Dr. Tom Bowman and University of Lynchburg student Dane Bower ’16 recently began a new study of the physical properties of lacrosse helmets.
They have partnered with researchers at Michigan Technological University to examine pieces of lacrosse helmets with nanoindentation, a process that measures the hardness and flexibility of materials.
In July, Dr. Bowman and Dane traveled to Michigan to meet with the other researchers and familiarize themselves with nanoindentation and the data that the process provides. They also left helmet samples with Dr. Eric Herbert, the Michigan Tech professor who will oversee the specimen preparation and the nanoindentation.
“The main goals were to forge the collaboration, get in the same room and talk about the problem that we have,” said Dr. Bowman.
After Dr. Herbert and his students collect the data, Dane will be responsible for analyzing the nanoindentation data and writing a professional research manuscript.
The project was supported by funding from the Korey Stringer Institute and internal funding at LC.
This collaboration is one of several projects that Dr. Bowman and his LC athletic training students are working on to explore the severity of head impacts in sports. Their research could help make sports such as lacrosse and soccer more safe.
