Hamill Delivers International Society for Biomechanics President’s Lecture

Joseph Hamill, professor emeritus of kinesiology, delivered the President’s Lecture to close the 27^th Congress of the International Society for Biomechanics (ISB) held during the summer in Calgary, Canada. The lecture concludes his two-year term as president of the society.

Approximately 1,500 people attended the lecture, which traditionally closes the meeting’s academic program. Hamill reflected on his 35 years’ worth of contributions to the field of biomechanics, and in particular, on the impact he has made in advancing optimality criteria in locomotion and coordination variability as an indicator of pathology. He also discussed another enduring legacy – the ongoing work of the nearly 70 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers he mentored over the course of his career.

The ISB was founded in 1973 to promote the study of all areas of biomechanics at the international level. Its membership includes scientists from a large variety of disciplines including anatomy, physiology, engineering, orthopedics, rehabilitation medicine, sports science and others.

"It was a tremendous honor to serve as president of the ISB," said Hamill, who now assumes the role of past-president. "I look forward to continuing to give back to the discipline.”

Hamill’s research focuses on human locomotion, with particular emphasis on running mechanics. He is interested in determining the mechanical causes of cumulative micro-trauma injuries (more commonly referred to as overuse injuries). For these studies, his group has used kinematic and kinetic analyses, modeling and dynamical systems. The most recent research conducted in his laboratory involves the efficacy of altering footfall patterns during running and the possible link of such a change to running injuries.