Research projects

CHASE has undertaken a number of exciting and innovative postgraduate research projects, with collaboration and funding from organisations such as the Australian Institute of Sport, Swimming Australia, New Zealand Rugby Union, the Kirk Foundation and Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital.

Postgraduate research projects have included:

Performance Analysis of Paralympic Swimming

PhD candidate: Sacha Fulton

PhD scholarship: a combined initiative of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) and Swimming Australia.

Purpose

This research will contribute greatly to the knowledge, theory and practice of enhancing performance of Paralympic swimmers.

Research

There are four separate components of the overall research project:

  1. video-based analysis of International Paralympic swimming performance
  2. relationships between training and competition performance in Paralympic swimming
  3. quantifying freestyle kick for Paralympic swimming performance
  4. influence of maximal assisted freestyle kicking on net force production in Paralympic swimmers

The methodological approaches adopted for the research project include retrospective evaluation, prospective observation and controlled trial experimentation, which combined will provide swimmers, coaches and sports scientists with useful information for current and future training techniques and racing strategies.     

Supervisors: Professor David Pyne (AIS) and Associate Professor Brendan Burkett (USC)

Co-supervisors: Dr Rebecca Mellifont (USC) and Professor William Hopkins (Auckland University of Technology).

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The Biomechanical Foundations of Agility Performance in Rugby Union

PhD candidate: Keane Wheeler

PhD scholarship: New Zealand Rugby Union

Purpose

To investigate the running patterns displayed by rugby union athletes during evasive attacking manoeuvres.

Research

This research project aims to define the key biomechanical determinants of agility in rugby union, such that improvements may be made to an athlete's running technique to enhance the speed of performance, as well as the effectiveness of skill execution in contact with a defensive opponent.

Supervisor: Dr Mark Sayers (USC)

Co-supervisor: Dr Christopher Askew (USC)

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The Use of Micro-Electrical Mechanical Systems Technology to Assess Gait Characteristics

PhD candidate: Jim Lee

PhD scholarship: Kirk Foundation

Purpose

The validation and development of inertial sensors to remotely measure human gait movement.

What are inertial sensors?

Inertial sensors belong to a technological group known as Micro-Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS). The sensors being used in this candidature are small, slightly smaller than the size of a matchbox and are comprised of a triaxial accelerometer, which measures acceleration in the forward (x), sideways (y), and vertical (z) directions while walking or running.

The units also house a single rate gyroscope to measure angular velocity in a chosen plane.

Research

There are three parallel components to the research process. Firstly, the validation of inertial sensors has occurred by measuring triathletes running on a treadmill and comparing this data to that of an infra red camera system.

Secondly, data collected from race walkers can establish whether gait patterns can be observed and measured during an extreme form of walking.

Thirdly, stroke patients are monitored during rehabilitation to compare whether the use of a pressure sock aids in the patient’s recovery.

Supervisor: Associate Professor Brendan Burkett (USC)

Co-supervisors: Dr Rebecca Mellifont (USC) and Dr Danny James (Griffith University)

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Muscle Fatigue in Peripheral Arterial Disease: the Role of Blood Flow and Muscle Metabolism

PhD candidate: Brad Stefanovic

PhD scholarship: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and USC

Purpose

To understand how the decreases in blood flow that patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) experience during exercise is related to their level of fatigue.

Research

Patients with PAD experience difficulty in performing normal tasks of daily living. The nature of the disease is that it causes minor to major occlusions of the arteries of the lower extremities which reduce blood flow and induce a painful symptom during exercise known as claudication.

This pain inhibits the patient’s ability to perform many normal activities of daily living, eg walking. This research will involve several studies looking at the acute effects of exercise on blood flow and fatigue.

The changes in muscle metabolism have also been investigated through obtaining muscle biopsy samples from patients under local anaesthetic and during surgery.

Future investigations focus on the effect of training before and after surgery on the blood flow, fatigue and muscle metabolic responses in PAD patients.

Supervisor: Dr Christopher Askew (USC)

Co-supervisors: Associate Professor Philip Walker and Dr Fraser Russell (USC)

For more information, contact CHASE

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