This year at the Minnesota State Fair, along with the usual extravaganza of food, rides and activities, and displays from across the state, School of Kinesiology research will be happening at the U of M Driven to Discover building.

The Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL) will be conducting a study, “Listen to your body: measures of body awareness for kids,” over a period of seven days during the Fair’s two-week run. Researchers will recruit children ages 5-17 years to measure how body awareness develops during childhood. HSCL has developed a set of tests that will show recruits how accurately they “know” where their hands or feet are in space, or how well they can gauge shapes by using their sense of touch. The young participants will get to experience being involved in a research project and earn a fun prize for participating.

The research team will be at the Driven to Discover building, 1367 Cosgrove St., from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on August 23, 27, 29, 31, and September 1. They will also be conducting the study from 2:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. on August 24 and from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on September 3.

“The Minnesota State Fair Driven to Discover building provides a great opportunity for data collection and recruitment,” says Jessica Holst-Wolf, Ph.D. candidate and HSCL lab member. “Speaking from past experience, the families we met at the Fair were really interested in what we are doing and liked the idea of being able to contribute to scientific research.”