Overview
The International Society of Biomechanics Technical Group on Footwear Biomechanics held their 7 Symposium on Footwear Biomechanics from July 27-29, 2005 on the campus of Case in Cleveland, Ohio. This was a unique opportunity for a large number of footwear researchers and students to participate in an ISB technical group meeting at a relatively low cost in North America. The symposium attracted 129 registrants and had a scientific program of high quality.
Organization
The symposium was held on the campus of Case in Cleveland, Ohio. Case, Case Western Reserve University, is a private research university located in University Circle, a 550-acre, the park-like concentration of nearly 50 cultural, medical, educational, religious, and social service institutions located at the eastern edge of Cleveland. Thwing Center at Case was chosen for the main meeting. This facility was a five-minute walk from the Case dormitories and The Glidden House, the two main accommodations for the meeting. Thwing Center was also within walking distance of major attractions such as The Cleveland Art Museum and Natural History Museum located in University Circle as well as Little Italy, a neighborhood with art galleries and Italian restaurants.
The scientific content of the conference, including meeting announcements, program format, session scheduling, creation of the program book, awards management was administered by Keith Williams and Joe Hamill. The logistics of the congress, including the facilitation of registrations, accommodations, transportation, meeting facilities, social events, proceedings publication, meeting bags, and catering was administered by Elizabeth Hardin. Meeting information was posted on the website of the group by Nachi Chockalingam.
Abstract submissions, reviews, and acceptances were managed by Keith Williams and Joe Hamill. In addition, they also managed the award selection committees. Registrations, mailings, and facility bookings were handled by Elizabeth Hardin, Cathy Walker, and The Cleveland FES Center staff. This staff had experience with the organization of similar events. The sponsors of the meeting were Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and RSScan.
Scientific Meeting
Benno Nigg and Martyn Shorten were keynote speakers giving a perspective on the biomechanics of footwear in the past, present, and future. The scientific program was very well received by the attendees, and the consensus of many individuals was that the quality of the presentations was at the highest level yet for a footwear symposium.
Business Meeting
A business meeting was held during lunch on the first day of the meeting, and Keith Williams, the Chairperson of the group presented a draft constitution for discussion and voting. Following several changes to the constitution, a vote was taken to accept the constitution, passing unanimously. Nominations were then taken for various positions in the Executive Board, and elections will occur during the next few weeks.
Banquet and Prizes
The meeting concluded with a banquet held at the Glidden House on the Case Western campus, highlighted by the presentation of four sponsored awards The winners of the various awards are listed below. These four prizes were chosen by a jury of three judges: Bart Van Gheluwe, Ewald Hennig, and Ned Frederick.
Young Investigator Award – Sponsored by New Balance
Inga Krauss Medical Clinic, Department of Sports Medicine, University Clinics Tübingen
“Gender Differences In Foot Shape”
Pressure Research Award – Sponsored by RSScan
Jason Tak-Man Cheung Rehabilitation Engineering Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
“Parametrical Design Of Foot Orthosis For Plantar Pressure Relieve Based On Computational Modelling”
 Applied Research Award – Sponsored by adidas
Tsuyoshi Nishiwaki ASICS Corporation
“New Fitting Designing Method Based On Barefoot Deformation”
Basic Research Award – Sponsored by Nike
Potthast Institute for Biomechanics and Orthopaedics, German Sport University
“Changes In Morphology And Function Of Toe Flexor Muscles Are Related To Training Footwear”
The Nike Prize, a $25,000 award sponsored by Nike for research helping with a better understanding of lower extremity injuries was also awarded at the banquet. Manuscripts submitted to Nike were screened by Nike personnel with five chosen for review by a jury chaired by Peter Cavanagh with members of Joe Hamill, Keith Williams, Simon Leuthi, and Mario Lafortune.
Nike Prize Winner
Tine Willems, Witvrouw Erik, De Cock Anneleen, De Clercq Dirk Departments of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy & Movement and Sport Sciences, Ghent University
“Gait Related Risk Factors For Exercise-Related Lower Leg Pain During Shod Running”