Piper Lab Project

In honor of Dr. Piper's lasting contributions to students, the HES Program and its Alumni Council are establishing the Fontaine C. Piper Movement Analysis Laboratory.  This lab will integrate the three disciplines for which Dr. Piper was most closely identified:  biomechanics, motor learning/control, and anatomy.

To perform biomechanical and motor learning/control research today requires an ability to evaluation human motion in three dimensions.  In order to continually provide our students with a quality educational experience, it is important for them to have the capability of:

1. measuring three-dimensional kinematic variables directly and efficiently;
2. manipulating the sensory systems that contribute to movement control;
3. measuring ground reaction forces directly;
4. evaluating the muscle activity in many different movements; and
5. integrating the above measurements in a single time-based representation

Currently, the HES Program has only a two-dimensional analog video motion analysis system, four electromyographic (EMG) bioamplifiers, a set of vision displacement goggles, and a portable force platform.  No hardware and software are available for synchronizing the signals from these sources.  This equipment enables our students to explore basic questions related to the fields of biomechanics, motor control, physical and occupational therapy, orthopedics, coaching, and strength and conditioning.  However, as the HES Program has continued to evolve, our students are pursuing answers to increasingly complex problems, and they are often limited by the technology currently available.  The sophistication of their questions requires equipment with more advanced motion analysis capabilities than we currently have.  Thus, the HES Program needs to update the movement analysis laboratory to maintain a high standard of excellence in education.

This state of the art laboratory will enable our students to explore a greater breadth of research questions in far greater depth.  The equipment will also open up new research opportunities in human factors engineering (ergonomics), prosthetics and orthotics, geriatric medicine, and motion modeling and simulation. 

Development of the Fontaine C. Piper Movement Analysis Laboratory will provide HES students and faculty with one of the premiere labs in the Midwest.  The ability to analyze movement in three-dimensional space will significantly advance the quality of learning and better prepare students for the challenges of graduate school and the work force.