Schedule of Events
Natural Sciences Oral Presentations
Friday, May 1, 2026
1:30 pm - 3:15 pm
Lundring Events Center
This session features outstanding student research from across the Natural Science Division. Selected by faculty for their exceptional work, these student presenters will share findings from months-long research projects. Each talk reflects both the depth of their scientific inquiry and their ability to present complex ideas clearly—skills they’ve demonstrated on campus and at professional conferences. This is a unique opportunity to hear from some of the division’s top student researchers and explore the cutting-edge work they’re doing.
Student Abstracts
Biomechanical Differences in Rugby vs. American Football Athletes?
Collision sports athletes perform repetitive tasks that place high loads on joints including the hip,knee, and ankle. However, there is limited information on how athletes who participate indifferent collision sports vary biomechanically. Thus, the purpose of this study was to comparelower-extremity strength and range of motion (ROM) measures between rugby and Americanfootball athletes. Thirty collision sport athletes (15 rugby athletes and 15 American footballathletes) completed a single laboratory session that included body composition assessment andlower-extremity strength testing using an isokinetic dynamometer. Independent t-tests andMANOVA were used to assess differences between rugby and American football athletes ondependent variables including joint ROM (hip, knee, ankle), peak torque at angular velocities of60, 120, and 180 degrees per second (deg/s), and strength ratios (e.g., hamstring/quadriceps).Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated for all variables analyzed. It was expected that therewould be significant differences between rugby and American football athletes on most outcomemeasures due to physical demands unique to each sport. Results from this study may revealsport-specific neuromuscular and flexibility characteristics of rugby and American footballathletes. This information could potentially be used to modify strength and conditioning, injuryprevention, and rehab protocols for each population. Additionally, as this is a pilot study, resultswill provide effect size estimates and information on study feasibility for future research.Ultimately, developing a better understanding of sport-specific biomechanics may allow athletesto perform better and decrease their risk of injury both now and in the future.
Student(s):
Angela Martinez Dominguez, Miguelangel Bolio, Rory Peterson, Vanessa Facey, Louise A. Kelly
Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Louise Kelly