• Twelve female high school students explore biomechanics and careers in STEM while attending the exercise science lab at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst for the annual BRInC Challenge

Charles Sturt University is supporting young women in regional NSW to experience aspects of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by participating in the annual Biomechanics Research and Innovation Challenge (BRInC).

Twelve Year 9 female students from Orange High School recently travelled to the University in Bathurst to join Lecturer in Exercise Science/Biomechanics in the Charles Sturt School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences Dr Kerry Mann.

Dr Mann has participated as a mentor since the Biomechanics Research and Innovation Challenge was inaugurated in 2022.

Dr Mann said the BRInC was a wonderful initiative to encourage female high school students to consider STEM-related careers such as those which can be achieved through completion of a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science.

“BRInC aims to inspire and raise participation of high school girls’ STEM, through focusing on the exciting field of biomechanics,” Dr Mann said.

“It also provides awareness of entrepreneurial opportunities associated with this unique field and builds an inclusive and supportive professional network of Australian women in biomechanics.”

Dr Mann said data shows that in Years 9 and 10 there is typically a reduction in females taking STEM-related classes and the BRInC mentor program is designed to increase visibility of females in these areas.

“It’s always amazing to see what the students in the BRInC come up with each year,” Dr Mann said.

“For the 2025 BRInC the girls have been working hard to create some interesting projects which could answer real world problems.

“This year, there are some girls interested in Sports Psychology, so we have a project with a psychological aspect, about confidence.

“They are completing the challenge in two groups, conducting two projects examining ‘the mechanical effects of using a static stretching or dynamic stretching protocol for warm ups’, and ‘the effect of strapping your ankle: is it mechanical or psychological?’.”

The students collected 3D motion capture, force plate, vertical jump and velocity data in the Biomechanics Laboratory at Charles Sturt in Bathurst.

BRInC runs over 10 weeks and Dr Mann meets with the girls each week. The lab session is a one- off while they collect their data using Charles Sturt’s state-of-the-art equipment with the help of three research assistants, also from Orange High School, who attend the lab day.

While it is called a challenge, BRInC is a project and there is no winner or loser. The girls present their project to the wider BRInC community which consists of schools across NSW, QLD and the ACT.