In the movie Concussion, Will Smith plays a Pittsburgh pathologist who uncovered a link between repeated concussions and brain damage in professional football players.
Engineers can’t change behavior. But they can design better helmets and other gear to reduce injuries. Some engineering students even play the game!

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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Engineering Football Safety

Tags: concussions, Dartmouth, engineering research, Football, helmet, Safety engineering, Sports, STEM education, tackle dummy, University of Alabama

He revolutionized safety in auto racing following the death of legendary racer Dale Earnhardt in 2001. Now Dean Sicking, a professor of engineering at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, is tackling football helmets in an effort to reduce brain injuries at every level of the sport.

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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Top Autoracing Safety Engineer Tackles Football

Tags: concussions, crash dummies, Dean Sicking, football helmet, impact, NFL, UAB, University of Alabama

Brigham Young University engineering student Jake Merrell has created a “smart foam” that could be placed inside the helmets of football players to measure the impact of hits to the head, and could help prevent concussions while players are int the game.

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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Student’s Invention Could Prevent Concussions

Tags: concussions, Design, Electrical Engineering, Football, Materials Engineering, Nanotechnology