Han Nguyen ’28 does summer research with Denison professor in Japan

Nguyen and Associate Professor of physics & astronomy Melanie Lott, were in Tokyo, Japan, working alongside collaborators at Ochanomizu University and Japan Institute of Sports Sciences. The research was supported by the Reid and Polly Anderson Endowment and a Battelle Science Internship.

The group collected and analyzed 3D motion-capture data, its research examining turns in ballet and rhythmic gymnastics. Nguyen’s project focuses on whether wearing flat or pointe shoes affects the duration and consistency of a dancer’s heel contact with the ground between turns.

Nguyen and Lott also traveled to Cleveland for the Midwest American Society of Biomechanics Regional Meeting, where Nguyen shared her findings and discussed her research with faculty and students from across the region.