When temperatures rise, so do the stakes.
Adjunct Professor David Martin, Ph.D., ’20, will present at the prestigious MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, taking place March 6–7 in Boston, Mass.
Martin, who was recently hired as director of science for Perry Weather in Dallas, Tex., continues to co-teach CSC 398 in Southern’s Data Science program alongside Dr. Imad Antonios. His presentation, “Heat Safety in Professional Sport: Aligning Data, Physiology, and Policy,” explores how teams can use environmental monitoring data to better manage heat stress in training and competition.
Drawing from applied research and field implementation, Martin will discuss best practices in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) monitoring, risk stratification, and decision-making frameworks that help protect athlete health while optimizing performance.
His work with Antonios examined environmental data collected from NFL stadiums where Perry Weather systems are installed — linking temperature, humidity, and radiant heat conditions with game outcomes to better understand how weather influences performance, particularly football penalties. The research also identified environmental patterns that can inform safer practice scheduling and reduce the risk of exertional heat illness, a leading cause of preventable death in high school athletics.
The MIT Sloan conference has previously featured global leaders across sports, business, and analytics, making Martin’s invitation a significant recognition of both his industry leadership and Southern’s growing footprint in applied data science research.
