The laboratory, completed in May 2005, provides students with the most innovative equipment and technology for analyzing human movement. The laboratory was funded by a grant of nearly $200,000 from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.

Using video cameras and pressure-sensitive plates installed in the floor, researchers can capture complex movements—from a golf swing to sprinter’s stride. The data is then processed by a computer program that analyzes the movement and creates a three-dimensional video reproduction that students and faculty can use for study and diagnosis.

That means both WCU students and local residents will have access to the kind of technology normally available only in large cities. “Until now, the closest laboratories with these capabilities were in Knoxville, Atlanta, and Winston-Salem,” explains Karen Lunnen, head of WCU’s physical therapy department. With a high-tech lab in their own backyard, students get a unique opportunity to master the latest techniques and gain hands-on experience while providing effective treatment for patients from all over Western Carolina.