UA Professor’s Science of Sport Program Achieves National Reach

Ricardo Valerdi, engineering professor at the University of Arizona, has partnered with Major League Baseball teams to host children at baseball stadiums to help them see the connection between sports and STEM. Valerdi, founder and chief scientist at Science of Sport, designed the program to teach children about biomechanics, physiology, speed, acceleration, launch angles and more. Partners in the endeavor include the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves and others.

"They think they're going to a baseball camp," Valerdi said in an interview with U.S. News and World Report. "They're really going to a STEM camp."

Valerdi’s Science of Sport program has reached across the country, most recently rolling out in Cobb City, Georgia.