Elizabethtown College Computer Science major and sprinter on the men’s track and field team Joey Wagner ’26 is spending his summer on campus creating an app that aims to help runners improve form and prevent injury as a part of the Summer Creative Arts and Research Program (SCARP).

Wagner has been working diligently alongside his Etown faculty mentor, Professor of Engineering Kurt DeGoede to develop the app that utilizes sensors worn on user’s arms, feet, and around their waist to track movement and improve running form, with the ultimate goal of reducing wasted motion. Currently in the early stages of this project, Wagner analyzed different codes that can be used to help support the app during its development.

Title of Research
Injury Recovery in Athletes

Student Researcher
Joey Wagner ’26 (Computer Science major)

Faculty Mentor
Kurt DeGoede, Professor of Engineering & Physics

What are you researching?

Wagner: My goal for this summer is to build an app that can track the movements of a runner and provide feedback on his or her running form. This can be used to benefit athletes trying to recover from injury or anyone else trying to improve their running form. The app will use notches (little sensors) to track movement.

Why did you choose this topic?

Wagner: I chose to work on this project after Dr. DeGoede brought it to my attention because it is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in my field and is also on a topic that interests me as I’m on the Etown track team.

What is the most interesting aspect of this research?

Wagner: So far, the most interesting part of the project has been the app development. But in the end, I believe learning how to model human movements in a phone app will be the most interesting and rewarding part of this research.

Hear from the faculty mentor – Kurt DeGoede

“As documented in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, over 3/4 of all runners are injured each year and improved running form has been shown to reduce injury rates,” DeGoede said. “Joey’s application will provide athletes and recreational runners with a tool to help them improve their running form, reduce injury risk, and increase performance. Joey will also be piloting the use of a new sensor on this project. If all goes well, we will likely transition the eTherapy application over to these new devices, since the new options on the market have improved capability, documentation, and support.”