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Dear Biomch-L Subscribers,
I had the privilege of working very closely with Dr. Kevin Granata, as
he was my advisor/mentor for the completion of my Ph.D. at Virginia
Tech. In the three years that I worked with and got to know him, it was
very clear that he was extraordinarily dedicated to his research, his
students, and his family.
His innovative contribution to the understanding of how the
neuromuscular control of spinal stability relates to low back injuries
speaks for itself. Many who knew him would agree that to listen to him
speak about it while exuding passion and excitement was nothing less
than inspiring. This was also true for any of his more recent
biomechanics research endeavors.
On one occasion after I spoke at a conference, someone approached me and
said they came to the talk simply because they saw Kevin Granata's name
on the abstract and loved to hear him or any of his students speak.
They said it was amazing how they could always clearly see his positive
influence and style in the presentation of one of his students.
Dr. Granata didn't just want his students to learn, he truly wanted to
instill in them the passion for biomechanics that he possessed. He
frequently stayed late in the evening or came in for a couple hours on
the weekend to help out a student, and even would serve as a pilot study
test subject when "duty called."
The structure he created for his lab was ideal for developing quality
researchers. He promoted leadership by involving students from all
academic levels on each project, and encouraging Ph.D. students to
mentor Masters students, and Masters students to mentor undergraduate
students. Each student was ultimately responsible for his/her portion
of the research but teamwork was still necessary to accomplish the
overall project goal. Students graduated with the ability to write and
present technical papers because each dissertation or thesis was
structured so that it was comprised of a series of journal publications,
most of which are also presented at various conferences.
On a personal level, some of my favorite memories are from the later
evenings in the lab when he would open up more about his family. He
spoke with that same level of pride and excitement that made it so clear
that he loved being a father and husband. When my wife was pregnant and
about a month away from delivery he came down to the lab, sat down, and
shared stories for nearly an hour about his kids and what I can expect
when I become a father. To this day (two years later), my daughter will
do something "new" that will make me think of that conversation and
realize just how right he was.
I will always value everything that I learned from him, both
professionally and personally. He will be deeply missed by all that
knew him, and the Biomechanics community will miss his contribution. My
thoughts and sympathy go out to Linda, his three children, and the rest
of his family.
Kevin Moorhouse
__________________________________________________ ____
> Kevin M. Moorhouse, Ph.D., Transportation Research Center Inc.
> On assignment to NHTSA, Vehicle Research & Test Center
> Research Scientist, Biomechanics Research Engineering
> (937) 666-4511 ext. 251
>
>
I had the privilege of working very closely with Dr. Kevin Granata, as
he was my advisor/mentor for the completion of my Ph.D. at Virginia
Tech. In the three years that I worked with and got to know him, it was
very clear that he was extraordinarily dedicated to his research, his
students, and his family.
His innovative contribution to the understanding of how the
neuromuscular control of spinal stability relates to low back injuries
speaks for itself. Many who knew him would agree that to listen to him
speak about it while exuding passion and excitement was nothing less
than inspiring. This was also true for any of his more recent
biomechanics research endeavors.
On one occasion after I spoke at a conference, someone approached me and
said they came to the talk simply because they saw Kevin Granata's name
on the abstract and loved to hear him or any of his students speak.
They said it was amazing how they could always clearly see his positive
influence and style in the presentation of one of his students.
Dr. Granata didn't just want his students to learn, he truly wanted to
instill in them the passion for biomechanics that he possessed. He
frequently stayed late in the evening or came in for a couple hours on
the weekend to help out a student, and even would serve as a pilot study
test subject when "duty called."
The structure he created for his lab was ideal for developing quality
researchers. He promoted leadership by involving students from all
academic levels on each project, and encouraging Ph.D. students to
mentor Masters students, and Masters students to mentor undergraduate
students. Each student was ultimately responsible for his/her portion
of the research but teamwork was still necessary to accomplish the
overall project goal. Students graduated with the ability to write and
present technical papers because each dissertation or thesis was
structured so that it was comprised of a series of journal publications,
most of which are also presented at various conferences.
On a personal level, some of my favorite memories are from the later
evenings in the lab when he would open up more about his family. He
spoke with that same level of pride and excitement that made it so clear
that he loved being a father and husband. When my wife was pregnant and
about a month away from delivery he came down to the lab, sat down, and
shared stories for nearly an hour about his kids and what I can expect
when I become a father. To this day (two years later), my daughter will
do something "new" that will make me think of that conversation and
realize just how right he was.
I will always value everything that I learned from him, both
professionally and personally. He will be deeply missed by all that
knew him, and the Biomechanics community will miss his contribution. My
thoughts and sympathy go out to Linda, his three children, and the rest
of his family.
Kevin Moorhouse
__________________________________________________ ____
> Kevin M. Moorhouse, Ph.D., Transportation Research Center Inc.
> On assignment to NHTSA, Vehicle Research & Test Center
> Research Scientist, Biomechanics Research Engineering
> (937) 666-4511 ext. 251
>
>