baptista
In this episode, we are joined by Professor Rafael Reimann Baptista. Rafael is a professor in the School of Health and Life Sciences at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. He coordinates the Laboratory of Evaluation and Research in Physical Activity, currently...
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Episode 62: Connecting Exoskeletons with People and Their Stories | Jonas Grau Thomsen
In this epsiode, we are joined by Jonas Grau Thomsen, the CEO of Nordic Bionics. When Jonas was six, he was told that I would only be able to walk for ten more years. This was the beginning of his search for a bionic solution. Now, he is an expert wheelchair user and exoskeleton influencer. His...
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Episode 61: Nimble Exoskeletons and Entrepreneurship | Ray Browning and Zach Lerner
In this episode, Dr. Ray Browning and Dr. Zach Lerner shared their experiences, stories, and wisdom with us on their journeys in biomechanics, collaboration, and founding the rehabilitation robotics company Biomotum. Biomotum is currently developing robotic systems that help people improve their...
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Episode 60: Productivity, Focus, and Wellbeing | Brent Shaw
In this episode, Brent Shaw joins us to talk about topics including goal setting, avoiding distractions, and enjoying the journey. Brent is the Director of Research at The Darrow Stem Cell Institute as well as a personal coach and host of the Student Performance Podcast. Brent shared…
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Episode 59: All Levels of Muscle and Power Skills | Silvia Blemker
Happy 2023! We start the year off with a wonderful conversation with Professor Silvia Blemker from the University of Virginia and who is the CSO/co-founder of Springbok Analytics. She talked about her lab’s research exploring muscle from cellular to whole-body levels and also on neuromuscular...
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Episode 58: Musical Biofeedback, Balance, and Sports | Antonia Zaferiou
In this episode, Professor Antonia Zaferiou shares her journey through art and science to becoming an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, as well as some of the exciting research projects in her lab. We discuss her recent and...
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Episode 57: Open and Accessible Biomechanics Knowledge | Jacob Goodin
Today we are talking with Professor Jacob Goodin. Jacob is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California, and was previously the head strength and conditioning coach and sport scientist for Eastern Tennessee State University's men’s and women’s...
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Episode 56: Quantifying the Essence of Drumming Biomechanics | Nadia Azar
We had a great conversation with Professor Nadia Azar, an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Windsor. For the first time on BOOM, we learn about the biomechanics of drumming and playing other musical instruments. Nadia shares her findings on the mechanics of how…
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Student Voices Episode 16: Pandemic PhD Reflections | Michael Rose
This Student Voices episode is hosted by Michael Rose, a former clinical research coordinator and soon-to-be PhD student. In the episode Michael interviews three friends and colleagues – Ophelie Herve from UCLA, Gabi Diaz from CU Boulder, and Garrett Weidig from Michigan State University – on…
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Episode 55: Proprioceptive Prostheses and Clinical Impact | Hamid Charkhkar and Anna Smith
We talked with Professor Hamid Charkhkar from Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland VA Medical Center and Anna Smith, a former Case Western student and research assistant in Professor Charkhkar’s neuroprosthesis group. We discussed the importance of being open to feedback from all...
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Episode 54 Part 2: Biomechanics in Practice | Bill DeSimone
This month we have two awesome interviews with people developing approaches to apply biomechanics in practice so things like performance training or even just standard weight training but in a safer way. This episode is Part 2 with Bill DeSimone. Bill is a personal trainer who focuses on teaching...
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Episode 54 Part 1: Biomechanics in Practice | Bryon Weinberg & Patrick Welsh from Athletic Movement Assessment
If you’re interested in learning more about how research in biomechanics can be translated into real and practical guidelines for improving training performance and safety, this episode is for you! We learn about putting biomechanics into practice with Dr. Bryon Weinberg and Dr. Patrick Welsh…
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Episode 53: Diversity in Perspectives and People in Biomechanics | Robin Queen
In this episode we talk with Professor Robin Queen, a professor at Virginia Tech in the department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics and the principal investigator of the Kevin P. Granata Biomechanics Lab. We discuss her diverse research projects including how she investigates the...
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Episode 52: Holla Back at Brain Biomechanics | Maria Holland
In this episode we talk with Maria Holland, Assistant Professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Notre Dame. We talked about the implications of different properties of the brain and how we can apply biomechanics to study brain growth such as changes in folding and...
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Episode 51: Weaving Together Space, Aging, and Vehicle Safety Biomechanics | Ashley Weaver
We had so much fun talking to Professor Ashley Weaver, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Wake Forest School of Medicine about both her impactful research and educational projects. Her research spans three themes: 1) injury/crash biomechanics to improve car safety design…
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Episode 50: Celebrating BOOM | Hannah and Melissa
Happy 50th episode of BOOM! The tables are turned on the "BOOM doctors" Hannah and Melissa and they answer YOUR questions about BOOM, biomechanics, the future, fails, and more. A note from your hosts... We are SO grateful for all of your support since the beginning of BOOM. We've loved being on...
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Bonus Episode: Your Friendly Neighborhood Markerless Motion Capture | Jon Matthis
In this episode we talk to Jonathan Samir Matthis, tenure-track professor of human movement neuroscience in Boston and founder of the FreeMoCap Foundation. We discuss how FreeMocap is collaboratively and thoughtfully “duct-taping together” open-source software to make it more accessible and…
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Episode 49: On-Field Baseball Biomechanics - Don't Be Deceived | Mike Sonne
Our guest today is Dr. Mike Sonne, chief scientist at Three Motion AI where they use biomechanics to elevate athlete training and performance in baseball! We learn about how to translate biomechanical evaluations into useable applications like quantifying changes in performance. While you don’t...
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Episode 48: Bioengineering Your Own Path | Bob Guldberg
On this episode, we talk with Dr. Bob Guldberg, who is the Vice President and the Executive Director of the Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact at the University of Oregon. We loved learning about being a successful academic entrepreneur and his work in musculoskeletal tissue...
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Episode 47: Fashion Meets Biomechanics | Martha Hall
On this episode of BOOM, we host Dr. Martha Hall, the Director of Innovation of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware and the founder of Dr. Martha Hall Designs and FashionableScience.com, which are dedicated to promoting and creating adaptive apparel, wearable technology, and other...
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Bonus Episode: Markerless Motion Capture | Scott Selbie
In this episode, we dive into markerless motion capture with Dr. Scott Selbie, the Chief Executive Officers of Theia Markerless Inc, Director of Research at C-Motion Inc, an adjunct Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Queen's University and in the department of Kinesiology at the University of...
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Episode 46: Bilingual Biomechanists in Digital Health | Alison McGregor
In this episode, Professor Alison McGregor is on the show! Alison is a Professor of Musculoskeletal Biodynamics in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at the Imperial College London, where she manages the Human Performance Group. We dive deep into the importance of speaking the language of...
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Episode 45: Wearable Systems and Starting A Lab Internationally | Pete Shull
In this interview, we talk with Pete Shull, Associate Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and who is the principal investigator of the Wearable Systems Laboratory. Pete shares exciting new wearables and robotics research including hand gesture recognition from a wrist-worn sensor and…
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Wellness Series 3: Cultivating Mindsets To Support Your Health and Wellbeing | Alia Crum
Today’s episode is the last in a three-part series looking at wellness through the lenses of movement, sleep, and mindset. For today’s conversation, Melissa and Hannah invite Professor Alia Crum to discuss mindset. Alia is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and the...
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Wellness Series 2: Improving Your Sleep Quality | Jamie Zeitzer
Today’s episode is the second in a three-part series looking at wellness through the lenses of movement, sleep, and mindset. For today’s conversation, Melissa and Hannah invite Professor Jamie Zeitzer to discuss his work on sleep. Jamie is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, conducting research...
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Wellness Series 1: Health-Enhancing Environments and Citizen Science | Abby King
Today’s episode is the first in a three-part series looking at wellness through the lenses of movement, sleep, and mindset. For today’s conversation, Melissa and Hannah invite Professor Abby King to discuss movement. Abby is an award-winning Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health and of...
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Episode 44: Skin Mechanics and Collaborative Friendships | Adrian Buganza Tepole and Manuel Rausch
In this episode, we cover skin biomechanics! As our largest organ, the skin is an essential part of movement and a source of protection for our bodies. Learn about why studying skin biomechanics is so critical from Professors Manuel Rausch and Adrian Buganza Tepole, from UT Austin and Purdue...
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Student Voices Episode 15: Diversity and Extreme Sports Biomechanics | Corey Tanaka
This episode of Student Voices is hosted by Corey Tanaka, who is in his 4th year of undergrad and works in the Movement Science Laboratory at California State University Long Beach. He interviews his mentor, Dr. Kevin Valenzuela who is a professor and researcher at California State University…
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Episode 43: Optimize Sports & Exoskeleton Performance with Modeling & Machine Learning | John McPhee
In this episode, we talked with Professor John McPhee, whose research focuses on modelling, simulation, model-based control, and optimal design of dynamic physical systems. He is able to apply his expertise in modeling and simulation widely, to everything from golf, to cars, to improving athletic...
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Episode 44: Skin Biomechanics and Aging | Adrian Buganza Tepole and Manuel Rausch
In this episode, we cover skin biomechanics! As our largest organ, the skin is an essential part of movement and a source of protection for our bodies. Learn about why studying skin biomechanics is so critical from Professors Manuel Rausch and Adrian Buganza Tepole, from UT Austin and Purdue...
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Bonus Episode: Post Docs, International Research, and Osteoarthritis | Kerry Costello
In this bonus episode, we talk with Dr. Kerry Costello, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Movement & Applied Imaging Lab at Boston University. In addition to teaching us about her awesome work, Kerry shares her insights on what it's like to be a postdoctoral fellow and how international research helped...
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Episode 42: Biomechanics in the Olympics and Paralympics | Scott Riewald
In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Scott Riewald, who is the Senior Director of High-Performance Projects on the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. He shares his experiences as a biomechanist working with Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches. His expertise sheds light…
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Episode 41: Flexing our minds, bodies, and research | Sarah Shultz
In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Sarah Shultz, Professor and Chair of Kinesiology at Seattle University. She shares her passion and enthusiasm for diversifying research teams, populations and questions. She talks about the importance of flexing - being resilient and adaptable...
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Mobility, Accessibility, and Design Series: Part 4 | Sara Hendren
You've been waiting for it... the grand finale, our fourth and final episode in the mobility, accessibility, and design series! We had such an amazing conversation with Sara Hendren, artist, design researcher, writer, and professor at Olin College of Engineering. She eloquently shared her…
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Mobility, Accessibility, and Design Series: Part 3 | Amos Winter
BOOM BOOM BOOM! We are releasing our third episode in the mobility, accessibility, and design series! We met with Amos Winter, a professor at MIT who taught us a lot about how he uses design in his research, and does need-finding “on the ground”, traveling all over the world to talk to users and...
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Mobility, Accessibility, and Design Series: Part 2 | Josh Halstead
This episode features an inspiring conversation with Josh Halstead, an activist, designer, and author, who shares their perspectives and expertise on design pedagogy, co-design, crip time, and many other ideas. He also brings the unique perspective of how these ideas have played out in their own...
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Episode 43: Optimizing Sports Performance through Simulation, Modeling, and Machine Learning | John McPhee
We talked with Professor John McPhee, whose research focuses on modeling, simulation, model-based control, and optimal design of dynamic physical systems. He is able to apply his expertise in modeling and simulation widely, to everything from golf, to cars, to improving athletic performance. He...
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Episode 41: Flexing our minds, bodies, and research | Sarah Shultz
In this episode, we had the pleasure of talking with Sarah Shultz, Professor and Chair of Kinesiology at Seattle University. She shares her passion and enthusiasm for diversifying research teams, populations and questions. She talks about the importance of flexing - being resilient and adaptable...
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Mobility, Accessibility, and Design Series: Part 1 | Kat Steele
We are always trying to improve BOOM and we couldn’t do it without you. Thanks to your survey feedback, we created our first-ever BOOM series where we focus on one topic for a series of interviews. The theme of this series is mobility, accessibility, and design! Our first episode features…
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Episode 40: Keep It Moving | Kharma Foucher
We had an amazing conversation with Kharma Foucher who talks about how to make research patient-centric and integrate biomechanics and clinical outcomes. She also shares her experiences being part of teams that are focusing on inclusion and diversity in science, as well as what it means to her to...
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Episode 40: Keep it Moving | Kharma Foucher
We had an amazing conversation with Kharma Foucher who talks about how to make research patient-centric and integrate biomechanics and clinical outcomes. She also shares her experiences being part of teams that are focusing on inclusion and diversity in science, as well as what it means to her to...
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Bonus Episode: Kween Tips for Life and STEM | N’Dea Irvin-Choy
In this episode, we were lucky to have a conversation with N’Dea Irvin-Choy. N’Dea is a Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Delaware, working on impactful translational research in women’s health. N’Dea talks about overcoming the challenges of being part of an...
About this show
Your favorite biomechanics podcast! Melissa Boswell, PhD, and Hannah O'Day, PhD, researchers at Stanford University, talk to researchers around the world about the exciting field of human (and animal) movement biomechanics. They also cover overcoming failures, collaborations, open science, leadership, and more. For more information, visit our website biomechanicsonourminds.com.
Hosted by
Drs. Melissa Boswell and Hannah O’Day