Three Kinesiology faculty give lectures on exercise and healthy aging in Chinese cities in June

July 11, 2017

School of Kinesiology professors Juergen Konczak, Ph.D., Li Li Ji, Ph.D., and Michael Wade, Ph.D., gave invited lectures at one international conference and three Chinese universities from June 9 through June 15. Their talks centered broadly around a theme of exercise and healthy aging, and how age-related changes in older adults affect balance and posture.

Dr. Wade and Dr. Konczak first gave two keynote addresses at the China Preschool Children Health Conference held in Suzhou, a fast-growing modern city outside Shanghai. They then visited Shanxi University in Taiyuan, the capital city in Shanxi province in northwestern China with 4.2 million people. Next they traveled by high-speed rail to Tianjin, where they presented at Tianjin Sport University, a long-time partner of the School of Kinesiology. Their final lecture was at Hebei University in Shijiazhuan, where the first modern higher education institution in China was founded in 1895.

Wiese-Bjornstal presenting at ISSP 14th World Congress in Seville, Spain

July 10, 2017

Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., professor and director of the Sports Medicine Psychology Lab (SMPL) in the School of Kinesiology, will present a paper July 13 at the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) 14th World Congress Sevilla 2017, held July 10-14 in Seville, Spain.

The paper represents Wiese-Bjornstal’s collaborative work with student authors from the U of M, including SMPL graduate students (Kristin Wood, Andrew White) and SMPL former undergraduate student (Amanda Wambach), as well as 2016 U of M visiting Fulbright scholar Professor Victor Rubio from the University of Autonoma, Madrid.

The paper being presented is: Wiese-Bjornstal, D. M., Wood, K. N., White, A. C., Wambach, A. J., & Rubio, V. J. (accepted for 2017, July). Exploring religiosity and spirituality in coping with sport injuries. In V. J. Rubio (Chair), Coping, resilience and personal growth following a sport injury.

Gao delivers keynote at 2017 China-America Summit Forum on Breast Cancer

July 10, 2017

Zan Gao, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL), gave a keynote address at the 2017 China-America Summit Forum on Breast Cancer in Guangzhou, a major city of over 20 million in southern China, on June 18th, 2017. He delivered a 30-minute, well-received presentation titled “Disease Management and Improvement of Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Survivors” to over 200 conference attendees.

Stoffregen article in PLOS ONE is among most cited

July 6, 2017

An article by Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., professor and director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) in the School of Kinesiology, is among the 10% most-cited articles published in PLOS ONE.

The article, “Getting Your Sea Legs,” was published in 2013. It has been viewed 6,901 times and cited 30 times as of June 2017.

Konczak and Wade give invited talks at child health development conference in China

July 5, 2017

Kinesiology professors Juergen Konczak, Ph.D., and Michael Wade, Ph.D., addressed over 700 attendees of the Suzhou International Conference on Child Health Development. The conference centered around themes of how early childhood education best promotes cognitive, social, sensory and motor development. Suzhou is a city of about 10.5 million people in southeastern China. Kinesiology professor Li Li Ji, Ph.D., also attended the conference.

Dengel named editor of International Journal of Sports Medicine

July 5, 2017

Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology in the School of Kinesiology, has been named editor for the International Journal of Sports Medicine. The journal publishes peer-reviewed scientific research on physiology and biochemistry, immunology, nutrition, training and testing, orthopedics and clinical science, and behavioral science. The International Journal of Sports Medicine publishes key research results from top centers around the world.

StarTribune features Stoffregen and his research in article on virtual reality and motion sickness

June 30, 2017

Since 1990, Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory, has studied motion sickness and virtual reality (VR), sometimes called “simulator sickness.” One of his interests is examining the effects of VR and VR applications, which can cause people to become spatially disoriented and physically ill.

In a June 30 article titled “What’s the future of virtual reality? Minnesota researchers may hold the answer,” the StarTribune discusses Stoffregen’s research and the way VR technology deals with motion sickness – or not.

“Why would anyone pay $600 for something that makes you toss your cookies?” Stoffregen asks in the article. He argues that companies who sell VR games are not dealing with changing the designs of the games, but are simply changing their liability rules should consumers become ill.

The article discusses Stoffregen’s research extensively, as well as studies being conducted by the Mayo Clinic, which may provide answers to the problems with nausea and sickness related to VR and VR applications across a broad spectrum.

Stoffregen gives invited talk at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

June 30, 2017

On June 30, Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL), gave an invited talk at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Woods Hole, MA, titled “Getting your sea legs: The horizon, seasickness, and adaptive human movement.” His presentation was cited in an article in the Cape Cod Times on July 2.

WHOI was the terminus of Stoffregen’s latest research cruise from Costa Rica to Woods Hole. He and student lab members spent 16 days at sea conducting a number of experiments.

Lewis is co-investigator on NIH/National Institute of Nursing grant

June 29, 2017

Beth Lewis, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology director and professor, is a co-investigator on an NIH/National Institute of Nursing grant (R01 NR016705-01), “Community-based intervention effects of older adults’ physical activity and falls.” The purpose of this study is to identify behavioral change strategies that lead to increased physical activity and in turn lead to a reduction in falls and improved quality of life (QOL) among older adults. She will be working with PI Siobhan McMahon and other co-investigators to refine and consult on the intervention implementation and physical activity assessment. The grant will run through January, 2022.

Lewis served as a faculty mentor for Dr. McMahon’s KL2 Scholars Career Development Program for assistant professors conducting clinical or translational research.

Smith’s research presented at 12th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health

June 29, 2017

Thomas J. Smith, Ph.D., adjunct lecturer for the School of Kinesiology, is first author on a paper presented at the recently concluded 12th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health, “Work, Stress and Health 2017: Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities,” that convened in Minneapolis June 7-10. The paper is titled, ‘The Productivity Paradox – A Distracted Working Hypothesis.’ The paper also will be published in the conference proceedings.

Barr-Anderson appears on “Public Health Minute with Dr. William Latimer”

June 27, 2017

Dahiea Barr-Anderson, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the Behavioral Physical Activity Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology, appeared on the Public Health Minute with Dr. William Latimer, presented by the School of Health Sciences, Human Services, and Nursing at Lehman College, CUNY, Bronx, NY, on a segment titled “Physical Activity and Healthy Eating“.

The Public Health Minute is a one-minute audio segment in which the creator and host, Dr. William Latimer, interviews researchers and medical professionals about a wide variety of public health topics and is designed to get practical health advice informed by cutting- edge research to the public.

LaVoi quoted on reasons for bias in hiring women soccer coaches

June 27, 2017

In the past, high school and college women’s soccer teams were coached overwhelmingly by women. After Title IX was passed in 1972 and women’s sports began attaining greater support and prestige, more men became interested in coaching women’s sports teams. Their numbers grew dramatically while women coaches’ numbers declined. Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D., Kinesiology lecturer and co-director of the Tucker Center, was quoted in an online article in SBNation, “Soccer’s ugly sexism is keeping women from coaching the beautiful game,” on reasons for the bias in hiring. Lavoi gave a presentation on women coaches in soccer at the 2017 NSCAA convention last January.

Kane quoted in Newsday article comparing women athletes to male athletes

June 27, 2017

A June 27 article in Newsday ,“Female athletes don’t have to beat men to be the best in their sport”, discusses tennis star John McEnroe comparing world-class talent Serena Williams with male players. He called her the greatest woman to play tennis, “but if she had to just play… the men’s circuit that would be an entirely different story.”

In the article, Mary Jo Kane, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology professor and co-director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, weighs in on the prevalence of comparing women athletes to male counterparts. “The broad issue is why can’t great female athletes simply be great without the constant comparison to men?” she says in the article. ““When North Carolina wins the NCAA Tournament, people don’t demand they go beat Cleveland or the Golden State Warriors. In boxing, you don’t ask the middleweight champion to beat the heavyweight.” When we compare men to women, she says, “it takes away from their greatness. They aren’t allowed to be great on their own.”

Kin PhD student Christiana Raymond is lead author on article published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

June 19, 2017

Christiana Raymond, M.S., doctoral student in the School of Kinesiology, is the lead author of an article published in the journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. The article, “Accuracy and reliability of assessing lateral compartmental leg composition using dual-energy X-ray absoprtiometry,” examined the accuracy and reliability of a novel dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning method in the frontal plane for total, fat, and lean mass quantification of the anterior and posterior upper leg compartments. The article was part of Ms. Raymond’s master’s thesis.

Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, Foster Bosch, B.S., and Tyler Bosch, Ph.D., graduates of the School of Kinesiology, are co-authors on this article.

Mary Jo Kane interviewed on MPR for the 45th anniversary of Title IX

June 19, 2017

Mary Jo Kane, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and co-director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport, will be interviewed by Minnesota Public Radio host Tom Weber on Thursday, June 22, at 11:00 a.m. on 91.1 FM.

Kane will be discussing the 45th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the social and cultural impact of the law, progress made in the last four decades, and areas of improvement still needed in the world of women’s sports.

Listen to the interview from June 22, 2017: 45 years of Title IX: what’s changed?

Lewis’s research cited in Reuters feature on benefits of exercise on postpartum depression

June 19, 2017

Beth Lewis, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology with a research focus on behavioral aspects of physical activity, was recently cited in a story published by Reuters. The Health News feature, titled “Exercise may stave off postpartum depression,” discussed an article recently published by researchers from Spain and Chile. Their findings align with Lewis’s research outcome that regular, low-intensity exercise has a positive effect on postpartum depression.

The study authors didn’t draw conclusions or provide recommendations about the type or length of exercise that would be most beneficial, but suggested that future studies should include more data about the types of physical activity programs that could reduce depression.

Lewis and her colleagues currently are conducting a randomized trial that analyzes home-based exercise and home-based wellness programs among 450 mothers with a history of depression. In another study, they’re analyzing exercise programs among low-income women at risk for postpartum depression.

“Exercise is often the first thing that gets crossed off the list when there’s a new baby,” Lewis said in the article. “It’s important to take care of yourself through exercise to keep that wellbeing high.”

The story also appeared on the English language media outlet, Channel NewsAsia, based in Singapore.

Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory researchers present at ACSM’s 64th Annual Meeting

June 19, 2017

Zan Gao, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory (PAEL), together with his doctoral students June Lee, Zachary Pope, and Nan Zeng, took part in the American College of Sport Medicine’s (ACSM) 64th Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, held May 30-June 3. At the conference, the lab members presented their research:

Gao, Z., Li, X.X., Zeng, N., Pope, Z., Yang, H.H., Liu, W.F., Xiong, H., Chen, Y.T., Li, J., & He, W. (2017, June). Accuracy of smartwatches in assessing college students’ energy expenditure in exercise with different intensities.

Lee, J., Pope, Z., Zeng, N., Zhang. Y., & Gao, Z. (2017, June). Associations among objectively-determined physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive function in preschool children.

Pope, Z., Zeng, N., & Gao, Z. (2017, June). Effects of mhealth apps on physical activity and weight loss outcomes: A meta-analysis.

Pope, Z., Zeng, N., Liao, N., Han, C.Y., & Gao, Z. (2017, June). Predicting biomarkers through affordable fitness band in Chinese breast cancer survivors.

Zeng, N., Li, X.X., Yang, H.M., Liu, W.F., Xiong, H., Chen, Y.T., & Gao, Z. (2017, June). The effects of different types of exercise on Chinese college students’ energy expenditure.

Zeng, N., Han, C.Y., Liao, N., & Gao, Z. (2017, June). Examining the relationships among Chinese breast cancer survivors’ psychosocial outcomes and physical fitness.

Weiss and legacy of students present research at NASPSPA

June 14, 2017

Maureen Weiss, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, and 12 graduate students spanning 30 years and three institutions, presented research studies and convened for an “academic family dinner” at the annual meeting of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) in San Diego held on June 3-7, 2017.

The photo shows Weiss with former and current students at the University of Oregon, University of Virginia, and University of Minnesota. Students from the University of Minnesota include Alison Phillips (Ph.D., 2015) and Lindsay Kipp (Ph.D., 2012) in the front row, and Nicole Bolter (Ph.D., 2010), Hailee Moehnke (current M.S. student), and Sarah Espinoza (current Ph.D. student) in the back row. Weiss was president of NASPSPA in 2005-2006 and just completed a 5-year term on the Executive Committee as Past-President’s Liaison.

Media microaggressions against female athletes, female athletes of color, show increase

June 13, 2017

An online article in Phys.org reveals that microaggressions against female athletes in the media increased by nearly 40 percent from the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

Female athletes have a history of experiencing microaggressions, such as racism, sexism, the belittling of athletic accomplishments and being the brunt of sexual jokes. Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Journalism also report that Cynthia Frisby, an associate professor of strategic communication at Mizzou, found evidence of increased microaggressions against female athletes of color compared to white athletes.

Lavoi interviewed on Way of Champions podcast

June 13, 2017

Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D., lecturer in the School of Kinesiology and co-director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport, is featured in a Way of Champions podcast, in which she discusses a variety of issues, including women in sport leadership, women in coaching, kids’ participation in sports, “background anger,” and the connection between winning at sports and character development. Listen here.

CEHD News Kinesiology

CEHD News Kinesiology