Title: AUX-ROW Public Engagement Event
Date: Tuesday 30 May
Time: 09:00
Venue: Esplora Interactive Science Centre, Kalkara
Rowing is a highly technical water sport which requires athletes to perform hundreds of repetitive and complex hand movements with the oars. These push, pull and rotational hand movements are performed intensely and at high velocity often causing hand and wrist injuries as well as blisters and calluses. The work of the researchers may pave the way for a new generation of oar handles which may lead to improved rowing performance in a safer manner.
Project Aux-Row, funded by Fusion, the R&I Programme administered by MCST, is proposing a new technology incorporated within the oar features which permits better and more effective grip, which provides better stress distribution whilst maximising rowing performance.
A Public Engagement Event will be held on Tuesday 30 May at the Esplora Interactive Science Centre in kalkara.
To reserve your seat please fill in and submit the online form.
Event Programme
09:00 Registration and Welcome Coffee
09:30 Welcome address by Dr Tonio Portughese, Chairman, Malta Council for Science and Technology
09:35 Overview of Aux-Row by Prof. Joseph N. Grima, Project leader Faculty of Science, L-Università ta' Malta
09:45 Project Video
09:50 Address by Hon. Keith Azzopardi Tanti, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Research and Innovation
09:55 Coffee Break
10:15 The sport of rowing: how it's done, how it is evolving and what can go wrong by Prof. Joseph N. Grima, Faculty of Science, L-Università ta' Malta
10:30 Blisters, calluses and wrist injuries from a health science perspective by Prof. Cynthia Formosa, Faculty of Health Sciences, L-Università ta' Malta
10:45 Auxetics and their use for Oar Handled: Lessons from Modelling and simulations by Prof. Daphne Attard, Faculty of Science, L-Università ta' Malta
11:00 The new handles: From the desktop to the rowers' hands by Prof. Alfred Gatt, Faculty of Health Sciences & Prof. Daphne Attard, Faculty of Science, L-Università ta' Malta
11:15 Fusion Video
11:20 Interactive Panel Discussion moderated by
David Cilia, Science Communicator, Esplora
Prof. Joseph N. Grima, Faculty of Science, L-Università ta' Malta
Prof. Cynthia Formosa, Faculty of Health Sciences, L-Università ta' Malta
Prof. Daphne Attard, Faculty of Science, L-Università ta' Malta
Prof. Alfred Gatt, Faculty of Health Sciences, L-Università ta' Malta
12:00 Closing remarks and Lunch