Dr. Richard C. Nelson: The Penn State Biomechanics Laboratory and Its Impact on My Career

In 1967, as an undergraduate gymnast, I developed an interest in the mechanics of twisting somersaults. In 1969, after expressing a desire to measure and model human motion in a doctoral program, I was advised that Dr Richard "Dick" Nelson was starting a unique program in biomechanics of sport at Penn State University. In September 1970, I was the fourth or fifth doctoral student to join the new program. In 1972, I photographed a cluster of 18 golf balls hung from a 4' × 8' sheet of plywood in Dick's new biomechanics laboratory. The question: "Could I create a 3-dimensional scale that would allow me to locate these golf balls in 3 dimensions?" From these early beginnings, I went on to develop the mathematical foundation for "motion capture" and a career as an entrepreneur and scientist working in a very wide variety of industrial environments in the United States and abroad. Much of my success can be traced back to the 4 years I spent on the Penn State campus. Dick's efforts in the late 60s and his persistence in the early 70s, and later, were instrumental in creating a new discipline: "Biomechanics of Sport." Dick: Thank you.