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University of Lynchburg

/ Academics / Faculty / John Eric Goff, PhD

John Eric Goff, PhD

John Eric GoffProfessor of Physics

434.544.8856
goff@lynchburg.edu
Hobbs-Sigler Hall 412

Degrees and Certifications

Experience/Background

  • University of Sheffield (UK), Visiting Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering (July 2015 – July 2016)
  • University of Lynchburg, Professor of Physics (Fall 2012 – present)
  • University of Sheffield (UK), Associate Visiting Staff, Department of Mechanical Engineering (September 2008 – June 2009)
  • University of Lynchburg, Associate Professor of Physics (Fall 2006 – Spring 2012)
  • University of Lynchburg, Chair, Department of Physics (Fall 2003 – present)
  • University of Lynchburg, Assistant Professor of Physics (Fall 2002 – Spring 2006)
  • Oberlin College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Physics (Fall 2000 – Spring 2002)
  • Kenyon College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Physics (Fall 1999 – Spring 2000)
  • Indiana University, Physics Instructor, Extended Studies Division School (Spring 1998 – Summer 1999)
  • Indiana University, Associate Instructor, Department of Physics (Fall 1992 – Spring 1999)

Teaching Areas

  • Physics I, II, III, and IV
  • Experimental Physics
  • Classical Mechanics
  • Quantum Mechanics
  • Computational Physics
  • Statistical Thermodynamics
  • Optics

Publications, Presentations, and Research

Selected Publications

  • “Effect of a soccer ball’s seam geometry on its aerodynamics and trajectory,” John Eric Goff, Sungchan Hong, and Takeshi Asai, Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology (published online 25 September 2019) DOI 10.1177/1754337119876485.
  • “Effect of a soccer ball’s surface texture on its aerodynamics and trajectory,” Sungchan Hong, John Eric Goff, and Takeshi Asai, Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology 233 (number 1), 67-74 (2019).
  • “Effect of Impact Mechanism on Head Accelerations in Men’s Lacrosse Athletes,” Lydia R. Vollavanh, Kathleen M. O’Day, Elizabeth M. Koehling, James M. May, Katherine M. Breedlove, Evan L. Breedlove, Eric A. Nauman, Debbie A. Bradney, J. Eric Goff, and Thomas G. Bowman, Journal of Applied Biomechanics 34, 396-402 (2018).
  • “Aerodynamic and surface comparisons between Telstar 18 and Brazuca,” John Eric Goff, Sungchan Hong, and Takeshi Asai, Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology 232 (number 4), 342-348 (2018).
  • “Resources for sports engineering education,” Tom Allen and John Eric Goff, Sports Engineering 21 (issue 4), 245-253 (2018).
  • “Critical shoe contact area ratio for sliding on a tennis hard court,” John Eric Goff, Luke Boswell, Daniel Ura, Mark Kozy, and Matt J Carr´e, Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology 232 (number 2), 112-121 (2018).
  • “Using the 2011-16 Tours de France to refine prediction model and elicit racing strategies,” Chad M Hobson and John E Goff, Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology (Special Issue on Tour de France/Cycling) 231 (number 3), 232-240 (2017).

Talks Given

  • Great Science on Display at the World Cup and Tour de France during Summer 2014, Ball State University, 2015 (invited).
  • World Cup and Tour de France Physics, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Lynchburg, 2015 (invited).
  • The Influence of World Cup Ball Design on Ball Aerodynamics, Materi­als for Tomorrow 2014 Conference at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, 2014 (invited).
  • Sports Physics at University of Lynchburg, Materials for Tomorrow 2014 Con­ference at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, 2014 (invited).
  • Great Science on Display at the World Cup and Tour de France During Summer 2014, Northern Michigan University, 2014 (invited).
  • Sports Physics Workshop #2: Field Hockey and Soccer, Sweet Briar College, 2014 (invited).
  • Predicting the Tour de France and Soccer Ball Aerodynamics, University of Vermont, 2013 (invited).
  • Sports Physics Workshop #1: Lacrosse and Softball, Sweet Briar Col­lege, 2013 (invited).
  • Physics Forays into Tour de France Modeling and Soccer Aerodynamics, September Meeting of the Central Virginia Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Sweet Briar College, 2013 (invited).
  • Physics Goodies from the London Olympics, New College of Florida, 2013 (invited).
  • Physics Goodies from the London Olympics, Sweet Briar College, 2013 (invited).
  • Physics Goodies from the London Olympics, Randolph College, 2012 (invited).
  • Physics Goodies from the London Olympics, University of Lynchburg Science Gang Lecture, 2012.
  • Olympic Dreams that Make Sport of Physics, John Eric Goff, The En­gineering of Sport 9, 2012 Conference of the International Sports Engi­neering Association, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 2012 (invited keynote address).
  • Predicting Winning Times for Stages of the 2011 Tour de France Using an Inclined-Plane Model, John Eric Goff, The Engineering of Sport 9, 2012 Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 2012.
  • Investigations into soccer aerodynamics via trajectory analysis and dust experiments, The Engineering of Sport 9, 2012 Conference of the Inter­national Sports Engineering Association, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 2012.
  • Sports Physics at University of Lynchburg, Faculty Lecture Series, University of Lynchburg, 2011.
  • Making Sport of Physics, Summer Meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Creighton University, 2011 (invited).
  • Soccer Ball Aerodynamics, Oberlin College, 2011 (invited).
  • Making Sport of Physics, National Science Teachers Association Con­ference on Science Education, Baltimore, 2010 (invited).
  • Making Sport of Physics, Kenyon College, 2010 (invited).
  • Making Sport of Physics, National Science Teachers Association 2010 Area Conference on Science Education, Baltimore, Md., November 2010.
  • Soccer Physics from Sheffield, Fall Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Fairfax, Va., October 2009. Awarded the Frank R. Haig Prize for best paper from a four-year college.
  • Mathematica examples from the LC undergraduate physics curriculum, Fall Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Radford, Va., November 2007.
  • Three-Year Study of Tour de France Modeling, Fall Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, Md., November 2005.
  • Modern Application for Introductory Physics: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, Spring Meeting of the Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Lynchburg, Va., March 2005.
  • Check on Model Robustness: 2004 Tour de France, Fall Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Staunton, Va., November 2004. Awarded the Frank R. Haig Prize for best paper from a four-year college.
  • Model of the 2003 Tour de France, Spring Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Washington, D.C., March 2004. Awarded the Frank R. Haig Prize for best paper from a four-year college.
  • A FUN General Education Course: Physics of Sports, Fall Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Radford, Va., October 2002. Awarded the Frank R. Haig Prize for best paper from a four-year college.

Research:

I have an interest in the physics of sports. My first book, Gold Medal Physics: The Science of Sports, is pitched at a level that does not exceed introductory physics. I cover great moments in sports: “The Play” from Cal’s win over Stanford in 1982, Doug Flutie’s “Hail Mary” pass in 1984, Lance Armstrong’s incredible Tour de France feats, Bob Beamon’s epic jump in 1968, Greg Louganis’ (shown on cover) gold-medal diving in 1984 and 1988, Katarina Witt’s majesty on ice, David Beckham’s banana kicks in soccer, Al Oerter’s Olympic dominance in the discus throw, and Taiho’s legendary sumo triumphs. I also unveil a College Football Prediction Contest.

I spent a sabbatical during the 2008-09 academic year as a member of Matt Carré’s Sports Engineering Research Group at the University of Sheffield in England. I developed codes to extract drag and lift coefficients from trajectory data of soccer balls (non-spinning and spinning) in flight. Some of the lift coefficients Matt and I found are for spin parameters not yet tested in today’s wind tunnels.

Brandon Cook ’07 worked with me on a project that involved determining rules of thumb for successful soccer kicks. We examined the free kick and the corner kick.

During the summers of 2003 and 2004, I worked with Benjamin Lee Hannas ’03 on a model that predicts stage-winning times in the Tour de France. Our models did quite well; we missed the overall time in 2003 by just 0.03% and the overall time in 2004 by just 0.05%.

During the summer of 2007, LC physics major Crystal Moorman worked with me on a project dealing with computational gravity. We published a paper that dealt with the golden ratio in a coupled-oscillator system.

As a long-term project, I am learning the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. FDTD is a popular method in computational electrodynamics.

Articles describing my work:

 Awards

  • James A. Huston Award for Excellence in Scholarship, Lynchburg Col­lege, 2014
  • James A. Huston Award for Excellence in Scholarship, Lynchburg Col­lege, 2009
  • Bridging the Gaps Visiting Scholar, University of Sheffield (UK), Fall 2008
  • Mednick Memorial Fellowship, given by the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, 2008
  • Best Paper Award, Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Fall 2009, 2004, Spring 2004, Fall 2002
  • Bernice Eastwood Covalt Memorial Scholarship, Indiana University, Spring 1998
  • Excellence in Teaching Recognition Award, Indiana University, Spring 1997

Professional Affiliations

  • International Sports Engineering Association (2012-present)
  • Society of Physics Students (1989-1992, 2003-present)
  • Sigma Xi (2002-present)
  • American Association of Physics Teachers (2002-present)
  • American Physical Society (1992-present)

Personal

  • Born Sept. 5, 1970 in Charleston, W.V.
  • Married to Sally Branner
  • Children: Emily and Abby
  • Hobbies: bridge, playing and watching sports