Weiss and graduate students present research at NASPSPA annual meeting

June 27, 2018

Maureen Weiss, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, and 12 former and current graduate students presented research at the annual meeting of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) in Denver on June 21-23, 2018. Weiss also convened a symposium titled, “What, So What, and Now What? Translating Positive Youth Development (PYD) Research to Program Improvements in Curricula and Coach Training.” The photo shows Weiss with former students at the University of Minnesota—Nicole Bolter (Ph.D., 2010) and Lindsay Kipp (Ph.D., 2012), as well as other presenters. Symposium co-authors included Alison Phillips (Ph.D., 2015), Sarah Espinoza (Ph.D., 2020), and Hailee Moehnke (M.S., 2018). Weiss was Past President of NASPSPA in 2005-2006 and received the organization’s Distinguished Scholar Award in 2016.

National Afterschool Association names Weiss one of its Most Influential in Research and Evaluation

June 27, 2018

The National AfterSchool Association (NAA), the lead organization for the advancement of the afterschool professional, has selected Maureen Weiss, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, as one of NAA’s 2018 Most Influential in Research and Evaluation. Honorees are distinguished for their contributions to research and evaluation on youth and adolescent development.

In selecting their Most Influential in Research and Evaluation, the NAA seeks to honor individuals and organizations whose contributions to research and evaluation on afterschool and youth and adolescent development result in stronger practices, higher-quality programs and increased positive outcomes for children and youth. This year’s honorees were profiled in the Summer 2018 issue of NAA’s AfterSchool Today magazine (see also expanded article).

Weiss researches and evaluates the effectiveness of youth development programs, such as Girls on the Run and The First Tee, producing measurable outcomes enabling improved curricula, coach training, and developmental outcomes.

An estimated 10.2 million children participate in afterschool programs each year and the industry employs an estimated 850,000 professionals. The NAA is the membership association for professionals who work with children and youth in diverse school and community-based settings to provide a wide variety of extended learning opportunities and care during out-of-school hours.

Maureen R. Weiss, Ph.D.

Rec Admin instructor and Wilderness Inquiry founder Greg Lais profiled in Minnesota Good Age

June 26, 2018

Greg Lais has been teaching the popular REC 2151 Outdoor and Camp Leadership in the Recreation Administration program in the School of Kinesiology for nine years. He has introduced countless students to the beauty and challenges of the wilderness. His course culminates in a sea-kayaking excursion to the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. Lais’ story about his life-long love for the outdoors is featured in The Wild Side, published in current issue of the magazine Minnesota Good Age.

Lais comes by his passion–and compassion–for nature and its mystery and magic honestly, as the founder and executive director of Minnesota’s Wilderness Inquiry, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The mission of the nonprofit organization is to connect people from all walks of life and with all abilities–and disabilities–to the natural world through shared outdoor adventures.

Connie Magnuson, Ph.D., Recreation Administration program coordinator, says:

“Greg has been an integral part of the Outdoor Recreation and Education program. His strong passion for teaching students about leadership and the outdoors is evident in every course he teaches. His vision for inclusion for everyone in the outdoors is legendary. Students in his courses not only learn about leadership but also are faced with challenges, adversity, success, failure, teamwork, and personal growth during their field experience in the Apostle Islands. It is a phenomenal learning opportunity. Greg has a way of setting the stage and then watching the magic happen.”

Minnesota Good Age magazine. Photo by Tracy Walsh

Mankato TV interviews Kinesiology doctoral student Eydie Kramer on girls’ summer day camps

June 26, 2018

Eydie Kramer, doctoral candidate in the behavioral aspects of physical activity emphasis in the School of Kinesiology, was interviewed by KEYC-TV, local station in Mankato, MN, on June 20. Kramer was discussing a partnership between the U of M and the Mankato YMCA to provide two week-long summer day camps in Mankato, S.P.L.A.S.H. into Fitness!, for girls in 5th to 7th grades.

“The camps will be focused on swimming, yoga, nutrition training for adolescent girls,” said Kramer. Girls in this age range often experience a decline in self-esteem and health behaviors, she said, and the camps are designed to encourage positive psychology in a safe, fun environment that celebrates all body types.

See Kramer’s interview and get information on enrolling in the camps here.

Kinesiology Ph.D. candidate Tianou Zhang presents at Nutrition 2018 conference

June 18, 2018

Tianou Zhang, doctoral candidate in the School of Kinesiology and graduate assistant in the Laboratory of Physical Hygiene and Exercise Science, presented at the Nutrition 2018 conference in Boston held June 9-12.

His presentation, “Oat Avenanthramides Protects Against Eccentric Exercise Induced Muscle Inflammation in Human after Downhill Running,” reported the results of a research study he has been conducting on the effects of a dietary supplement, avenanthramides. This supplement is a group of acids found only in oats that has been shown to provide protection from antioxidants and inhibit inflammation. Zhang has been studying the effect of the supplement on mitigating muscle inflammation in subjects after they engaged in downhill running.

Zhang’s presentation was featured in a news release by Ceapro, Inc., a biotechnology company that is helping to fund the study, along with PepsiCo.

Gao and former and current advisees present at 2018 Int’l Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

June 18, 2018

Zan Gao, Ph.D., Kinesiology associate professor and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory (PAEL), recently attended the 2018 International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity annual conference with colleagues and graduate students held June 3-6 in Hong Kong, China.

Gao organized a research symposium, “Chinese College Students’ Physical Activity Correlates and Behavior,” which presented the status and correlates (self-efficacy, decisional balance, process of change, motivation) of Chinese college students’ physical activity behavior, sedentary behavior and health through cross-sectional studies.

Also, Gao organized a workshop titled “Emerging Technology in Physical Activity and Health Promotion.” Together with his former advisees, Jung Eun Lee, Ph.D. and Nan Zeng, Ph.D., and graduate assistant Wenxi Liu, they delivered four topics, which were well-received by the faculty and graduate students who attended.

In addition, the PAEL researchers and their collaborators in China presented two research papers at the symposium. Gao also delivered an oral presentation, and Lee gave an oral and poster presentation at the conference. Graduate assistant Liu and Dr. Zeng contributed two poster presentations as well.

The abbreviated citations are as follows:
Gao, Z. (2018, June). Growth trajectory of young children’s objective-determined physical activity, sedentary behavior and body mass index.
Lee, J., Zeng, N., Zhang, Y., & Gao, Z. (2018, June). Moderating effect of gender on relationships between children’s psychosocial beliefs and physical activity in elementary school physical education.
Lee, J., Zeng, N., Zhang, Y., & Gao, Z. (2018, June). Elementary school children’s physical activity and psychosocial beliefs in physical education: Racial differences.
Liu,W., Pope, Z., Lee, J. ,Zeng, N., & Gao, Z. (2018, June). Effects of exergaming on college students’ situational interest and energy expenditure.
Zeng, N., Tao, K., Peng, Q., Xiong, S., Li, X., & Gao, Z. (2018). Relationship among college students’ sedentary behavior, sleep quality, body mass index and diet.
Li, X., Liu, W., Zeng, N., Xiong, S., Tao, K., Peng, Q., & Gao, Z. (2018). Chinese college students’ physical activity, sedentary behavior, body mass index and health status: A cross-section perspective.
Tao, K., Peng, Q., Xiong, S., Li, X., & Gao, Z. (2018). Relationship among college students’ sedentary behavior, sleep quality, body mass index and diet.

Kihl talks at Twin Cities Chapter of Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

June 13, 2018

Lisa A. Kihl, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Global Institute for Responsible Sport Organizations (GIRSO), gave a talk at the Twin Cities chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners annual meeting on June 13.

One hundred attended the event and participated in an interactive discussion on Kihl’s presentation titled, “Corruption in sport: industry trends on the causes, consequences, and reform efforts.” The presentation gave an overview of the nature of corruption and current trends in the sport industry. Critical cases of different forms and types of sport corruption were discussed to help explain individual, organizational and environmental factors that contributed to the occurrence of corruption and resulting consequences.

LaVoi gives keynotes, lectures at Women in Athletics Symposium and NCAA Women Coaches Academy training

June 12, 2018

Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology lecturer and co-director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, gave the keynote address at Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s Women in Athletics Symposium held at Roanoke College May 20-21. Eighty women attended the event, which focused on professional development and networking opportunities for women working in member school athletic departments. LaVoi also conducted a session titled “The Current Landscape for Women in Athletics,” discussing her research on the underrepresentation of women in the coaching profession, and gave a lecture, “Success Strategies for Women in Athletics: Being GREAT!”, which focused on strategies for overcoming the barriers that are often present for women working in athletics.

LaVoi also gave the keynote at the 44th class of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy hosted by the Alliance of Women Coaches May 30-June 2 at the Hilton Denver Inverness in Englewood, CO. Forty-seven female coaches of all experience levels and sports from NCAA Division I, II and III gathered for four days of non-sport-specific educational training. LaVoi’s keynote was titled, “Strategies for Success and Navigating the Coaching Profession for Women.”

Gao and colleagues publish study in International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

June 11, 2018

Zan Gao, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology, has published an article with colleagues, “Path associations between trait personality, enjoyment, and effort by gender in high school physical education,” in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. The study investigated a proposed path model wherein personality and effort relate indirectly through enjoyment by gender in 316 students in 9th- and 10th-grade physical education. Surveys were completed that assessed students’ effort, enjoyment, and HEXACO trait personality (honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience).

In both boys and girls, the data fit the proposed paths with lower openness to experience and higher extraversion predicting enjoyment and effort via enjoyment. In boys, personality also predicted effort whereas honesty-humility predicted enjoyment. Girls’ agreeableness showed a higher predictive effect on effort through enjoyment compared to that of boys.

Dengel featured in Improving Lives Vision 20/20 blog; Bosch interviewed in Radiology Today

June 11, 2018

Kinesiology professor Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., was interviewed for CEHD’s Improving Lives Vision 20/20 blog on the body analytics software, Dexalytics. In the article, “The Potential of Dexalytics to Improve Sport Performance,” Dengel, director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology describes the software program, which uses data gathered from dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans to provide specialized information on an individual’s sports performance and ability. The software, which he and colleagues have been refining for the past two decades, has proven to be a valuable asset for professional sports teams in helping their trainers, coaches, and sports medicine professionals assess players’ abilities and potential.

In a related article on Dexalytics published in Radiology Today, Tyler Bosch, Ph.D., Kinesiology Ph.D. graduate (2014) and an advisee of Dengel, was quoted on the capabilities of the software program. Bosch is a researcher in CEHD and works with Dengel on the Dexalytics team.

School of Kinesiology has strong presence at ACSM 65th Annual Meeting

June 5, 2018

The School of Kinesiology was well-represented at the 65th annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) held in Minneapolis May 29-June 2. The conference attracted academicians, professionals and students involved in sports medicine, exercise science, and health and fitness from around the country. The ACSM meeting is one of the most important for School faculty in the focus areas of exercise science, physical activity and health, and physical activity and sport science. Following are the presentations, posters and contributions from faculty and current/former graduate students and post-doctoral students.

Daheia Barr-Anderson, Ph.D., and Eydie Kramer

Weight Dependent Disparities in Adolescent Girls: The Impact of Brief Interventions on Exercise and Healthy Eater Identity
Physical Activity Declines at Significant Life Events in Young Adults

Donald Dengel, Ph.D., and Katie Bisch, Tyler Bosch, Ph.D., Madeline Czeck, Olivia Dengel, Nicholas Evanoff, John Fitzgerald, Ph.D., Justin Geiger, Ph.D., Michelle Harbin, Aaron S. Kelly, Ph.D., Kara Marlatt, Ph.D., Bryce Murphy, Christiana Raymond-Pope, Anna Solfest

Changes in Total and Regional Body Composition during the season in Division 1 Football Players
Physical Demands of NCAA Division I Hockey Training and Competition Using Microtechnology
Body Composition of Collegiate Baseball and Softball Athletes, Consortium of College Athlete Research (C-CAR) Study
Positional Body Composition of Division I Volleyball Players, Consortium of College Athlete Research (C-CAR) Study
Body Composition of Division I Collegiate Female Equestrian Athletes
Differences In Lean Mass And Strength In Adolescent ACLR Female Athletes: A Case-Control Study
Cerebral Microvascular Reactivity and Neurocognition in Childhood Cancer Survivors
Reproducibility of a Ramping Protocol to Measure Cerebral Vascular Reactivity Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Abdominal Aorta Compliance and Distensibility Among Youth Ranging from Normal Weight to Severe Obesity

Zan Gao, Ph.D., and Jung Eun Lee, Ph.D., Wenxi Liu, Zachary Pope, Ph.D., Nan Zeng

Home-based exergaming for preschoolers’ cognition and health outcomes: A randomized cross-over study
Effects of exergaming on college students’ mood compared to traditional treadmill exercise
Associations between Chinese college students’ social cognitive beliefs, physical activity, and health: Sex differences
College students’ situational motivation and physiological outcomes during single and double player exergaming conditions
Effectiveness of combined smartwatch and social media intervention on breast cancer survivor outcomes: Randomized trial
Breast cancer survivors’ psychosocial beliefs, physical activity and quality of life
The effects of smartwatch intervention on breast cancer survivors’ biomarkers and health outcomes
Examining the relationships between physical activity participation and sleep quality in Chinese college students

Sarah Greising, Ph.D.

Hamstring Update: Osseotendinous and Myotendinous Junction Injuries
Hamstring Injury & Recovery: Understanding Muscle Repair & Regeneration
Forced PGC1a1 Expression Improves Oxidative Capacity and Partially Rescues Strength Following Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury

Beth Lewis, Ph.D., and Katie Schuver, Ph.D.

The moderating effect of baseline depression and age on the efficacy of an exercise intervention on preventing postpartum depression and stress

Christopher Lundstrom, Ph.D., George Biltz, M.D., and Emma Lee

Heart rate variability in marathon runners during steady state exercise and a graded exercise test
Aging, maximal aerobic capacity, and running economy in trained distance runners

Dengel and colleagues publish in Clinical Endocrinology

June 4, 2018

Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, is a co-author of an article recently published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.

“Bone mineral density and body composition in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia” examined bone mineral density and body composition in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The authors reported that bone mineral density was lower in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia compared to normal healthy controls.

Greising and colleagues publish in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

June 4, 2018

School of Kinesiology assistant professor Sarah Greising, Ph.D., is first author on an article that appears in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.

“Early rehabilitation for volumetric muscle loss injury augments endogenous regenerative aspects of muscle strength and oxidative capacity” outlines collaborative work with the University of Georgia that developed and evaluated early rehabilitation paradigms to understand the metabolic, genetic, and functional response of the remaining tissue after a multi-muscle volumetric muscle loss injury, in efforts to improve the muscle remaining following injury.

Kinesiology’s Prof. Arthur Leon honored in retirement celebration; endowed professorship renamed Taylor-Leon Professorship in Exercise Science and Health Enhancement

May 31, 2018

A retirement celebration on May 30 in honor of Arthur S. Leon, M.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, brought together current and former faculty and staff in the School of Kinesiology, Leon’s former graduate students and postdocs, and many of his fellow researchers and family members. Leon joined the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health in 1973 and moved his tenure line to the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (now School of Kinesiology) in 1992. Michael Wade, Ph.D., then director of the School, provided new space for Leon’s Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science, the lab that was originally founded by Drs. Ancel Keys and Henry L. Taylor. In August, Dr. Leon will become professor emeritus.

Dr. Leon, who has held the the endowed Henry L. Taylor Professorship in Exercise Science and Health Enhancement since 1992, was recognized in several speeches for his transformative scholarly work in the field of exercise physiology, exercise nutrition and health. Several of Dr. Leon’s former graduate students attended the celebration, including Barbara Ainsworth, Ph.D., MPH, Regents’ Professor in Exercise Science and Health Promotion at Arizona State University, and Kathryn Schmitz, Ph.D., MPH, professor in the College of Medicine at Penn State University. Ainsworth and Schmitz also were attending the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) annual meeting held in Minneapolis. Ainsworth, past president of ACSM, received the ACSM Honor Award, and Schmitz is the president-elect of ACSM.

Beth Lewis, Ph.D., director of the School of Kinesiology, announced the College’s decision to rename the Henry L. Taylor Professorship. The Taylor-Leon Professorship in Exercise Science and Health Enhancement will honor and recognize Dr. Leon’s lifelong achievements.

Click here for the entire photo gallery of the event.

Konczak receives NIH award to develop new treatment for a voice disorder

May 31, 2018

Jürgen Konczak, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology professor and director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL), is the primary investigator of a $776,000 NIH R01 award to examine a new approach to treat the voice and speech problems of people with spasmodic dysphonia (SD).

Current therapeutic options for treating SD are very limited. SD does not respond to conventional speech therapy, and is treated primarily with Botulinum toxin injections to provide temporary symptom relief. There is no cure for SD. Pilot data from Konczak’s lab showed that 1-2 short treatments of vibro-tactile stimulation of the larynx can effectively reduce voice symptoms in patients with SD. The grant will explore the long-term benefits of this novel form of non-invasive neuromodulation.

Other members of the interdisciplinary research team include Dr. Peter Watson, a voice disorder specialist, and Dr. Yang Zhang, an expert in the analysis of cortical activity during speech. Both are faculty in the U of M Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. Dr. Goding from Otolaryngology represents the clinical partner in the team. He is an expert in SD and treats these patients regularly in the U of M Lion’s Voice Clinic. Dr. Naveen Elangovan and Arash Mahnan from HSCL will complement the team.

Wiese-Bjornstal elected as a fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology

May 31, 2018

Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, has been elected by a society of her peers to be inducted as a fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK).

Becoming a fellow in NAK, analogous to the National Academy of Sciences, is the highest recognition achieved by a scholar in Kinesiology. NAK is composed of national and international fellows who have made significant and sustained contributions to the field of kinesiology. To be inducted into membership, an individual must meet rigorous criteria for scientific research, professional scholarship, and service to the field. The dual purpose of NAK is to (a) encourage and promote the study and educational applications of the art and science of human movement and physical activity, and (b) honor by election to its membership persons who have contributed significantly to the study and application of the art and science of human movement and physical activity. Professor Wiese-Bjornstal will be formally inducted as a fellow of NAK in September at a special ceremony culminating the annual meeting in Chicago.

Sanaz Khosravani awarded Clinical Motor Control Conference’s travel grant

May 30, 2018

Sanaz Khosravani, doctoral student in the School of Kinesiology and member of the Human Sensorimotor Laboratory (HSCL), received a travel grant by the organizer of the conference Progress in Clinical Motor Control: Neurorehabilitation.

The travel award provides funding for travel expenses, but furthermore the opportunity to participate in the “Progress in Motor Control Student-Faculty Meet and Greet” workshop with scientific leaders in the field of neurorehabilitation.

Penn State University’s College of Health and Human Development hosts this conference, which serves as an interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners, and educators to hear from top scholars on recent research and technological innovations, as well as practical challenges in integrating these advances into the field of neurorehabilitation.

Khoshravani is an advisee of Jürgen Konczak, Ph.D.

Sanaz Khosravani

Holst-Wolf presents at Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Survivorship Symposium

May 30, 2018

Jessica Holst-Wolf, Ph.D. candidate in the School of Kinesiology, gave an invited talk at the Northwestern Mutual Childhood Cancer Survivorship Symposium on the U of M campus on April 27.

The talk was a preliminary presentation of her dissertation research, measuring somatosensory deficits in individuals treated with chemotherapy for pediatric cancers. The objective was to demonstrate that the sensory assessments developed by the Human Sensorimotor Control Lab (HSCL) have the appropriate resolution to correlate with cancer treatment variables. If proven successful, these sensory assessments could become tools used by doctors to make more informed treatment decisions that minimize negative side effects of chemotherapy.

CEHD Vision 2020 Blog features Greising’s research

May 30, 2018

Sarah Greising, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology, has a featured post on the CEHD Vision 2020 Blog.

“A Focus on Early Interventions in Skeletal Muscle Regeneration” describes the challenges that major traumatic injuries present in the healing of muscle tissue. While injuries caused by circumstances such as overexertion can normally heal without much intervention, in very large injuries, such as those incurred in combat, the muscle is unable to regenerate on its own, and poor muscle function and even amputation can result. Through her research, Greising is exploring new rehabilitation techniques that can provide better outcomes in major skeletal muscle injuries.

Lewis and colleagues publish in Contemporary Clinical Trials

May 29, 2018

Beth Lewis, Ph.D., professor and director of the School of Kinesiology, has published with colleagues in Contemporary Clinical Trials.

The article, “Rationale, design, and baseline data for the Healthy Mom II Trial: A randomized trial examining the efficacy of exercise and wellness interventions for the prevention of postpartum depression, examines in a randomized, controlled trial, the effect of exercise and wellness interventions on preventing postpartum depression among women at risk. The study demonstrated that it is feasible to recruit a large and diverse sample of postpartum women for an exercise intervention trial, and identified which recruitment strategies are effective and not effective for this population of women.

CEHD News Kinesiology

CEHD News Kinesiology