Leon publishes about lifestyle medicine, the older population and cognitive decline

February 4, 2019

Art Leon, M.D., professor emeritus in the School of Kinesiology and director emeritus of the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science, co-authored an article, “Lifestyle Medicine and the Older Population,” in the book by James Rippe, Lifestyle Medicine, Third Edition. The publication presents older populations living longer, with fewer disabilities and less loss of functioning. “Successful aging,” the process of having a vigorous lifestyle, considers regular physical activity and proper nutrition to help individuals “achieve a healthy and meaningful old age.”

Leon also published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, “Aging-Associated Cognitive Decline and its Attenuation by Lifestyle.” The publication discusses natural aging, and in many individuals, the accompanying brain regional changes, such as minor short-term memory loss. The paper analyzes these changes and cognitive decline ranging from primary aging to dementia.

Gao and “exergaming” featured in Reuters article

January 30, 2019

Zan Gao,Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, was quoted in Reuter’s article, “Movement video games boost preschoolers’ exercise.” The publication cites Gao’s study about the benefits of exergaming, using video games for physical activity, such as “Just Dance For Kids”, in comparison to traditional recess. “Regular physical activity participation plays a crucial role in preventing and curbing childhood obesity among young children,” according to Gao.

The article was also featured in the “U in the News” Brief on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019.

Lundstrom in expert panel for Sports Illustrated

January 23, 2019

Christopher Lundstrom, Ph.D., lecturer and M.Ed. director in the School of Kinesiology, is an expert panelist to determine Sports Illustrated world’s most fittest athletes. The article, “Sports Illustrated’s Fittest 50,” discusses the ranking process of the study by examining athlete performance, durability, as well as “other physical criteria including power, speed, strength, agility, endurance, flexibility and more.” The study spanned 12 months and was conducted with help from “trainers, exercise physiologists and performance experts.” Jessie Diggins, Minnesota’s cross-country ski olympic gold medalist, is included on the list. Among other “top fittest” was Simone Biles, gymnast, Patrick Mahomes, football player, and Lindsey Vonn, ski racer.

LaVoi and Cooky quoted about female leaders reviving U.S. Olympics

January 14, 2019

Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., senior lecturer in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Tucker Center, and Cheryl Cooky, Ph.D., associate professor at Purdue University and affiliated scholar of the Tucker Center, were quoted in an article by the Sports Business Journal. The publication, “Women at the forefront of U.S. Olympic movement,” examines women in leadership positions, specifically the U.S. Olympics committee, comprised of an “all-female CEO/board chair.”

The committee strives to establish stability and create new opportunities for female athletes and administrators. Although the U.S. Olympics require that at least half of candidates for every position be women or minorities, according to LaVoi, “change could happen swiftly if the USOC really wanted. Simply tie funding to minimum diversity goals in the executive or board ranks.”

Cheryl Cooky, Ph.D., and Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D.

LaVoi and Kinesiology PhD graduate publish in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology

December 12, 2018

Nicole M. Lavoi, PhD, senior lecturer in the School of Kinesiology and co-director of the Tucker Center, and Maya Hamilton, PhD, graduate of the School, published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. The article, “Coaches Who Care: Moral Exemplars in Collegiate Athletics,” highlights collegiate coaches that have made a significant, positive impact in their respective athletic discipline.

Nicole M. LaVoi (left) and Maya Hamilton (right).

Kinesiology senior Bockin named Google Cloud Academic All-American

December 7, 2018

April Bockin, senior in the School of Kinesiology and senior forward for the Gopher Women’s Soccer Team, has been invited onto the 2018 Google Cloud Second Team All-America. Bockin was nominated and selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The team is recognized nationally for their academic excellence, as well as their performance on the field.

This past year, Bockin has been chosen to be a member of the First Team All-Big Ten Conference, the NCAA Division, and the Google Cloud Academic First Team All-District, among other awards.

Kinesiology undergrad Shivani Mishra receives UROP award

November 30, 2018

Shivani Mishra, an undergraduate student in the School of Kinesiology, has received an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) award from the University of Minnesota. Mishra will investigate the effects of exergaming on college students’ psychosocial outcomes, exploring a new method of engaging youth in exercise. Her project is under the direction of Zan Gao, Ph.D., professor in the School and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory (PAEL). The UROP award is undertaken in collaboration with a faculty sponsor and is offered to full-time undergraduates for quality empirical research, scholarly, or creative projects that contribute to the student’s academic development for a career or graduate school.

HSCL research shows somatosensory training can improve sensory and motor function in Parkinson’s disease

November 28, 2018

Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL) members have published a research article, “Somatosensory training improves proprioception and untrained motor function in Parkinson’s disease,” in Frontiers in Neurology. Their research investigates whether proprioception, a common feature of Parkinson’s disease, improves with robot-aided training. Authors of the publication include Juergen Konczak, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of HSCL, Naveen Elangovan, postdoctoral researcher in the School, and Paul Tuite, professor in the Medical School’s Department of Neurology at the University of Minnesota.

Wade joins editorial board of the Journal of Motor Behavior

November 28, 2018

Michael Wade, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, has accepted an invitation from the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Motor Behavior (JMB)to join the journal’s Editorial Board. Wade will be one of four Executive Editors to manage submissions to the journal. The JMB is devoted to an understanding of the basic processes and mechanisms underlying motor control, learning, and development. The Journal publishes articles from diverse disciplines, such as biomechanics, kinesiology, movement disorders, neuroscience, psychology, and rehabilitation.

Kinesiology undergrad receives UROP award

November 28, 2018

Elyse Prescott, an undergraduate student in the School of Kinesiology, has received a U of M Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) award. Prescott will assess the accuracy of a handheld device in evaluating total and regional measures of body composition and muscle quality. The project is under the direction of Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor in the School and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology (LIHP). The UROP Award offers financial awards to full-time undergraduates for quality research, scholarly, or creative projects that are judged to contribute to the student’s academic development and which are undertaken in collaboration with a faculty sponsor.

Kinesiology doctoral student McDonough publishes in Journal of Clinical Medicine

November 19, 2018

D.J. McDonough, second year Kinesiology PhD student advised by associate professor Zan Gao, Ph.D., is the lead author on an article, “Comparison of college students’ energy expenditure, physical activity, and enjoyment during exergaming and traditional exercise,” recently published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

The article is based on original research comparing differences in college students’ physical activity and physiological and psychological outcomes during two exergaming sessions and a traditional exercise session. Co-authors include Gao and his former advisees Zachary Pope, Ph.D., Nan Zeng, Ph.D., and Jung Eun Lee, Ph.D. Gao is director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory (PAEL) in the School of Kinesiology.

Kihl and Schull publish in Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal

November 19, 2018

Lisa A. Kihl, PhD, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, and Vicki D. Schull, PhD, lecturer in the School, co-authored “Gendered Leadership Expectations in Sport: Constructing Differences in Coaches” in the Women in Sport & Physical Activity Journal. The article examines the gendered nature of sport leadership by studying female college athletes’ perceptions of leadership associated with athletic coaching. Empathy was found to be a gendered leadership attribute associated with coaching, and contributes to systemic forms of dominant masculinity within sport leadership.

Stoffregen quoted in Wired article on Land Rover’s nausea prevention

November 16, 2018

Thomas Stoffregen, PhD, professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory, was quoted in an article, “Land Rover bets a vomit-y teacups ride could cure car sickness,” in Wired. The Jaguar Land Rover is implementing “wellness scores” and features to reduce motion sickness based on Spencer Salter’s research. While the cars will track heart rate, Stoffregen believes “watching how a passenger’s body moves is a better way to monitor potential sickness.”

Kinesiology’s Tucker Center releases new documentary

November 13, 2018

The Tucker Center, an interdisciplinary research center in the School of Kinesiology, has released a new documentary, “Game On: Women Can Coach.” While there has been an explosion of girls and women participating in athletics since Title IX, only about 40% of them are coached by women. The film, co-produced by Twin Cities Public Television and the Tucker Center, explores supporting research, dispels false narratives, celebrates female coaching pioneers at all levels of competition and highlights stories of success and hardship. Their stories are the universal stories of women coaches who fight many battles to pursue their passion to coach.

Link to the full documentary

Gao gives keynote speech at Hunan Normal University

November 12, 2018

For Hunan Normal University’s (HNU) 80th anniversary, Zan Gao, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, was invited to deliver a keynote address on October 22, 2018, in China. Gao gave the presentation, “The Role of U.S. Educational Philosophy in Lifelong Learning,” to the University community. Gao is an alumni of HNU, a partner institution that engages in several collaborative programs with the School and with Gao. He was selected as High End Oversee Expert at Hunan Normal University from 2016 – 2018 with support from the National Oversee Expert Department.

Kinesiology senior named to Google Cloud All-District Team

November 9, 2018

April Bockin, Gopher Women’s Soccer forward and senior in the School of Kinesiology, was selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) for the 2018 Google Cloud First Team All-District 6. The Academic All-District Women’s Team recognizes players for their high academic standing, as well as their performance on the field.

This isn’t Bockin’s first major achievement, as she was named Big Ten Forward of the Year and Offensive Player of the Big Ten Tournament. Bockin ranks eighth all-time in Minnesota’s history with nine game-winning goals, among other impressive wins.

Kinesiology graduate publishes in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders Journal

November 9, 2018

Andrea Santi, B.S., graduate of the School of Kinesiology, published an article in the Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders journal. “High body mass index masks composition differences in physically active versus sedentary participants” examines body composition differences between insulin sensitive and insulin resistant overweight individuals. Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor in the School and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, and Tyler Bosch, Ph.D., student and graduate of the School, were co-authors of the publication.

Stoffregen quoted in Sarasota Herald-Tribune about seasickness

November 7, 2018

Thomas Stoffregen, PhD, professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory, was quoted in an article in the Sarasota, FL Herald-Tribune. “Seasick much? Maybe it’s your sway” cites Stoffregen’s research that maintains that the more a person sways, even on land, correlates to a greater chance of seasickness. Although there is not a concrete cure for seasickness, “Prevention is worth 999 times more than any treatment,” says Stoffregen.

Ji represents VP at 60th Anniversary of Tianjin University of Sport

November 5, 2018

Li Li Ji, PhD, professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science (LPHES), represented Dean of International Programs and Associate Vice President, Meredith McQuaid, at Tianjin University of Sport (TUS) on October 20, 2018. Ji read aletter of congratulation at the 60th Anniversary of TUS, a partner institution with the University of Minnesota that engages in a wide range of collaborative programs. Along with Ji, President Kaler and faculty from the School of Kinesiology have visited and presented lectures at TUS.

Ji presents at International Biochemistry of Exercise Conference

November 5, 2018

Li Li Ji, PhD, professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science, presented at the 17th International Biochemistry of Exercise Conference (IBEC) from October 23 – 25, 2018, in Beijing, China. The keynote lecture was entitled “Mitochondrial homeostasis in the pathogenesis and prevention of muscle disuse atrophy and aging.” The conference is held every three years at different locations around the world. Ji was among many highly regarded scientists dedicated to exercise biochemistry and other related disciplines who presented at the conference.

CEHD News Cate Pardo

CEHD News Cate Pardo