Dr. Alison Godwin is an assistant professor in the School of Human Kinetics at Laurentian University. Her research interests include the use of virtual ergonomics, advanced methods of data analysis for understanding human motion and the impact of gender on manual materials handling (MMH) risks.
She has published many articles in the area of line-of-sight investigations for underground mining machinery and continues to pursue methods of analyzing and improving this problem for underground operators. This work is reflected in her ongoing interest to improve the success of ergonomic intervention through proactive computer analysis of humans interacting in a virtual environment.
Using new wireless technology, she hopes to be able to validate a system that will enable the documentation of cumulative load and musculoskeletal injury for workers in a variety of workplace settings. Her ultimate goal is to establish the consistency of motion patterns in the workplace across the shift, across the week and across months in order to understand what role cumulative load plays in perceived exertion and pain and injury symptoms.
Further, this type of data collection will allow her to determine gender differences inherent in workplace motion patterns and whether cumulative load exposure can account for differences in risk of injury between males and females in industrial workplaces.