The Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute is proud to have as part of its cohort of faculty members one College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences representative from the Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences.
Greg Batt, Ph.D.
Having earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Clemson University, Batt is an associate professor in the Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences.
Greg Batt has been at Clemson University for 23 years and has been a valued RHBSSI Faculty Fellow.
Batt began his work at Clemson in 2001 and has since been the Director of the Sonoco Package Testing Laboratory and Co-Director of the Clemson Headgear Impact Performance (CHIP) Lab at Clemson. Batt’s primary research interests are in the areas of experimental test development and dynamic modeling.
Batt and RHBSSI Interim Director, John DesJardins, recently won a patent at the Clemson University Research Foundation’s (CURF’s) Innovation Awards ceremony on April 17 for their mask/face shield work that is sponsored by RHBSSI. In 2023, the pair conducted a study comparing the head impact mechanics between cadaveric specimens and a synthetic hybrid III model.
Batt has been an engaged fellow for many years and is the co-director of the Clemson Headgear Impact Performance (CHIP) Lab with DesJardins. In the 2021-22 academic year, Batt received funding from RHBSSI for his work with the efficacy of bull-riders’ helmets to prevent face trauma. Preceding that, Batt received funding from RHBSSI for quantifying the impact performance of football helmet facemasks in the 2017-18 academic year.
His CHIP Lab student, Bianca Henline, was featured in RHBSSI’s 2023 Annual Report.
Rikishi Smith-Rey, faculty fellow of the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute and assistant professor in Clemson University’s Department of Communication, recently founded Sport PhD, a service that seeks to make academic research centered around sports more accessible for athletes.
Smith-Rey is a former Division I athlete and youth soccer coach with extensive research experience in the sports communication and health communication fields. During her coaching years, she was able to apply her academic research to her youth athletes in a very tangible way.
“To me, translational research is so important,” Smith-Rey said. “If our research is just sitting in journals, it’s not helping those that we mean it for. I get a lot of worth out of seeing my research help.”
Rikishi Smith-Rey, a former Division I athlete, is seeking to connect athletes with research about sports to help them succeed in all walks of life.
Smith-Rey was inspired by a former athlete she coached to form Sport PhD, saying, “I still have not seen something that breaks down the knowledge that’s out there for athletes.”
Despite the extensive research on sports, Smith-Rey feels that this research is not accessible enough to athletes, especially those at the youth level. Areas of sport such as recruiting, sleep, nutrition, psychology and mental health are all topics that Smith-Rey seeks to promote to athletes in an accessible way.
Smith-Rey’s founding of Sport PhD was inspired in part by conversations with Brandon Boatwright, Ph.D., another assistant professor in the communication department at Clemson. Clemson women’s soccer student-athlete Ally Lynch has also worked as an intern with Rey this semester, and the pair have done extensive work on starting Sport PhD from the ground up.
Sport PhD has a primary mission to transform athletes into well-rounded individuals and athletes by equipping them with the knowledge and understanding they need to excel in every facet of their game.
Smith-Rey is excited to continue the work of Sport PhD as she works to widen the reach of the company.
“Sports gave me everything,” Smith-Rey added. “If I can give a little bit back to athletes so that they can understand their sport a little better, that would be super meaningful to me.”
Those interested in following the development of Sport PhD can find them on LinkedIn and Instagram.
The Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute is proud to have as part of its cohort of faculty members two College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences representatives, both from the Department of Automotive Engineering.
Johnell Brooks, Ph.D.
Brooks is an associate professor in the Department of Automotive Engineering with a master’s in applied psychology – human factors engineering and a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology.
A Clemson University alumnus, Brooks has been at Clemson for over two decades and has been at the forefront of the University’s automotive vehicle research, primarily focusing on the interface of humans and automobiles.
Brooks has led Clemson’s Deep Orange vehicle designs and research, working with a research team and automotive manufacturers to enable aging drivers, wounded warriors and youth with autism to maximize their independence.
Zhu is a research associate professor in the Department of Automotive Engineering with a master’s in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in Automotive Engineering.
Zhu’s research is focused on the optimal control and estimation of automotive powertrain components and systems. He is a member of the Automotive and Transportation Systems Technical Committee and Automotive Controls Technical Committee.
An Institute Faculty Fellow since 2017, Zhu has taught several courses at Clemson, including Advanced and Electrified Powertrains (AUE 402) and Automotive Control Systems (AUE 827).
Anna McLean and Jenny D’Anthony speak to the crowd during the sports science lecture in Freeman Hall on March 26, 2024.
The Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute was thrilled to host United Row on March 26 for a sports science lecture in Freeman Hall, where two Clemson alumnae spoke to students, faculty and community members about their upcoming 2,800-mile journey across the Pacific Ocean.
At the lecture, Jenny D’Anthony and Anna McLean, former members of the Clemson rowing team, previewed their row across the Pacific. Attendees of the lecture were able to hear what exactly goes into the estimated 60-day trip and the challenges and thrills that come with it.
Competing in the World’s Toughest Row competition in June, D’Anthony and McLean discussed the equipment they use on their boat, their food and water systems and the mental fortitude it takes to complete the challenge.
“We felt so welcomed and taken care of during our stay and really appreciate everything the Institute did to make it a success,” D’Anthony said. “Everything was well organized and done professionally, really speaking to the nature of work the Institute does.”
Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute Interim Director John DesJardins (left) presents a $5,000 check to Anna McLean (middle) and Jenny D’Anthony (right) during the Institute’s sports science lecture on March 26.
At the end of the lecture, RHBSSI Interim Director John DesJardins presented United Row with a $5,000 check to sponsor the team. D’Anthony and McLean have already said that the money will go toward SAT phones and a BGAN device for the June expedition. In return, the Institute will have a sticker on United Row’s boat during the journey across the Pacific.
“The institute was excited to bring to campus two remarkable young alumni, to share their Clemson journey, and engage us in their remarkable challenge to row across the Pacific,” DesJardins said. “Anna and Jenny define the Clemson spirit in their pursuit of excellence, and we are proud to support their cause.”
“We hope to continue to promote and share the great work at the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute,” D’Anthony added. “We are incredibly excited to see where it goes and thrilled to be a part of it.”
Jenny D’Anthony and Anna McLean give audience members the chance to try out the bagged meals they will be eating during the 60-day row across the Pacific Ocean.
Along with students and faculty in attendance, Clemson rowing head coach Stephen Frazier Wong and IPTAY Assistant Director of IPTAY Major Gifts Jordan Roper were also present. Partnered with IPTAY and the Hear Her Roar Campaign, United Row has worked closely with Roper to raise awareness and financial support for Clemson’s women student-athletes.
“As a fund raiser, who’s also a former student-athlete, being able to work with Anna and Jenny and United Row, and them deciding to choose Hear Her Hoar as the campaign that they want to fundraise for, is special,” Roper said at the lecture.
Anna McLean (left) and Jenny D’Anthony (right) join the Clemson Rowing team for practice on Lake Hartwell the morning of March 26.
The morning of the lecture, D’Anthony and McLean visited Clemson rowing practice as the sun rose earlier that day and later partnered with the Clemson Department of Bioengineering for a lunch and learn.
McLean and D’Anthony were members of Clemson’s rowing team beginning in 2014 until they graduated from Clemson in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In 2022, McLean, from the United Kingdom, and D’Anthony, from the United States, formed United Row.
Those interested in supporting United Row may visit the team’s website. Any sponsorship or donation will go directly to supplies for the boat or fundraising efforts for the Hear Her Roar Campaign. D’Anthony and McLean will begin their journey across the Pacific on June 8.
