Shoes that impress

TU graduate Jasmin Gaudel addressed in her degree thesis the subject of sports shoes, linking it to her doctoral degree and was recently awarded with the Marie-Pleißner-Prize

Shoes, as is commonly known, enthuse every woman. And so is Jasmin Gaudel. The 25-year-old owns about 30 pairs of shoes. But it is not only about height of the heel, color or surface material that are in her focus. The change in muscle activity while walking is of a particular interest to the graduate of TU Chemnitz, because she scientifically deals with the use of shoes in the sports. “In a minimum shoe, known to many as a barefoot shoe, the foot lifter demonstrates weaker activity than in a normal casual shoe“, says Jasmin Gaudel and adds: “At this point I set in with my research. Now I want to find out how it affects in the long-term on the muscles and the musculoskeletal system.“

In October 2008, she took up the study in Prevention, Rehabilitation and Fitness Sports at TU Chemnitz. Already in her bachelor’s thesis, Jasmin Gaudel dealt with shoes, in particular with the fit of running shoes. Same as in the subsequent Master program, which she completed in December of 2013. Her thesis entitled “View on the muscular gait parameters under the influence of different shoe conditions in the field“ was awarded with the top rating of 1.0. Therefore, all the more plausible appears the application for the Marie-Pleißner-Prize by the supervisor of Jasmin Gaudel - Falk Zaumseil. With this award, women graduates should be motivated to pursue a career in science. The prize in the amount of 800 euros provides and additional incentive for taking the path in science. On the 17th of November 2014, took place the award’s ceremony in which the prize winners were congratulated with the rector of TU Chemnitz, Prof. Dr. Arnold van Zyl. Besides Jasmin Gaudel two further TU Chemnitz graduates were awarded with the Marie-Pleißner-Prize, which has been proclaimed for the second time by the Centre for Equal Opportunities in Science and Research at TU Chemnitz. “This award means a lot to me“, says the winner and adds: “The thesis presented to me a major challenge. Thus, the Marie-Pleißner-Prize is a great reward for the previous exertions.“

In addition to the professional competence and interdisciplinary nature of the research, similarly is to be considered the higher education policy engagement and social commitment by the jury. During her years of studies, the 25-year-old volunteered as an instructor and lifeguard for children and adolescents. She led aqua and nordic walking courses. Besides, she is still an active manager in the volleyball department of Zwönitzer HSV and plays in the women’s volleyball team. “Sport is incredibly important to me. As a sports therapist, I must be authentic and have a function of a role model. In particular, for me personally, it is a physical balance to heavy daily routine while sitting on the desk. It clears the mind and brings me new ideas and inspiration for my research“, said the sports scientist. Since January this year, Jasmin Gaudel is a research fellow at the Institute of Kinesiology of TU Chemnitz and continues to research shoes in context of her doctoral thesis. In this paper, she examines how the jogging shoes influence in minimal impact in the long term on the musculoskeletal system.

(Author: Katharina Preuß, Translation: Nataliia Boiko)

Katharina Thehos
05.01.2015

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