HEB graduate student Eric Castillo's article titled, "Effects of Pole Compliance and Step Frequency on the Biomechanics and Economy of Pole Carrying During Human Walking" was published in the July 2014 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology. The article explores why humans around the world use carrying poles to transport heavy loads. Experiments suggest that people can save metabolic energy by tuning their gait cadence to the natural vibration frequency of the weighted pole.

Eric's...