Does size matter? And who puts the curve in a free kick?

08 April 2008

Does having a bigger head on your tennis racquet mean you are going to win Wimbledon? Can the right football boots influence the curve of a free kick?  Modern sport is intrinsically linked to science and engineering. New technologies have dramatically shaped the development of sport, sometimes causing controversy, but always generating fascination.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is bringing its European lecture road show to Ankara on Saturday 12 April as part of an initiative to explain the influence which science has over top sports performances.

The lecture will take place at Mithat Coruh Amfitheatre, Bilkent University, Bilkent, Ankaraand will be given by Dr David James who is a senior scientist in the world leading research centre based at Sheffield Hallam University. Dr James will use his extensive subject knowledge to explore the issues that are facing the sporting world, and will ask where the future might take us?

Recent projects have included the development of British Cycling’s highly successful Olympic track bike, and the aerodynamic optimisation of skeleton bobsled athlete Kristan Bromley. David has a reputation for delivering lively, informative and engaging lectures and has appeared on countless stages including the Cheltenham Science Festival; the BA Festival of Science and the Royal Institute’s Faraday lecture theatre.

Dr James said, “At the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics the medals winners were separated on average by three tenths of a second after two runs. How do athletes find their extra speed or consistently place winning serves? Not by accident! It’s all a question of science. We are exploring the absolute limits of human athletic performance and how the latest technology can make humans run faster, jump higher and be stronger.”

Dr James will be preceded in this event by Professor Feza Korkusuz from the Middle East Technical University’s Sports Education Department who will present a short talk entitled “Motion Analysis in Sport”.

Dr Feza Korkusuz is Head of the Physical Education and Sports Department at Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Education, Ankara, Turkey. As an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Traumatologist he sees sport trauma patients at the Medical Center of the same university. Apart from his sports traumatology studies, he is involved in biomechanical and physiological studies of sports. Recent projects include the landing strategies in volleyball and cartilage injuries of training.

The IET European Executive, said, “We feel we have created a unique series of lectures which will bring the science of engineering alive and reference it to everyday life. Understanding the link between scientific research and a world record is sometimes not that obvious. However, in our technological world, there are plenty of opportunities to use science and engineering to enhance performance either of athletes, products or, more commonly, the two together.

Mary Donovan
Media & PR Officer
T: +44 1438 765587
E:   mdonovan@theiet.org