Rhone D.

Journal Entries:

Month of April:

I helped Jake with his test launch of his weather balloon and he learned that he needs helium and approval from airspace before he can continue. This month I was working on my article edits as well as preparing for the poster session. We also made advances with our EMG technology so that we can now run experiments with tangible data.

In this lab we plan to test multiple chest focused exercises commonly used by athletes. We will see which exercise produce the most activity for each subject. Here is the setup we have created:


  1. Preparation:

  • Pre-writing and lab creation sheet

  • Overall goals laid out as a group.

  • Mini-runthrough with Conductors

  • Subject selection

  • Final checks of equipment and data collection

  1. Exercise Selection:

    • Pick exercises like bench press, chest press, dumbbell flyes, push-ups, and cable crossovers.

  2. Data Collection:

    • Attach EMG sensors.

    • Subjects perform exercises with high intensity (failure).

    • Record EMG data and exercise duration.

  3. Data Analysis:

    • Analyze EMG data to measure muscle activation.

    • Calculate average activation levels for each exercise.

    • Graph Results.

  4. Results:

    • Compare activation levels between exercises.

    • Identify most effective exercises for each subject.

  5. Conclusion:

    • Summarize findings and effectiveness of exercises.

    • Reflect on lab and write what went well and not well.

    • Update journals

3/10/23

Rhône’s Static vs dynamic stretching when measuring the speed of a soccer shot:

Static stretches (zac)

Before: 47, 55, 53

After: 54, 55, 60

Dynamic Stretches (jake) 

Before: 59, 66, 67

After: 71, 65, 67

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects that static stretches have compared to the effects that dynamic stretching have on the amount of speed the participant can create by kicking a ball. The speed of the shots were taken using the speedometer and three shots were recorded before and after the static and dynamic stretching. From our data the average speed of shot before the dynamic stretches was 51.6km and after the static stretches was 56.3km. A clear increase in speed after the dynamic stretching. The average before the dynamic stretching was 64km and after was 67.6km. Again, an increase in speed.

7/09/23

In the last few WISRD classes Zac, Jake, and I have been trying to understand how to work with the EMG equipment and muscle sensors so that we can start with different experiments.

26/08/23:

Today I learned about some top researchers in the field of Sports science, I watched a Ted Talk by Tim Noakes on the idea of over-hydrating during exercise. I also want to find out more about injuries in sports, how they happen, and how they can be prevented.

https://www.scijournal.org/articles/famous-sport-scientists#google_vignette

25/08/23: To get things started I emailed Noam to find out more about the Cosmic Ray group to potentially become a member. Also requested to switch blocks so that I could work with Zachary Merems and Jake Goldberg on the emerging sports science program.

24/08/23: First day at WISRD learned that there is an upcoming sports science program that sounds very interesting. Also signed in the the WISRD website and submitted my first journal entry.

Statement of interest, Spring 2023:
I have always been a student that loves all subjects as I am a very curious learner always asking questions and wanting to learn more. This is especially the case in science and currently in Physics as I find the subject so mind-boggling and fascinating to learn about and I know there is so much to learn within it. In this institute, I would love to carry out this curiosity and connect it with some of my other passions. For example, I am an athlete and I do many sports so I would love to potentially dive deeper into the the realm of sports science as that is something I am quite passionate about which I think would drive my curiosity and engagement even further. My dad is currently working with a company called AirUp, the "first hydration system that flavors water through scent alone". This idea also actually fascinates me quite a lot and the idea of retro-nasal science which I think could be another option to dive deeper into. AirUp link and the science behind it: https://us.air-up.com/pages/how-does-air-up-work

Given unlimited recourses and connecting back to my idea of sports science, I would probably utilize professional athletes and test the effects of different performance-enhancing drugs, and products as well as the effects of different diets and how they might give advantages to an athlete. I know this isn't the most extravagant option in such a wide field of study but it is something that genuinely intrigues me.