Weiss Gives Keynote Presentation at Taiwan Kinesiology Research Conference

November 14, 2019

Maureen Weiss, PhD, professor of kinesiology, gave a keynote lecture at the “New Era for Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity Research between Taiwan and USA” conference in Taipei, Taiwan in October. The conference was organized by National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). NTNU is a premier research university with a highly rated Kinesiology department, and MOST is the major research funding agency in Taiwan. Attendees included scholars, funders, practitioners, and students interested in Kinesiology research and its contributions to quality of life and well-being.

Weiss’s presentation, “Youth Development through Sport Participation: Promoting Positive Social, Psychological, and Behavioral Outcomes,” focused on sports and physical activities as contexts for enhancing physical activity levels, social-emotional skills, and holistic health outcomes. Physical inactivity is a global epidemic, and scholars are seeking ways to overcome sedentary behavior and resulting negative health outcomes. The conference attracted attention from university, community, and public policy leaders and initiated a path for U.S. and Taiwan scholars to collaborate in the future.

Weiss was one of four U.S. professors invited to represent the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK). Weiss and her NAK colleagues participated in a roundtable session, “Dialoguing with Fellows in USA National Academy of Kinesiology,” discussing questions such as, “how does NAK guide research to tackle scientific and practical issues related to kinesiology,” how does NAK play a role in translating kinesiology research findings to produce social and economic impact?,” and “what are the possibilities for international collaborations between NAK and institutions from other countries?”

From left to right: Bradley Cardinal, PhD, Oregon State University; Deborah Riebe, PhD, University of Rhode Island; Maureen Weiss, PhD, University of Minnesota; Ang Chen, PhD, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Ernest Hung, PhD, National Taiwan Normal University (International Fellow, NAK); and Chao-Chen Chen, PhD, Vice President of Academic Affairs, National Taiwan Normal University.

Kihl chairs panel at Play the Game 2019

November 13, 2019

In October 2019, Lisa A. Kihl, PhD, associate professor of sport management at the School of Kinesiology, and past president of the North American Society for Sports Management, led a panel discussion at the Play the Game 2019 conference. This panel was comprised of elite international athlete representatives. They spoke on the important topic of the role of different types of athletes’ voices. The panelists shed light on the difficulties surrounding player union acceptance by international sport federations and the importance of the athlete voice in sport governance.

Play the Game 2019 took place in Colorado Springs, Colorado on October 13 – 16. This conference was in collaboration with the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) and brought together journalists, scientists and sports officials from around the world.

Raymond-Pope awarded trainee position on Institutional T32 Musculoskeletal Research Training Program

November 12, 2019

Christiana Raymond-Pope, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Kinesiology’s Skeletal Muscle Plasticity and Regeneration Laboratory directed by Sarah Greising, PhD, was awarded a trainee position on the Institutional T32 Musculoskeletal Research Training Program. This Institutional training grant is supported by NIH and broadly supports trainees across research careers as basic scientists or clinical investigators studying the causes and treatments of musculoskeletal diseases.

Dr. Raymond-Pope is a graduate of the School of Kinesiology with her MS and PhD in the focus area of exercise physiology.

Barr-Anderson interviewed on the importance of exercise in Isanti-Chisago County Star

November 4, 2019

Daheia Barr-Anderson, PhD, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Behavioral Physical Activity Laboratory, was interviewed by the Isanti-Chisago County Star for an article published October 31. Barr-Anderson discusses why exercise is important and how people can make it a part of their routine, regardless of obstacles. She answered questions about both the physical and physiological importance of physical activity and offered suggestions on how to begin and, most importantly, maintain an exercise routine. “Exercise is really just moving your body,” she says, “so try getting your friends and family engaged in activities that they find fun.” Read more here.

Weiss’s research with Girls on the Run gives communities what they need to promote successful programs

October 29, 2019

School of Kinesiology professor Maureen Weiss, PhD, and co-authors published a longitudinal study evaluating the after-school program Girls on the Run. They researched the program’s effectiveness in promoting positive social, emotional, and physical health outcomes. Their study findings uncovered strong evidence that Girls on the Run is effective in promoting positive youth development, including season-long and lasting positive change in competence, confidence, connection, character, caring, and physical activity, as well as reduced sedentary behavior, especially among girls who exhibited lower preseason scores than their peers. (Read more about the study here.)

Coaches and volunteers run alongside girls in the Girls on the Run High Country end-of-season 5K event held in May. Photo submitted to the *Appalachian Today.*

Weiss and colleagues’ work has been cited and quoted in a variety of news organizations, including Appalachian Today, High Country Press, WataugaDemocrat.com, and Savannah Morning News, all located in areas with local Girls on the Run programs. In addition, Girls on the Run uses study findings to talk about the impact the program has in their communities. The results of this study have given local programs tangible statistics to back up their work, generate support in the community, and share the program’s success in providing girls with an opportunity to be a part of activities that address both physical and emotional health.

PhD Student DJ McDonough Elected to Games for Health Journal Early Career Committee

October 29, 2019

DJ McDonough, Kinesiology doctoral student advised by associate professor Zan Gao, PhD, was elected to the Games for Health Journal Early Career Committee, a group of graduate students and early career scientists and professionals with a passion for conducting and promoting research at the intersection of healthcare, games, and emerging virtual technologies.

McDonough was one of six members elected from a large international pool of applicants. The Early Career Committee now has members representing five countries. The group’s tasks for the coming year include:

(1) creating a manuscript review mentor program;
(2) disseminating group activities and games for health research through collaborative manuscripts and presentations;
(3) increasing networking and mentorship opportunities for group members; and
(4) further developing a strong, supportive, and impassioned cohort of young scientists who improve the group, G4HJ, and the G4HJ community.

School of Kinesiology director Beth Lewis interviewed on postpartum depression and exercise in Star Tribune

October 29, 2019

School of Kinesiology professor and director Beth Lewis, PhD, was featured in the Sunday, October 27 edition of the Star Tribune in a story about her research on the positive effects of exercise on postpartum depression.

Prof. Lewis discussed how research has shown that exercise can effectively combat postpartum depression, or “baby blues,” a common yet sometimes severe and long-lasting form of depression in new mothers. “We found that higher levels of physical activity related to lower levels of depressive symptoms,” she says. However, new mothers, especially those who are low-income or in poverty, face many challenges in trying to carve out time to exercise while responding to the demands and responsibilities of taking care of an infant.

Lewis’s team used motivational interviewing and interventions to help encourage new mothers to make time for exercise. Short, 10-minute periods of moderate intensity exercise at various times of day have proven to be effective, she says. And while exercise doesn’t take away the stressors, “it can actually give the ability to cope.”

Lewis says that health care providers will often prescribe antidepressants for postpartum depression, but their safety and effectiveness has not been proven. She also thinks women during pregnancy and postpartum may be reluctant to take them. “If you look at real, low-cost interventions that people can do to help prevent postpartum depression, exercise is one of them.”

Read the full interview here.

http://www.startribune.com/this-minnesota-researcher-is-harnessing-the-power-of-exercise-to-fight-postpartum-depression/563843082/

Kinesiology doctoral candidate Chris Curry receives $1,000 NRT travel grant to present at SIGGRAPH Asia 2019

October 28, 2019

Chris Curry, School of Kinesiology doctoral candidate and member of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory, received a $1,000 National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) student travel grant to attend SIGGRAPH Asia 2019 in Brisbane, Australia, November 17-20.

Curry will be presenting a poster that will describe ongoing efforts to create a game to accompany the Wristbot, a medical device being developed in the School’s Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory, led by Jürgen Konczak, PhD. Curry is working on the project with Konczak and postdoctoral associate Naveen Elangovan. Curry will also participate in the Doctoral Consortium, delivering a fast-forward thesis talk on his dissertation research, which seeks ways to mitigate cybersickness in VR headsets. He is working on this project with his adviser, Tom Stoffregen, PhD, and NRT mentor, Victoria Interrante, PhD.

Wade from the School of Kinesiology co-authors book about children’s movement difficulties

October 24, 2019

Left: Michael Wade, PhD. Right: “Movement Difficulties in Developmental Disorders” book cover

School of Kinesiology professor Michael Wade, PhD, co-authored the book “Movement Difficulties in Developmental Disorders: Practical Guidelines for Assessment and Management” with colleague David Sugden, PhD, late emeritus professor in the School of Education at the University of Leeds, UK.

The book is aimed at professionals, parents and others who work with children who show movement difficulties. The core of the text is focused on children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), the international term for what is often called dyspraxia. It is also aimed at those individuals who show movement difficulties as a secondary and co-occurring characteristic, such as children on the autistic spectrum (ASD), those with generic learning difficulties such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and speech and language impairment.

HSCL’s Mahnan presents poster at American Society for Neurorehabilitation meeting

October 22, 2019

Arash Mahnan representing the School at ASNR

Kinesiology PhD candidate Arash Mahnan, member of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL), presented a poster at the American Society for Neurorehabilitation (ASNR) conference on Oct 17-18 in Chicago. The title of the poster, “A feasibility study on laryngeal vibro-tactile stimulation as a new treatment for the voice disorder spasmodic dysphonia,” describes one of HSCL’s current research projects. Mahnan serves as lead investigator on the study.

Stoffregen publishes with colleagues in online Journal of Civil Engineering

October 14, 2019

School of Kinesiology professor Tom Stoffregen, PhD, director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL), has published an article with colleagues in the online publication, Journal of Civil Engineering.

“Effects of Linear Acceleration on Passenger Comfort During Physical Driving on an Urban Road” has the potential to offer new insights into motion sickness causality. Authors are Zhen Li, Rui Fu, Chang Wang, and Stoffregen. Lead author Mr. Li was a visiting scholar from China working in APAL in 2018, and is completing his doctoral studies at Chang’an University, Xi’an, China.

Weiss gives keynote address at international conference in Verona, Italy

October 8, 2019

Maureen Weiss, PhD, professor in the School of Kinesiology, gave a keynote presentation last month in Verona, Italy, at the Conference on Healthy & Active Children: Lifespan Motor Development Science & Applications.

The conference was co-sponsored by the International Motor Development Research Consortium and the International Congress on Children’s Physical Activity and Sport, whose aim is to provide a forum for discussion open to scientists and educators around children’s growth, motor development, physical activity, and sport. Both organizations also hold a common theme for promoting practical applications of research for children’s health and development.

The title of Weiss’s talk was, “Motor Skill Development and Physical Activity: A Social Psychological Perspective.” Her presentation explored children’s physical activity by integrating developmental theory and research on youth motivation to inform best practices for sustaining physical activity and enhancing health outcomes. To optimize motivation for maintaining physical activity and achieving physical, social, and psychological benefits afforded from participation, Weiss contended that children should be encouraged to participate in activities they feel competent doing, have chosen to do, find enjoyable, and in which they have positive social support. Sources of social influence—teachers, coaches, parents, and peers—play a crucial role in making sure that children learn fundamental motor and sport skills and achieve feelings of competence, autonomy, belongingness, and joy to be motivated for a lifetime of physical activity.

Greising is lead author on article published in Tissue Engineering, Part B: Reviews

October 7, 2019

Sarah M Greising, PhD, assistant professor of exercise physiology in the School of Kinesiology, has published an article with colleagues in the journal, Tissue Engineering, Part B. The paper thoroughly reviews and evaluates the current state of the field and invites continued progress and scientific advancements for future treatment approaches. The full citation is as follows:

Greising, S. M., Corona, B. T., McGann, C., Frankum, J. K., Warren, G. L. (2019). Therapeutic Approaches for Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Tissue Engineering, Part B: Reviews

McNair Scholar Lindsey Miles and postdoc fellow Christiana Raymond Pope present at McNair Scholars Research Symposium

September 30, 2019

Over the summer, Sarah Greising, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology, hosted McNair Scholar Lindsey Miles from the College of St. Scholastica (CSS). Miles worked much of the summer on a research project with Postdoctoral Fellow Christiana Raymond Pope, PhD, member of Greising’s Skeletal Muscle Plasticity and Regeneration Laboratory.

Their work culminated in a poster presentation, “Acute Vascular Changes after Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury” at the McNair Scholars Research Symposium on Sept. 25 at CSS in Duluth.

PhD Student DJ McDonough Publishes in Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

September 30, 2019

DJ McDonough, a third year Kinesiology PhD student advised by Zan Gao, PhD, recently published a manuscript entitled “Retired Elite Athletes’ Physical Activity, Physiological, and Psychosocial Outcomes During Single- and Double-Player Exergaming” in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

The manuscript was of original research examining differences in retired Olympic athletes’ physical activity, physiological, and psychological outcomes during single- and double-player exergaming sessions.

Co-authors included Zachary Pope, Ph.D., Nan Zeng, Ph.D., Jung Eun Lee, Ph.D., and Zan Gao, Ph.D., respectively—Doctoral graduates of the Physical Epidemiology Laboratory (PAEL) directed by Dr. Zan Gao.

Ji talks about nutrition and exercise during cancer treatment

September 27, 2019

Li Li Ji, PhD, professor in the School of Kinesiology, gave a talk on September 19 at the Richard M. Schulze Family American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, in Minneapolis. His lecture on nutrition and exercise in cancer patients was sponsored by the U of M’s Department of Urology and the American Cancer Society. Hope Lodge offers cancer patients and their caregivers a free place to stay when their best hope for effective treatment may be located away from home.

Dr. Ji is also the director of the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science (LPHES). The LPHES group recently published this study “Mitochondrial dysregulation and muscle disuse atrophy” which covers the information Dr. Ji discussed in his talk at Hope Lodge.

Lundstrom quoted in The Atlantic

September 27, 2019

Chris Lundstrom, PhD, a lecturer in sport and exercise science at the School of Kinesiology was quoted in The Atlantic in an article titled, “Lift Weight, Not Too Much, Most of the Days – Have you ever tried to grease the groove?”

The article talks about different styles and approaches to a fitness routine, specifically one that’s referred to as “greasing the groove,” and is based around fitting in physical activity when you can, in frequent but smaller doses. Lundstom is quoted about why this style of fitness routine has gained popularity recently.

Read the full story here >>>

Weiss publishes on impact of Girls on the Run in promoting developmental health outcomes

September 24, 2019

Maureen Weiss, PhD, professor of Kinesiology, along with former doctoral students Lindsay Kipp (PhD, 2012, assistant professor, Texas State University), Alison Phillips (PhD, 2015, lecturer, University of Iowa), and Nicole Bolter (PhD, 2010, associate professor, San Francisco State University), published results of their longitudinal study evaluating the effectiveness of Girls on the Run in promoting positive social, emotional, and physical health outcomes.

Girls on the Run is an after-school, physical activity-based positive youth development (PA-PYD) program designed to enhance girls’ social, psychological, and physical development. In this study, 203 girls ages 8–11 years completed survey measures of the Five Cs of PYD (competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring), physical activity, and sedentary behavior prior to, at the end of, and 3 months after the season. Subsamples of girls, coaches, caregivers, and school personnel participated in focus groups. Coaches completed information about their team’s community impact project. The full sample improved in confidence and connection, whereas girls who started below the preseason average showed the greatest improvements from preseason to postseason on all measures, and scores were maintained or continued to improve at follow-up.

All stakeholders in focus groups corroborated evidence of season-long gains in positive social and emotional behaviors and health outcomes. Involvement in the community impact project contributed to girls’ growth in character and empathy skills. Collectively, findings provide strong evidence that Girls on the Run is effective in promoting positive youth development, including season-long and lasting positive change in competence, confidence, connection, character, caring, and physical activity, and reduced sedentary behavior, especially among girls who exhibited lower preseason scores than their peers. The study is published in Pediatric Exercise Science, 31, 330-340.

The Human Sensorimotor Control Lab presented at Institute for Engineering in Medicine

September 24, 2019

Members from the School of Kinesiology’s Human Sensorimotor Control Lab presented four posters at Institute for Engineering in Medicine. Below are the images of the posters with their respective titles and the presenters.

Jessica Holst-Wolf presented “Novel Measure of Ankle Proprioceptive Acuity.”

Chris Curry and Reuben Gardos Reid presented “Gamification of Physical Rehabilitation: Developing a Proprioceptive Training Exercise for a Wrist Robot.”

Jinseok Oh presented “A novel, simple system for the objective assessment of proprioceptive deficits in pediatric and adult clinical populations.”

Arash Mahnan presented “A Non-Invasive Wearable Device for Symptomatic Treatment of the Voice Disorder Spasmodic Dysphonia.”

NSF I-Corps program leaves HSCL lab members Mahnan and Holst-Wolf with “life-changing experience”

September 24, 2019

Kinesiology’s Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL) members Arash Mahnan, PhD candidate, and Jessica Holst-Wolf, PhD, postdoctoral associate, recently completed a seven-week program through the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps). I-Corps is a curriculum designed to prepare scientists and engineers nationwide to extend their focus beyond the university laboratory and explore the economic and societal benefits of NSF-funded, basic-research projects that are ready to move toward commercialization. Participants form teams consisting of an entrepreneurial lead, principle investigator, co-technical lead, and industry mentor. The HSCL team consisted of Mahnan (entrepreneurial lead), Prof. Jürgen Konczak (principal investigator), Holst-Wolf (co-technical lead), and industry mentor Bryan Claseman.

Jessica Holst, PhD (left) and Arash Mahnan, PhD candidate (right) spent seven weeks with NSF I-Corps.

“This was a life-changing experience for me,” said Mahnan. “And thanks to my team members, Bryan Claseman and Jessica Holst-Wolf, we received the Spirit of the I-Corps Award for excellence in embracing the I-Corps process and following the data anywhere it leads.”

Through a competitive process, NSF awards funds to support participants in learning to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from academic research, and gain skills in entrepreneurship through working with established entrepreneurs. The HSC lab has been working on developing devices to help those with movement disorders, specifically dystonia and stroke.

As part of the program, the team conducted informal interviews with medical providers, patients, and caregivers to understand the current standards of care and best practices in treatment procedures. They also met with regulatory and reimbursement specialists as well as start-up companies to find out the optimum pathway to commercialization and its associated challenges. “Our team conducted 106 in-person interviews over the last 7 weeks for which I traveled to 15 clinics all over the US,” says Mahnan. “I also spoke with patients and physicians from Mexico, UK, and Iran.”

Holst-Wolf observed, “Despite our differing backgrounds, each member of our team found the I-Corps program to be an incredible learning experience. After completing the program, we have a far better understanding of how to get our research out of the lab so we can help the individuals with these disorders.”

Mahnan created a 2-minute video showing the outcome of their work, available here .

CEHD News Kinesiology

CEHD News Kinesiology