The National Science Foundation has partnered with NBC Learn (the educational arm of NBC News) to release the “Science and Engineering of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games”–the latest installment in the Emmy Award-winning "Science of Sports" series.
This enlightening 10-part video collection, narrated by NBC Sports’ Liam McHugh, delves into the physics, engineering, chemistry, design and mathematics behind the world’s foremost sporting event:
- Physics of slopestyle skiing: Nick Goepper
- Engineering the half pipe: Shaun White
- Engineering competition suits: Shani Davis
- Injury and recovery: Lindsey Vonn
- Science of ice: J.R. Celski, Britanny Bowe, Gracie Gold
- Science of snow: Ted Ligety, Heather McPhie
- Engineering faster and safer bobsleds: Steve Langton, Steve Holcomb
- Alpine skiing and vibration damping: Julia Mancuso, Heath Calhoun
- Figure skating physics: Evan Lysacek, Gracie Gold, Ashley Wagner, Meryl Davis, Charlie White
- Olympic movement and robotic design: Meryl Davis, Charlie White, Julie Chu, Shaun White
Each episode is available cost-free to teachers, students and the public at NBCLearn.com and NSF websites (nsf.gov, Science360).
"These stories demonstrate the interplay between sports and engineering, in areas from robotics to medical treatments," said Pramod Khargonekar, NSF’s assistant director for engineering. "We hope the impressive feats of athletes and engineering researchers will engage and inspire young people, as they see how engineering technologies can change many facets of our lives."