UW-Green Bay student project to help students study concussion detecting device

UW-Green Bay students will help study a wearable concussion detector thanks to $2 million from DoD and a sponsorship from Wathen’s Cycling, Athletic & Wild Footwear company.

It’s been a long time coming, but a project called “Take It Off” is finally getting going. Students at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay recently showed its researcher professors how to wear a device that picks up when a student is injured through a helmet. As the Wisconsin State Journal reported, that device collects feedback on activity patterns, and links that to a team’s concussion prevention plan. Now researchers with DoD’s Tactical College of Emergency Medical Services will use that data to develop concussion prevention plans for Wisconsin’s public high schools. After that, students will be paired with a squad of trainers to help them remember what to do when an injury occurs.

The project is being funded by NASA and $100,000 from DoD. The DoD funding was announced May 10 in conjunction with the commencement ceremony for eight years of recipients, including 41 current and former University of Wisconsin-Green Bay students. Each participant earned a $1,000 Amazon gift card, an Intel gift card and a discount on bike rentals during a promotional promotion on Bike Triathlon America’s website.

Green Bay has a strong connection to sports. The university was the site of the 1942 Olympic Games, and two of the team officials credited with getting the event on its feet now reside in the community. Johnny Diggs, a 33-year-old assistant professor at Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Department of Exercise Physiology, is also a former Olympic marathoner. He’s worked with the team of psychologists and scientists who are going to develop a concussion prevention plan in the coming weeks.

“I’m very excited about the idea that here in Green Bay people are interested in our work to learn more about concussion and to make sure the community is a safe place for students, for them to be safe and be active,” Diggs said in a press release from UW-Green Bay.

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