Upcoming+Events+and+Competitions

HoustonWorks USA Engineering Week

[]

Information for Engineering Week Competition (Research ideas)

__** Sports Engineering **__
Sports is big business in the United States and around the world. In the U.S. alone, the sporting goods industry is valued at $50 billion annually, and it's heavily dependent on the development of new products that enhance performance and increase safety. Engineering breakthroughs have had a significant impact on a wide range of sporting equipment?from bindings on skis to golf clubs, baseball bats, race cars, exercise equipment, and much more. In addition, an understanding engineering and physics principles has also contributed to dramatic improvements in technique in many sports. These improvements have, in turn, made sports more exciting by helping athletes break through performance barriers to set new records. What is sports engineering? Simply put, sports engineering is the application of engineering principles to: Sports engineering is built around principles of mechanical engineering, fluid/aerodynamics, and biomechanical engineering. Virtually every sport has benefited from engineering enhancements. Sports engineers use their background in areas to do such things as:
 * design and optimize the equipment and/or facilities athletes use;
 * analyze and improve athletic techniques and performance; and
 * reduce injuries through improved techniques or equipment.


 * understand the mechanics of tennis ball bounce;
 * optimize the hull of a racing yacht;
 * develop a new surface for a sports court that improves performance or reduces injuries;
 * understand the relationship between foot placement and accuracy of kicks in soccer;
 * apply damping technology in tennis rackets to reduce tennis elbow;
 * understand the musculoskeletal work involved in gymnastics to improve performance and reduce injuries;
 * improve the suspension system of a formula 1 racing car;
 * use computational fluid dynamics to analyze swimming strokes and modify technique for faster times;
 * design and manufacture high performance golf clubs; and
 * many others.

Engineering Project Information [] [] []

For example, a bike helmet is designed to minimize impact, whereas the design of a baseball bat is focused on increasing the force of impact. Science experiments designed around sports equipment can evaluate which designs are more effective, or they can be designed to find better shapes and structures for sports equipment.
 * Topic Cycling: Ex. of sports engineering theme **

Examples of Sports Engineering Products []