Konczak is senior personnel on $2.9 million NSF grant

August 22, 2017

Jürgen Konczak, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory, is serving as senior personnel on a nearly $3 million training grant awarded by the National Science Foundation to develop and implement bold new graduate education in the STEM fields.

The award for the project, “Graduate Training Program in Sensory Science: Optimizing the Information Available for Mind and Brain,” was granted jointly to the Center for Cognitive Sciences and the Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Sciences. The grant will enable the centers’ teams to initiate a new interdisciplinary graduate training program that unites a fundamental understanding of basic sensory science (vision, audition, motor control, speech and language) with deep technical expertise in engineering, computer science, and other related fields. The project will explore the development of effective assistive technologies for people with sensory deficits that have a major impact on an individual’s quality of life.

Konczak is a member of the faculty of the Center for Cognitive Sciences and director of the Center for Clinical Movement Science. Colleges providing support on the grant are the College of Education and Human Development, College of Liberal Arts, and College of Science and Engineering. More information about the award is available here.

Pope hired as adjunct instructor in Exercise Physiology at Bethel University

August 21, 2017

Zachary Pope, Ph.D. candidate in the School of Kinesiology and advised by Kinesiology associate professor Zan Gao, Ph.D., was recently hired as an adjunct instructor at Bethel University teaching exercise physiology and assessment. Bethel University is a private Christian liberal arts institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,000 students.

While Pope’s current research interests center around the use of technology to promote physical activity and nutritious eating behaviors, with improved physiological and psychosocial health outcome the ultimate goal, Pope previously spent six years exclusively studying and/or teaching exercise physiology. Further, since 2012, Pope has been an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist and coordinated the Human Performance Laboratory at Boise State University while earning his master’s degree.

National evaluation study of Girls on the Run by Kinesiology professor Maureen Weiss reveals the program transforms young girls’ lives

August 15, 2017

An independent evaluation study by Maureen Weiss, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, shows that Girls on the Run, a national physical activity-based positive youth development program for elementary-age girls, has a profound and lasting positive impact on girls’ confidence, competence, connection to others, character, caring, and life skills.

Girls on the Run is a nonprofit organization that uses running as a vehicle for teaching life skills to girls in third through fifth grades. The intentional life skills curriculum and mandatory annual coach training set Girls on the Run apart from other activity programs. The three-part curriculum teaches understanding of self, valuing relationships and teamwork, and exploring one’s connection to the world.

Weiss’s study revealed that:

Girls on the Run participants were significantly more likely than girls in organized sport and physical education to learn and use life skills including managing emotions, resolving conflict, helping others or making intentional decisions.
97% of girls said they learned critical life skills at Girls on the Run that they are using at home, at school and with their friends
Girls who began the program with below-average scores dramatically improved from pre- to post-season on all outcomes—competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. This shows that girls who might need a positive youth development program benefited most from their participation.
Girls who were the least active before Girls on the Run increased their physical activity level by 40% from pre- to post-season and maintained this increased level beyond the program’s end.

The video and the website illuminate the study findings through an interactive format. The study has also been publicized on Globe Newswire.

“Girls on the Run participants scored higher in managing emotions, resolving conflict, helping others, and making intentional decisions than participants in organized sport or physical education,” said Weiss. “Being able to generalize skills learned in the program to other situations such as at school or at home is a distinguishing feature of Girls on the Run compared to traditional youth sports and school PE, and suggests that the intentional life skills curriculum and coach-training program can serve as exemplars for other youth programs.”

This study got also mentioned in The Daily Iowan.

Javen Ulambayer, Kinesiology B.S. alum, performs in “Moby Dick” in Chicago

August 8, 2017

A School of Kinesiology alumnus has led an adventurous life since graduating with a B.S. in Kinesiology in Spring 2012 . It’s been a somewhat dangerous one as well.

Javen Ulambayer has taken his education and experience to new heights as he performs in the Ensemble cast in an adaptation of “Moby Dick” at the Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago. The native of Mongolia moved to the United States in 2005 with his mother, Oyunchimeg “Oyuna” Yadamjav, one of Mongolia’s most famous contortionists, when she accepted a job at Circus Juventus in St. Paul. The school attracts elite circus performers from around the world to teach their craft. Ulambayer became interested in learning aerial gymnastics and circus arts at the school, and began his practice there. His fascinating story is featured in this Chicago Tribune article.

LaVoi quoted on women coaches in collegiate sports in Online Athens

July 31, 2017

Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D., Kinesiology senior lecturer and co-director of the Tucker Center, was quoted in an article in Online Athens discussing the South Carolina women’s basketball team, coached by Dawn Staley, which won this year’s national championship. “Female coaches are underrepresented in the power five,” she commented. “That number has been very stagnant over the last 12 years.”

LaVoi went on to describe the challenges women coaches face in a field dominated by men in the Southeastern Conference and elsewhere. Read the full article here.

Kinesiology doctoral student Arash Mahnan appointed to U’s Senate Information Technologies Committee

July 31, 2017

Arash Mahnan, Kinesiology Ph.D. student in Movement Science, has been appointed to the University’s Senate Information Technologies Committee (SITC). The committee represents the institution’s faculty, academic professional, civil service and student interests in the development, implementation, and distribution of information technologies at the U. The committee reports to the Senate and makes recommendations concerning policies and administration around information technologies.

The committee meets monthly and consists of eight faculty, four P&A, three students, and one civil service representative. The students include Mahnan, a representative from the Department of Engineering and one from the College of Continuing Education. The student representatives were chosen based on their background, experience and qualifications in the field of information technology. Mahnan will serve a two-year term on the committee.

LaVoi quoted in article on female coaches for The Atlantic

July 28, 2017

Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., Kinesiology lecturer and co-director of the Tucker Center, was quoted in an online article in The Atlantic, “The Field Where Men Still Call the Shots,” on the reasoning behind the lack of female coaches in youth sports making lasting impressions on boys and girls.

The article discusses the decline of female coaches in both collegiate and youth sports, and how their absence affects youth that are involved. LaVoi is specifically quoted about research that has found that girls who are coached by men were less likely to pursue coaching careers than those led by women, saying, “When you only see men in positions of power, you conclude ‘sports are not for me.'” LaVoi organized and was a speaker at the 2017 Women Coaches Symposium.

Wiese-Bjornstal shares research in video interview with Halmstad University, Sweden

July 26, 2017

Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., professor and director of the Sports Medicine Psychology Lab (SMPL) in the School of Kinesiology, attended and presented at the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) 14th World Congress Sevilla 2017, held July 10-14 in Seville, Spain. While attending the conference, Dr. Wiese-Bjornstal was interviewed by Sweden’s Halmstad University for a series of research chats.

In the interview, Wiese-Bjornstal discusses her SMPL research on religiosity and spirituality in coping with sport injuries.

Inoue, Heffernan publish in Sport Management Review

July 26, 2017

Yuhei Inoue, Ph.D., assistant professor of sport management, has published an article in the latest issue of Sport Management Review titled “Social and charitable impacts of a charity-affiliated sport event: A mixed methods study.” School of Kinesiology doctoral student Caroline Heffernan is second author on the article.

The paper is based on a study Inoue conducted at the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and was supported by the Grant-in-Aid Program sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research at the U of M.

U of M alum, coach, teacher, and pro basketball Hall of Famer John Kundla dies at 101

July 25, 2017

A U of M alumnus, coach, and physical education instructor, a basketball Hall of Fame member, and one of the top coaches in NBA history has died at age 101.

John Kundla graduated from the U of M in 1939 and in 1941 became assistant basketball coach for the Gophers. Other pursuits intervened, including teaching and coaching at DeLaSalle High School, service in WWII, and coaching the Minneapolis Lakers professional basketball team, but Kundla returned to the U in the 1959-1960 season to become the first alumnus to serve as Gophers basketball coach. He was the first U basketball coach to offer scholarships to African-Americans. Bobby Bell, who played on the Gophers football team that went to the Rose Bowl in 1961, became the first African-American to play for the basketball team. In the mid-1960s, future NBA All-Stars Archie Clark and Lou Hudson played for Kundla’s Gophers.

After the 1967-68 season, Kundla stepped down. He continued to teach in the U’s Physical Education Department (now the School of Kinesiology) until retiring in 1981.

Read the complete obituary here.

Zeng, Pope, and adviser Gao publish in Liebert Open Access

July 24, 2017

School of Kinesiology Ph.D. student Nan Zeng and Ph.D. candidate Zachary Pope have published the article “Acute Effect of Virtual Reality Exercise Bike Games on College Students’ Physiological and Psychological Outcomes” with their adviser, Zan Gao, Ph.D., in the online publication Liebert OpenAcess. Dr. Gao is associate professor of kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory. The article discusses the results of a pilot study that compared physiological and psychological responses following exercise on a virtual reality-based exercise bike (VirZoom) and traditional stationary exercise bike.

Barr-Anderson is lead author on article in Journal of Adolescent Health

July 24, 2017

Daheia Barr-Anderson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Behavioral Physical Activity Laboratory, is lead author on an article published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. “The Modifying Effects of Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status on the Change in Physical Activity From Elementary to Middle School” examines whether the association between the change in individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors and the change in physical activity is modified by race/ethnicity or SES.

Nicholas Evanoff, doctoral student, presents at 2017 TBI Summit

July 24, 2017

Nicholas Evanoff, M.S., a kinesiology doctoral student in the School’s Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, presented at the Big Ten/Ivy League Traumatic Brain Injury Research Collaboration’s 2017 TBI Summit held in Rosemont, Illinois, on July 19.

The title of Mr. Evanoff’s presentation was “Effects of Multiple Sports-Related Concussions on Neurocognition and Cerebral Vascular Function.” Donald Dengel, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, and Kara Marlatt, Ph.D., a 2015 graduate of the School of Kinesiology, were co-authors on the presentation.

Konczak presents at International Conference of Robotic Rehabilitation in London

July 21, 2017

Juergen Konczak, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory, gave an invited presentation at a workshop at the 15th International Conference of Robotic Rehabilitation (ICORR) at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London, UK. The conference was a part of the London Rehab Week, where around a thousand attendees discussed the newest trends in neurorehabilitation. Konczak presented an overview on the current state of how robotic medical devices can be used to diagnose sensory and motor deficits of neurological diseases.

Tucker Center Title IX anniversary report cited in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

July 17, 2017

The recent study, Gender, Race & LGBT Inclusion of Head Coaches of Women’s Teams: A Report on Select NCAA Division I Conferences for the 45th Anniversary of Title IX, June 2017, co-produced by LGBT SportSafe, The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida, and the Tucker Center, was cited June 16 in the publication Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. The article, Women of Color Remain Invisible in Leading College Athletics, discusses the ongoing issue of the lack of diversity, particularly for women of color, in coaching college sports.

“A recent study of the eight major American collegiate sports conferences revealed that 88 percent of head coaches of women’s college teams are White and 57 percent are male,” the article points out. “For the NCAA athletic directors, this number is even more dismal as there are more than 1,200 collegiate schools across the nation.”

Stoffregen interviewed on Take Care radio program in New York

July 17, 2017

School of Kinesiology professor Tom Stoffregen, Ph.D., was interviewed on Take Care, a radio program on health and wellness that originates at station WRVO in Oswego, NY. Co-hosts Lorraine Rapp and Linda Lowen interviewed Stoffregen about his research related to motion sickness.

The interview was broadcast on Saturday, July 15, and again on Sunday, July 16. The full interview is on the Take Care website and on iTunes, and the preview clip is here.

Barr-Anderson quoted in Highlights Magazine online

July 13, 2017

Daheia Barr-Anderson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Director of the Behavioral Physical Activity Lab, was quoted in two online magazine articles for Highlights Magazine online. Barr-Anderson’s research interests focus on physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and obesity prevention in children and adolescents, and she used her expertise to answer questions and advise parents on how to aid their children in living an active lifestyle and combat the couch-potato culture.

Barr-Anderson is cited in two articles, titled “Struggle-Free Tips to Get Your Couch-Potato Kid Moving,” and “Why’s My Kid a Couch Potato: Is he Lazy…or Something Else?“. These pieces are part of the journal’s series “Smart Answers to Parents’ Toughest Questions”, which offers insight on what keeps children from being active, and tips on how to be active together.

“You can’t underestimate the importance of going outside together to throw around a ball or start a garden,” says Barr-Anderson. “You get movement and activity, and time spent together.”

Moehnke noted in The Katy News as scholarship recipient

July 13, 2017

Hailee Moehnke, a graduate student in the School of Kinesiology and a recent recipient of the Edith Mueller Endowed Fund for Graduate Education in the Tucker Center scholarship, was noted in her hometown newspaper, The Katy News, of Katy, Texas.

Moehnke, who is advised by Professor Maureen R. Weiss, is pursuing her Masters of Science in Kinesiology, with an emphasis in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Her research focus is in Positive Youth Development, and she is interested in learning how participation in sport and physical activity affects youth psychological and social maturity.

The fund, administered by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, is used to support graduate education, including for graduate assistantships, research support, travel to conferences, and equipment.

Dengel is lead author of article published in American Journal of Lifestyle

July 13, 2017

Donald Dengel, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, is the lead author of an article published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. The article, entitled “Impact of health status and lifestyle modifications on vascular structure and function in children and adolescents,” examined the effects of various lifestyle interventions (i.e., exercise, weight loss, etc.) on vascular structure and function in children and adolescents.

Konczak gives invited presentation at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

July 13, 2017

As part of a two-day visit to Budapest, Juergen Konczak, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory, presented his work on robotic rehabilitation to members of the Wigner Research Centre for Physics at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and toured a new rehabilitation clinic.

His Hungarian hosts comprised researchers with backgrounds in mathematics, physics, and cognitive neuroscience with an interest in modeling human movement and translating this knowledge to help patients with spinal cord injuries to regain function. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Magyar Tudományos Akadémia) is the most important and prestigious academic society of Hungary. Its main responsibilities are the cultivation of science, dissemination of scientific findings, supporting research and development and representing Hungarian science domestically and around the world.

CEHD News Kinesiology

CEHD News Kinesiology