Each year, the KinSC hosts a student research day where students prepare and give poster presentations or live talks that highlight the research they are doing. In Spring 2021, we will be transitioning to a virtual-based research day where students can share their research with students and faculty. Through a live Zoom session, students will give their research presentations followed by watching students’ YouTube videos about their research posters.
On Friday, April 23, we will open a Kin Council Research YouTube playlist which will have voice narrated posters from students from across various disciplines of the School of Kinesiology. We would love to have you “join” us to view these poster videos and provide feedback, questions, suggestions, and support for our peers.
Please see this flyer for more information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at kinsc@umn.edu.
What is Kinesiology Research Day?
An opportunity for faculty, staff, and students from the School of Kinesiology to interact in an interdisciplinary forum, exchange ideas, and present their achievements. Research Day features research in the form of flash talks, a poster session, and speakers. The event is free and open to the public.
How can you be involved?
Attend: Anybody is welcome to attend Research Day, so feel free to join to see what research is happening in the School of Kinesiology – come for an hour or come for the whole day!
Submit Your Research: Research Day will have a poster and presentation session featuring research associated with the School of Kinesiology. If you’re doing research and want to present, we want to hear from you! Submit your abstract by Sunday, April 11 to apply to present a poster or presentation.
Researchers from the School of Kinesiology submitted their various work to be displayed in the 2021 CEHD Research Day poster presentation. Take a moment to listen to their presentations and view their posters!
The virtual CEHD Research Day will take place Tuesday, March 23, including presentations from the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, and World’s Challenge Challenge. Come and support CEHD faculty, staff, and students as they showcase the impact of their research.
Author(s): J. Oh, A. Mahnan, J. Xu, J. Holst-Wolf, J. Konczak
Proprioceptive signals, the perception of body position and movement in space, are essential for the control of movement. Adult neurological diseases such as stroke or dystonia are associated with proprioceptive deficits. Current clinical practice to assess these deficits relies mainly on subjective clinical impression. Obtaining objective measures of proprioceptive function is uncommon, because the available assessment methods rely on specialized equipment that require extra expertise and/or they are very time-consuming. We here present a new system that conveniently and objectively measures finger position sense by implementing a psychophysical threshold hunting method. The system consists of a software application and a custom-built adjustable stand to mount tablets of different dimensions that run the application. The user places one’s hand with the index finger extended on the base of the stand. The tablet is positioned over the hand. The tablet display is dissected into two colored sectors. Assessment requires the user to judge under which area the finger is located (“left” or “right”). Based on the response, a Bayesian inference adaptive algorithm calculates the new display configuration for a subsequent trial. Testing lasts less than 5 minutes and after 50 trials the application computes the user’s perceived finger position.
Author(s): Divya Bhaskaran,Naveen Elangovan, Arash Mahnan, Jinseok Oh, Peter J. Watson, Jürgen Konczak
Objectives: Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD) is a focal dystonia that causes voice breaks and a strained-strangled voice quality. Previously, a one-time administration of vibro-tactile stimulation (VTS) to the larynx improved speech quality in 69% of the participants with SD. This ongoing clinical trial examines the prolonged effect of laryngeal VTS in SD. We here report initial data of 7 participants with adductor SD who applied VTS at-home for 4 weeks.
Methods: Participants, randomly assigned to two groups, received VTS either at 100Hz or 40Hz. Smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS), a marker of voice quality was obtained. The vocal effort for speaking the voiced sentences on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being maximal vocal effort, was examined. Change in variables (ΔCPPS, ΔVocal effort) between pretest and post-test was derived. A positive ΔCPPS > 2db indicates a meaningful improvement in voice quality. A negative ΔVocal effort rating indicates lesser effort to speak.
Conclusion: There is initial evidence that 40 Hz VTS assumed to stimulate only tactile mechanoreceptors above the voice box may lead to positive changes in the voice quality in SD. Other markers of voice quality are still under analysis and will provide a more comprehensive assessment of therapeutic effectiveness.
Author(s): Alec M. Basten, Christiana J. Raymond-Pope, Kyle A. Dalske, Sarah M. Greising
Oxidative metabolism is essential for the basic maintenance and contractile processes of skeletal muscle. It is likely that in traumatic muscle injuries, oxidative metabolism is disrupted and leads to compromised contractile function and systemic maladaptation. Volumetric muscle loss (VML) injury is traumatic injury that causes an irrecoverable loss in function and lifelong disability. In this study, we first sought to systematically review chronic oxidative comorbidities following VML, using PRISMA guidelines. We evaluated 140 studies, only 7 met our inclusion criteria. Results suggest that myofibers remaining following VML adopt a slower, more oxidative phenotype but lack the subsequent increase in capillarity that is expected in oxidative myofibers. Second, we evaluated how VML injury chronically impairs the capillarity and oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle. Mice underwent a sham procedure or a full-thickness multi-muscle VML injury and were evaluated at one- and two months post-injury. Strength was decreased and capillary to fiber ratios were significantly disrupted following VML. Combined, data from our studies suggest that oxidative maladies following VML exist but there is currently limited work aimed to characterize and/or address metabolic health following VML.
Author(s): Beth Lewis, Katie Schuver, and Shira Dunsiger
Only 19% of women and 26% of men meet the USDHHS physical activity (PA) recommendations despite the numerous health benefits associated with PA. High intensity interval training (HIIT), which consists of short bursts of high-intensity PA followed by recovery or light PA, potentially addresses the time barrier associated with PA adherence. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a home-based HIIT intervention on PA adherence among low active adults. Participants (n=47) were randomly assigned to a home-based HIIT intervention or wait-list control lasting 12 weeks. Participants in the HIIT intervention received eight telephone calls designed to increase PA adherence by utilizing strategies based on Self-Determination Theory. Participants in the HIIT intervention increased their vigorous intensity PA from 3.9 minutes per week at baseline to 40.0 minutes at six weeks and 61.8 minutes at 12 weeks, which met the study’s vigorous intensity goal of 60 minutes of HIIT per week and was significantly more minutes/week than the wait list control at six weeks. This study provides evidence for feasibility and possible efficacy of a home-based HIIT intervention; however, additional studies are needed with larger samples sizes to confirm efficacy of home-based HIIT interventions.
Author(s): Brooke E. Wagner, Amanda L. Folk, Samantha L. Hahn, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, Nicole Larson, and Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
Understanding how screen time behaviors changed during the COVID-19 pandemic is important to inform the design of health promotion interventions. The purpose of this study was to quantify and describe changes in recreational screen time from 2018 to 2020 among a diverse sample of emerging adults. Participants (n=716) reported their average weekly recreational screen time in 2018 and again during the pandemic in 2020. Additionally, participants qualitatively reported how events related to COVID-19 had influenced their screen time. Weekly recreational screen time increased from 25.9±11.9 hours in 2018 to 28.5±11.6 hours during COVID-19 (p<0.001). The form of screen time most commonly reported to increase was TV shows and streaming services (n=233). Commonly reported reasons for changes in screen time were boredom (n=112) and a desire to connect with others (n=52). Some participants reported trying to reduce screen time because of its negative impact on their mental health (n=32). Findings suggest that screen time and mental health may be intertwined during the pandemic as it may lead to poorer mental health for some, while promoting connectedness for others. Health professionals and public health messaging could promote specific forms for screen time to encourage social connection during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
School of Kinesiology professor and director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL), Jürgen Konczak, PhD, was recently invited to join the Editorial Board of the scientific journal, Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences. He will serve as associate editor, specifically managing submissions in the area Interventions for Rehabilitation.
School of Kinesiology associate professor and director of the Global Institute for Responsible Sport Organizations, Dr. Lisa A. Kihl, and her international team members, recently published a blog titled “Reducing Vulnerability to Fraud in Sport Organizations” in the Canadian Sport Information Research Centre.
The blog provides research-based evidence about how and why sport clubs may be vulnerable to fraud and outline ways that sport organizations can be proactive and reduce their risk. It draws upon our research team’s examination of media stories from Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United States from the years 2008-2018.
Maria Oostra after her first ever 25k Afton trail run, in 2019. Image taken by Jamison Swift.
The School of Kinesiology offers a 15-credit Coaching Minor / Coaching Certification program available to all University of Minnesota students. This was the perfect addition to Maria (Martje) Oostra’s schedule. Oostra is a non-traditional student returning to her education after completing a bachelor’s and master’s degree before getting married and having four children.
Oostra, her husband Sander, and their four children, Gijs (16 years old), David (14), Joeri (10), and Sophie (8), have lived in Minnesota for the past six years. Oostra and her husband are both Dutch and they met in Belgium. She was partially through a second master’s degree in philosophy when her husband’s work called him to France. After several years of traveling and living in different countries they ended up in Minnesota.
“My kids are older now,” Oostra said. “So, I decided to go to the U of M to finally finish my philosophy degree.”
In addition to being a lifelong learner, Oostra is also a lifelong runner. Despite completing only three official marathons, Oostra has qualified for Boston twice. Her new goal is to run an ultra-marathon race, which is any distance race longer than a marathon. She has her sights set specifically on a 100 mile race.
Maria Oostra competing in the Twin Cities Marathon
“I have always been a runner,” Oostra said. “I love distance running; it’s a mental health thing. Especially after I was in a car accident where I broke my pelvis area, I became even more interested in the mechanics of movement, and the mind/body connection.”
“I was interested in perhaps the master’s or PhD program,” Oostra said. “But, I already have a master’s degree, and I’m actually getting my BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) right now, because I love to paint. So, I knew I wasn’t interested in applying just yet. I was looking for something that would offer me a glimpse into the philosophy of coaching but that was also very flexible.”
The flexibility and compact size of the coaching program is what convinced Oostra to add it to her BFA and philosophy degree pursuit.
“I knew I was interested in coaching, the coaching of running, coaching ideas, and also how coaching is seen,” Oostra said. “Especially now that my older children are interested in running and skiing, I’m essentially coaching them in a non-professional way and I wanted to learn more. It feels like there is a big gap in coaching, especially in children’s activities. It is very performance-oriented versus process-oriented.”
Oostra has taken one coaching course so far, but she said she feels like she has already received “the best of the best” in her first course KIN 5136.
“I’ve only taken one class, but it was with Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi,” Oostra said. “I knew her work before taking the class, so it was really cool to learn from her. Coaching in the United States really has a stigma of being very male-dominated. Having her explain the industry and talk about her research made me realize, ‘Hey, there is a role for women here, and it’s not too late for me to consider it.’”
Oostra said she’s excited to continue taking courses to complete her coaching minor, and that she’s specifically interested in looking further into the meaning behind phrases like “the art of coaching” and “coaching philosophy.” Considering the connection to her other areas of study, this makes perfect sense!
“I’m really interested in exploring the connection between art and coaching,” Oostra said. “I think there is something to be found there.”
For those considering the program, Oostra said that for her it was the flexibility of the program, her ability to tailor the courses to her interests, and the fact that the program is based heavily in science that drew her in.
“I’ve looked at other certifications out there,” Oostra said. “They all seemed to be very technical. I like how this program really digs into the human aspect of coaching, the people and teams that you are coaching, not just the very mechanical parts of coaching.”
As Oostra moves through her coursework she hopes to use her skills to work with her children. Her daughter would like to participate in Girls on the Run in the future and her son is interested in both running and skiing.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Maria! We can’t wait to see where your studies take you.
Marissa Thill, MS, graduated from the School of Kinesiology with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology in 2016. Her undergraduate experience inspired her to move to Liverpool, England, where she received her Master of Science from Liverpool John Moores University in 2017. Thill is now using her education to lead sport science research for Empiricus, a health intelligence start-up company. Health intelligence is the interpretation, analysis, processing and generation of useful products that assist individuals such as public health practitioners, clinicians, responders, decision and policy makers and wider stakeholders in making sense of health surveillance data, and using it to better achieve goals. Get to know Thill and read about her career journey below:
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, about 30 minutes north of Milwaukee. My high school graduating class was 64 people, so making the decision to come to one of the largest universities in the country was a huge step for me. But coming to the U of M and moving to Minneapolis was one of the best decisions of my life. Without my experiences at the U of M, I wouldn’t have had the courage to move to Liverpool, England, pursue my master’s degree, and have some of the best experiences of my life, both personally and in my education. My interests include fitness, training, travel, hiking and music. I cannot wait to be able to get back out and explore our world once we can safely do so!
Can you describe your career in detail?
During the completion of my master’s degree, I was approached by Ron Pruitt, who is now my CEO. At the time, he was a co-worker of my father’s. He was thinking about a start-up company. He wanted someone who had experience in sport science and research on his team and wanted my opinion on his idea. In the spring of 2018 he reached out again, asking if I would like to come on board to help develop Empericus. Empericus is a health intelligence platform that integrates an athlete’s historical medical record with the latest advances in sports science and sports medicine. The resulting analysis provides medical staff, trainers, therapists, and coaches with the insights they need to help athletes achieve their full potential.
Soon after I started we became a trusted co-development partner of Microsoft, demonstrating our best-in-class capabilities. This sky-rocketed us to working with the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports, who helped us to develop the platform even further. As with a lot of companies, we were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and had to fight to survive. This did create a bump in the road, but we knew our product was unique and had the opportunity to be successful. Fortunately, Empericus has now positioned itself to join with one of the most recognized brands in sports for global growth. (Official announcement coming soon!)
This project has taught me so many things about the world of a start-up company, working in business, research, and organization, all while utilizing the knowledge of my degrees. I am so excited to share everything that Empericus has to offer with the sport science community very soon and to continue to be a part of the health intelligence revolution!
What inspired you to get a BS in Kinesiology?
I started my undergraduate experience at the [U of M’s] College of Biological Sciences, but I was pulled to the kinesiology degree because I had an interest in becoming a physical therapist or athletic trainer. The summer after my freshman year I shadowed both careers and decided that kinesiology was the path I wanted to take.
How do you think your experience in the School of Kinesiology has helped you reach your goals?
The School of Kinesiology exposed me to a variety of topics and career paths that I could explore after graduation. I remember really enjoying KIN 3131 History and Philosophy of Sport, taught by Maureen Weiss, PhD. She pushed us to look holistically at kinesiology, health, and wellness. And, she talked about the need for all areas of expertise to work together to achieve goals. This way of thinking has applied to my career and research, and helped me to better understand how to help athletes reach their goals.
What were some of your best experiences at the U of M?
Image of the HSCL Motion Capture equipment in use.
My best experiences came from trying to discover what my true passions were. First, I had an Athletic Medicine internship through the athletic department. I was able to put some of my knowledge into action, working hands-on with a lot of athletes. Working one-on-one with the trainers allowed me to ask questions about training and injuries. My experience with athletic medicine inspired me to pursue research within the field, where I found my true passion, biomechanics.
Hands-down the most valuable experiences I had were in theHuman Sensorimotor Control Lab (HSCL), directed by Jürgen Konczak, PhD. I got to create my own research project, gaining valuable skills that helped me during my master’s degree. I gained mentorship from not only Dr. Konczak, but all of his graduate students. They helped me reach my full potential, and pushed me to learn more about motor control and biomechanics. Without these valuable experiences, I would not be where I am today in my career.
What were some of your challenges at the U of M?
My freshman and sophomore years were challenging. It was difficult to adjust to the college curriculum, and I did not know where I wanted to go in my career. KIN 1871 Survey of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport helped me discover what I enjoyed. I remember the moment I discovered the world of biomechanics and motor control in class. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Immediately after class I did as much research about it as I could. I had a gut feeling that I had found what I was meant to study after that, and am so grateful that KIN 1871 showed us every facet of Kinesiology.
What advice would you give to those wanting to pursue a degree in Kinesiology?
Find your true passion and get as much experience in it as you can! Explore everything that kinesiology has to offer, and if you think you know what you would like to do, go get experience in it! The U of M offers so many ways for undergraduates to get involved and discover what they enjoy. If you feel you cannot do something during the school year, look for experiences during the summer. I was fortunate enough to work in a biomechanics lab in Milwaukee during my summers, which helped solidify me wanting to pursue a master’s degree.
Parting thoughts?
A quote that I have found extremely helpful is “Do your future self a favor, and work hard today.”
I would like to thank Dr. Konczak and the HSCL lab family, for helping me to find my footing and teach me invaluable lessons about research and biomechanics. I would also like to thank Naveen Elangovan, PhD, for being a mentor during my undergraduate career and for continuing to be a mentor and someone that I can reach out to for advice.
Caley Conney, the Director of External Relations, at the University of Minnesota’s Recreation and Wellness Center (RecWell), shares how the RecWell has adapted amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the resources and policies that have been put in place to make sure that students stay healthy while keeping fit.
Could you share what policies and practices the RecWell has put in place during the COVID-19 Pandemic?
There is no shortage of information on guidelines and practices that have been put in place. Right now, there is a maximum capacity of 250 people in the main recreation center; people are asked to keep their workout duration to approximately an hour; masks are required at all times, and people are to stay 6 feet apart. People can still use the other facilities such as the pool, climbing wall, and group fitness, but reservations need to be made in advance.
All RecWell staff are also trained on the latest CDC guidelines. We have frequent check-ins with our staff to ensure our facilities are up to date with the latest executive orders and CDC protocol. The RecWell website is the best location to find the latest information on the RecWell guidelines and practices.
How many people are using the facilities on a day-to-day basis?
Since students have returned to campus this spring the RecWell is seeing about 45% of its pre-COVID traffic. People can use a live tracker on the website to try and find a less busy time that suits their needs
What do students need to know before they show up to work out at RecWell?
Read the guidelines! We want people to come in and use our facilities. The new practices and policies can be intimidating, but they are keeping all of our members safe, and we really encourage you to come into the facility if you’re comfortable doing so. There are lounge spaces available for studying as well. Basketball courts are open to shoot hoops, badminton and table tennis are open, and intramurals are running in a limited capacity.
What advice would you give students who have concerns working out at your facilities?
At the end of the day, you need to make the best decisions for your personal health. Do your own research on our COVID practices to make sure they fit your standards and needs. The RecWell is a large space, so keeping your distance when working out may be easier by spreading out to the different floors and sections. Also, we have other facilities around campus that may have lower traffic for students not comfortable using the RecWell’s main spaces.
Do you have alternative wellness resources for students who don’t feel comfortable coming in?
The RecWell is offering online group fitness classes that you can do at home and don’t require equipment! Additionally, we offer free health coaching for students that can cover nutrition, activity at home, and even study habits. Check out the Virtual RecWell on the website periodically to see what has been added. On this page, you can find a whole library of videos from different resources created in a collaborative movement, mindful Monday posts, and stress check-ins. People can also find some of this content on our social media pages such as Instagram and Twitter.
How are the fitness classes being run this semester?
Group Fit is taking place, passes are on sale, and there are a variety of classes available. Reservations are required, and masks are required to be worn during the full class. Group fitness helps with building community, while still being safe.
Does the RecWell plan to return to full capacity?
The goal is to serve as many students as possible. We hope to return to larger Group Fit classes and hosting events when it’s deemed safe to do so. In the future we also look forward to seeing the return of our annual indoor triathlon, intramurals being expanded to include more sports, and being able to hire more students over time as a new normal is established. Overall, the RecWell is just excited to have more students on-site again!
Please note that the CDC and MDH guidelines cited in this post are accurate as of the time of publishing. Guidelines can and do change frequently, so for the most current policies please visit RecWell’s COVID-19 FAQ page.
Qiyin Huang, a PhD student in the School of Kinesiology, was awarded the 2021-22 Hauge Fellowship to support her research work about a robotic device to objectively measure ankle joint proprioception.
The Hauge Fellowship is an award to support Doctoral, MS, and MA students in the School of Kinesiology for professional development of research related expenses for the thesis/dissertation work. In order to qualify, applicants must:
Be enrolled full-time and in good standing.
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 in the program.
Not have any other research support for the project described, their own or their advisors.
The chapter is written in German and part of a larger compendium that covers all aspects of human movement science. It gives an overview of how the nervous system controls a biomechanical system such as the human body. It is geared towards students, clinicians and researchers seeking information on the basics of human motor neurophysiology.
Bradley Kenote graduated from the University of Minnesota in December 2020 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Coaching from the School of Kinesiology. After graduating he accepted a job as an American Indian Education/Cultural Advisor in the Anoka-Hennepin district 11. Kenote took a “non-traditional” route to complete his undergraduate degree, which included several major changes and transfers.
“I started my undergrad career at UW Lacrosse,” Kenote said. “I thought I wanted to major in athletic training and eventually continue on to a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. After my first year, I decided that career path wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
Kenote took a break from school, leaving the University of Wisconsin Lacrosse, and worked for a few years. During this time he was introduced to the possibility of sport psychology as a career path. With this newfound interest, he decided to go back to school. He started at St Paul College and then eventually transferred to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus to major in psychology.
Originally, the coaching minor stood out to Kenote because it would complement his sport psychology goals. But, as he progressed through his major, he shifted his focus and goals to plan for a career in educational psychology.
“The coaching minor fit really well with my sport psychology path originally,” Kenote said. “When I decided to switch gears, I knew I wanted to finish my coaching minor. I had really enjoyed my classes up to that point. They didn’t even feel like work because I found them interesting.”
Kenote had taken several of his minor courses with Nicole M. LaVoi, PhD, and said he had found her classes to be incredibly engaging.
“I have to give a huge shout out to Dr. LaVoi,” Kenote said. “I was lucky that most of my coaching classes were instructed by her. To read her work and get to be in her classes was incredible. She’s kind of a legend. She really kept me engaged as a student, and that was a big reason I decided to continue with the minor.”
Kenote joked that LaVoi was probably his favorite professor at the UMN, which he “probably shouldn’t admit as a psych major.”
LaVoi spoke highly of the progress Kenote made as he progressed through the program.
“My classes are interactive and I expect the students to engage with classmates and add their unique insights to the class,” LaVoi said. “We all learn from each other, and many students are not used to this learning model. Over time, Bradley found his voice and became confident in participating. He is a very introspective, smart, caring, and thoughtful student, so when he spoke in class, everyone listened, including me!”
When asked about his favorite memories during his minor experience, Kenote talked about an experience in class with Dr. LaVoi that touched on hazing and hazing punishments. After studying case statements, each student had to form their own policy around hazing.
“I remember how interesting it was to brainstorm as a class and hear all of the different perspectives of my classmates,” Kenote said. “You got an idea of where people came from, their experiences, how coaches they had in the past worked through those situations, and then you got to think about how you would handle it. It was a tough subject, but a really productive exercise.”
In addition to being interested in the content of the courses, Kenote noted that what he learned in the minor is applicable to both his current role and his future goal to coach at the high school level.
“I knew the coaching minor would be useful for my future career,” Kenote said. “Not only will it benefit me if I do become a coach, but a lot of what we learned in class about how to be inspiring coaches is transferable to every other area of my life. It absolutely benefits me in the work I’m doing now.”
Kenote’s advice to students considering the coaching minor is inspiring:
“It’s worth looking into the program to see what it’s about. They have things beyond just traditional coaching courses as well. For example, I took a course about preventative care for athletes. I would highly recommend the program. It’s fun, it’s not a lot of work, and the work you are doing doesn’t feel like a burden because it’s interesting. You’ll leave certified to coach, plus the skills you learn really can be applied to everyday life.”
As for Kenote, he’s excited to dig into his work as a counselor, but he’s not ruling out more education in the future.
Congratulations on graduating, Brad. The School is proud to call you an alumni of our coaching program!
The School of Kinesiology Student Council (KinSC) is a group of graduate and undergraduate students who are enrolled in the School and are interested in creating a School of Kinesiology community. KinSC aims to help all students in the School of Kinesiology KINNECT and KINTRIBUTE. Meet the new KinSC team!
Caroline Kandravi, President
Caroline is from Green Bay, Wisconsin and she is a junior here at the University of Minnesota. After her undergraduate, she hopes to go to physical therapy school and pursue a physical therapy career working with athletes. She is currently a personal trainer and loves staying fit and active. She love being outside and going on the many hiking trails Minnesota has to offer.
Matt Hempe, Vice President
Matt is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Kinesiology and minoring in Coaching. He’s lived in Minnesota his whole life which has been a blessing since he love to cross-country ski in the winter. He is a part of the UMN Nordic Ski Club as the training coordinator and an assistant ski coach for his old high school in Maple Grove. When he’s not checking out new ski trails in the metro he is probably in Cooke Hall where he has worked as an administrative intern for the past 3 years. He’s loved getting to know all the faculty and staff members and to be a part of the Kinesiology team! Matt loves to travel to new places and meet new people. He is fortunate enough that he was able to study abroad twice, once for a summer seminar with Dr. BA where they went to Kenya for the program ‘Empowering Youth Through Sport” and he spent a semester in Bergen, Norway where he lived in a small apartment with 15 other people from all over the world. He also went to the World Championships for Paper Airplane throwing in Salzburg, Austria. He will eventually be applying to Physical Therapy school and the UMN is on the top of his list. He loves the opportunities this school has given him and would love to spend 3 more years here!
Leila Riley, Secretary
Leila is a first-year Kinesiology PhD student with a focus in Sport Management. Her research focus is on leadership and mentorship in sport organizations. She comes to the U from Idaho where she got her education and spent time working in the sport industry before transitioning to teaching in higher education. She loves to be outdoors with her partner and her dog and looks forward to experiencing what Minnesota recreation has to offer. When she can’t be outdoors she enjoys cooking, baking, and generally making a mess in the kitchen.
Michael Urvig, Treasurer
Michael is a first-year kinesiology master’s student with a focus in Behavioral Aspects of Physical Activity. Born and raised in Minnesota, Michael completed his undergraduate in Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota. He enjoys getting outside to enjoy the hiking and cross-country skiing trails that Minnesota has to offer.
Amanda Folk, Public Relations Manager
Amanda is a second-year Kinesiology PhD student with a focus in Behavioral Aspects of Physical Activity and a minor in Public Health. Before moving to Minnesota, she lived in Philadelphia for just over a decade. While fitting in PhD work she does her best to get outside as much as possible (which is quite a feat during the winter for this East Coaster) and still read for fun. Regardless of what she’s doing her dog, Valentine, is by her side.
Brogan Comstock, Public Relations Officer
Brogan is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in both Kinesiology and Psychology. Born and raised in MN, there was no better place to obtain her undergraduate degree than at the University of Minnesota. In her free time, you might find her ballroom dancing, trying new recipes, or running the beautiful trails within the Twin Cities. Her favorite thing about attending the U of M is that there is an opportunity to try anything you could think of either on or off campus which is why she is currently in 2 campus clubs, volunteers at a research lab on campus, and is currently doing a UROP at the Minneapolis VA.
Abigail Mae Honson, Undergraduate Representative
Abigail Honson is a second year B.S. Kinesiology student who plans to go to graduate school for physical therapy. Born and raised in MN, she grew up dancing and teaching dance. Abigail enjoys trying the coffee shops in the twin cities and playing with her cat.
Brittany Peterson, Undergraduate Representative
Brittany Peterson is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Kinesiology. She plans on attending physical therapy school and wants to specialize in sports physical therapy in her career. She has lived in Minnesota her entire life and hopes to complete her doctorate at the UMN! In her 22 years in Minnesota, she has grown her love for the outdoors and physical activity. Outside of school you can most likely find Brittany hiking in the mountains, lifting weights at the gym or traveling to a new adventure.
Paper titles are: 1) “University Student Experiences with Mandated Home Isolation” (Hannah Griebel co-author); and 2) “Reliability of Heuristic Evaluation during Usability Analysis” (co-author Cindy Kheng). Griebel is a Master’s candidate, and Kheng a Master’s recipient, from the University of Minnesota’s Human Factors and Ergonomics Graduate Program.
Smith has also been elected as the next Chair of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Education Technical Group
School of Kinesiology postdoctoral fellow, Jacob Sorensen, PhD, and assistant professor, Sarah Greising, PhD, recently contributed to a manuscript published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
What happens to our Kinesiology graduates after they leave Cooke Hall? Recently we spoke with Kinesiology PhD graduate Hannah Walter to tell us about life after school and share her words of advice and wisdom.
Hannah Walter, PhD
Hannah Walter, PhD, is from Carey, OH, and was the first person in her family to get a bachelor’s degree. Walter received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Miami University of Ohio and went on to receive her PhD in kinesiology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
Could you describe your current position in detail?
I was recently hired as a human factors engineer at Medtronic and started this position midway through last semester. In this position I look at how people interact with medical devices. An engineer is good at building the device, but it’s my job to understand how the person will actually use it. Have you ever thought you were using something the correct way and felt dumb when you realized you weren’t? Well, you’re not dumb. It wasn’t designed well! A well-designed device will make the right interactions clear. It’s my job to help prevent instances like that from happening.
What sparked your decision to get a PhD in kinesiology?
While studying as an undergraduate, I felt like there was so much discussion of theory. I wanted to apply it, but not in a clinical sense. I didn’t want to be a therapist or psychiatrist. However, I still wanted to understand why people made decisions to do basic things. While pursuing this understanding, I fell in love with a theory known as the ecological theory. This theory ecompasses the idea that our behaviors, decisions, and actions are emergent from the properties of the human and the environment. I found a professor at Miami of Ohio, James Smart, PhD, to guide me in conducting research using this theory. When I graduated, Dr. Smart told me that if I wanted to continue studying this theory I should study under the person that trained him at the University of Minnesota, Thomas Stoffregen, PhD. The rest is history.
How do you think your experience at the School of Kinesiology helped you in your career and personal goals?
I found that there was a very heavy focus in our lab to collaborate with other departments. While researching in the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) I spoke frequently with individuals from the Computer Science and Engineering departments. It was these intersectional interactions that really helped me in my current position. At MedTronic, I work with different types of people with different academic and professional backgrounds. So knowing how to work alongside different kinds of people and being able to “speak their language” has been really beneficial.
What advice would you give to recent graduates?
I would say to disregard gatekeepers. There will always be people who feel like it’s their job to keep others in check. My biggest advice is that if you have an idea and get shot down, don’t immediately throw it away. There is always a place for new and innovative ideas. Something I see again and again in this industry—especially with individuals who may be a minority in their field—is that people deny themselves opportunities out of fear of being too aggressive. To that I say, hold your ground. Let them deny you; don’t deny yourself.
The School of Kinesiology wishes all the best to Dr. Hannah Walter and can’t wait to see where her career takes her next!
How long have you worked for the U of M? What other positions have you held, if any?
This is my first position with the University of Minnesota. I started on December 21, 2020 and have been here a little over a month.
What is your work/educational background?
Prior to working at the U of M, I worked as a bookstore manager at Metro State University in St. Paul. Before that I was a bookstore manager with the same contracting company, but it was at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. So, I’ve had several years of experience in higher education.
As for my education, I would consider myself a non-traditional student. I started my undergraduate degree in 1997. Around 2003 life happened and my priorities changed, so I didn’t initially end up finishing my degree. In 2011, I met my wife and decided to go back to school and complete my applied business degree through the College of Continuing and Professional Studies (CCAPS). Finishing my degree took around seven years but I am really glad to have finished.
What drew you to the purchasing specialist position?
I was trying to find a niche for myself at the U and I thought this position could be a good fit for me. Before applying, I went to the School of Kinesiology’s website and did some research. After doing some reading, I really felt that the School matched well with my career and personal interests. From an intellectual standpoint, I found the research being conducted here to be really cool. I am especially intrigued by the research happening in Dr. Sarah Greising’s lab, Skeletal Muscle Plasticity and Regeneration Laboratory (SMPRL).
What do you like best about working here?
I like how every day is different, but also the same. In this job I get requests for all kinds of different things and have all kinds of different things to work on. I like that I am able to break up the monotony that I had gotten used to the past few years. I also really enjoy the people here. Everyone has been so welcoming and positive⸺which was something I hadn’t received in other jobs. I really enjoy my coworkers. When I have questions, or when I am not sure how to solve a problem everyone is extremely supportive and helpful. I know that I’ll always have someone to turn to for help if I need it.
What things provide you the most satisfaction in your job?
I get the most satisfaction from staying busy and being able to interact with my colleagues and be a part of the team. I grew up a baseball player so I think I still kind of have the competitive and team aspect as part of my personality. Overall, I like to be part of a group that is getting things done.
Tell us about you!
Brian Michlitsch and family
I grew up in a small suburb of St. Paul and have 3 kids, a 4 year old named Lucy and 2 twin boys who are 2 years old named Vinny and Jonas. My wife works full time as a therapist so our family is pretty busy. To have some fun, our family has been enjoying getting outside and sledding. One of our boys isn’t a huge fan of the cold but we still have a good time.
In my free time, I really enjoy listening and playing music. When I was younger, I grew up admiring a lot of local musicians, especially Prince. I wanted to be just like him and learn to play as many instruments as possible. I started out with saxophone in fourth grade and my musical interest took off from there. I spent a lot of time in the band room as a kid and tried to soak up as much as I could and work on my craft. I can now say I’m able to play around 12 or 13 instruments. Music has been and will always be one of my favorite hobbies.
Welcome to the School of Kinesiology, Brian! We are lucky to have you on our team!
This work was the primary focus of Mr. Hoffman’s MS thesis, which he defended this past summer. This work evaluated the shift from early wound healing efforts to a fibrotic scar following traumatic muscle injury. Specifically, it quantified the synchronous reduction of collagen III and increase in collagen I during the repair process. Co-authors of the article include Christiana Raymond-Pope, PhD, Jacob Sorensen, PhD, Benjamin Corona, PhD and Greising. Raymond-Pope and Sorensen are both post-doctoral in Greising’s laboratory.
The full citation is as follows: Daniel B. Hoffman, Christiana J. Raymond-Pope, Jacob R. Sorensen, Benjamin T. Corona & Sarah M. Greising (2021) Temporal changes in the muscle extracellular matrix due to volumetric muscle loss injury, Connective Tissue Research, DOI: 10.1080/03008207.2021.1886285
The article was posted in Popular Science’s Winter 2020 Transformation issue and examined how higher-level thinking is used to master and maintain the art of cycling. In this feature Konczak states, “We use every muscle movement and subsequent brain connection involved in bike riding during other activities, like dancing, playing sports, and walking — just not all at the same time.”
Could you share your education history and what interested you in pursuing your Graduate Degree at the U of M?
I graduated from the University of Dayton in 2009 with a BA in Psychology and a minor in History. When I was taking psychology courses I really enjoyed the science aspects, like cognition and perception. After I graduated I continued to feel drawn to the science side of psychology. So, I looked for different advisors in my field, perception and action or ecological psychology. Thomas Stoffergen, PhD, at the University of Minnesota, seemed like a good fit.
How long have you been a student at the University?
I joined the lab Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) (directed by Thomas Stoffregen) in the fall of 2013. I spent about 3 years on campus, took a leave of absence for 2 years, and now I am continuing to pursue my PhD while working.
Could you share what you do as a job?
I lead the key performance indicator team within Google’s augmented reality and hardware group. In other words, I get new products in front of users, put them in a scenario where they would use that item, then follow up with questions on the performance. After gathering user feedback, I take the product back to the developers and share how the key performance indicator impacts the user experience. I have a lot of fun taking my science skill set and applying it to questions for engineers or product managers, answering questions for them, or reducing uncertainty around their questions. One thing I enjoy is when I encounter questions that have already been answered in old-school experimental psychology literature, that we’re looking at with a new modern take on the concept. Rather than looking at it as a threshold for detection, we’re looking at it as a threshold for a good user experience.
What are some of the things you like the most about the University?
I really love the University in the spring and fall, before the snow. I also liked to attend different artistic and musical events. In particular, I recall my wife and I went to one play that was put on at Northrop. In terms of being a student, one of the things I’ve really enjoyed are the seminars. I like diving into subject matter that is relevant to my degree. I like the way that the seminars are set up; they are driven by the students. One person presents, and there is a discussion that follows.
What are the challenges you’ve encountered as a student?
I think this is probably something that a lot of people run into, but I’m not originally from Minnesota. I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio, where the winters are a lot milder. So if there was a blizzard, and we got six inches of snow overnight, everything shut down. The first year that I was here it snowed like seven or eight inches during the first snow, and we had just moved downtown. Dealing with all of the snow and the fact that literally nothing shuts down in the city combined with how cold it is, was a whole new experience.
What advice would you give to students?
Don’t get inside of your own head, and be willing to find and accept help from other people. I experienced a lot of imposter syndrome when I first entered my graduate program and felt like I didn’t belong. It’s easy to be in a class with someone who’s in their third, fourth, or fifth year and you feel out of place because they appear to know much more than you. But the truth is, you’re there for a reason. Even if you don’t feel like you have a place at the table now, continue working because ultimately, you’re there, you’ve already made it.
