to various documentaries and TV chatter about head injuries to stars and the future of America’s football colossus … and we still don’t know the half of it.
Rowson, 35, had the idea and he handed it off to Kieffer, 24, who is collecting the data and will present her thesis in 2021. The data come from a mouthpiece that weighs half an ounce and contains six sensors — three accelerometers and three angular rate sensors — and a battery for Bluetooth for transmitting data.
Rowson recruited Kieffer after her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh specifically to work on this project. “Collecting this kind of data is difficult and requires initiative, a solid technical foundation and strong interpersonal skills,” he says. “It was clear to me that Emily could excel in leading this research project.”
Both of Virginia Tech’s lead researchers stay active in their own competitive sports. When she plays soccer, Kieffer does not attempt to head the ball. It’s not that the ball can cause a concussion, she says, it’s if you collide with an opponent trying to head the same ball.