Konczak publishes paper in Transactions on Neural Systems & Rehabilitation Engineering

October 24, 2016

In collaboration with coworkers from the Italian Institute of Technology and Columbia University, Juergen Konczak, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Lab, published a paper entitled “Biofeedback Signals for Robotic Rehabilitation: Assessment of Wrist Muscle Activation Patterns in Healthy Humans” in Transactions on Neural Systems & Rehabilitation Engineering. Marianna Semprini is the first author and Konczak is the senior author.

An excerpt from the abstract: “Electrophysiological recordings from human muscles can serve as control signals for robotic rehabilitation devices. Given that many diseases affecting the human sensorimotor system are associated with abnormal patterns of muscle activation, such biofeedback can optimize human-robot interaction and ultimately enhance motor recovery. To understand how mechanical constraints and forces imposed by a robot affect muscle synergies, we mapped the muscle activity of 7 major arm muscles in healthy individuals performing goal-directed discrete wrist movements constrained by a wrist robot.”

Richardson invited by Institute on the Environment to serve as IonE Educator for 2016-17

October 24, 2016

Tiffany Richardson, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology lecturer in Sport Management, has accepted an invitation by the Faculty Leadership Council (FLC) of the U of M’s Institute on the Environment (IonE) to serve as an IonE Educator for the academic year 2016-2017.

As an IonE Educator, Richardson will be involved in a year-long project on sustainability with the Institute and will be invited to give a lecture on an education and sustainability topic sometime this year.

In inviting Richardson to be an IonE Educator, Jessica J. Hellman, director of the Institute, wrote: “The FLC and I are extremely impressed with the work that you do and the plans you have set forth to incorporate sustainability into curriculum. Over the course of the next year and beyond, I know that the IonE will be enriched by your involvement in the IonE Educators program.”

LaVoi to speak at LA84 Youth Sports Summit

October 21, 2016

Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D., faculty in the School of Kinesiology and co-director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport will speak on a panel at the 5th Annual Youth Sports Summit held by the LA84 Foundation. The summit will take place at the JW Marriott L.A. Live in Los Angeles on October 27, 2016.

This year’s event is themed Playing Forward: The Present and Future of Youth Sports and will serve as a platform to highlight the LA84 Foundation’s commitment to leveling the playing field for all children, while reinforcing the importance of youth sports in the minds of policy makers and the public.

Kim presents at conference in South Korea

October 20, 2016

Young Ho Kim, a doctoral student in the field of sport management advised by Dr. Lisa Kihl, gave a presentation at the 54th Korean Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Congress held in South Korea. The title of his presentation was “Characteristics of Sport Corruption and the Difference of the Interpretation on Types of Sport Corruption.”

The presentation discussed the fundamental frame and types of sport corruption, and it analyzed how the types of sport corruption could be interpreted and eventually normalized based on the fundamental frame.

Stoffregen co-authors article in Experimental Brain Research

October 20, 2016

The research study “Dynamic perception of dynamic affordances: Walking on a ship at sea”, co-authored by Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., director of the School of Kinesiology’s Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL), has been accepted for publication in Experimental Brain Research.

The other co-authors are:

Hannah Walter, APAL grad student
Dr. Jeffrey Wagman, Illinois State University
Dr. Nick Stergiou, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Dr. Nurtekin Erkmen, Selcuk University, Turkey (APAL visiting scholar, 2016-17)

The data were collected aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson in January 2016 after the researchers had endured 48 hours of hurricane conditions. The video below shows hurricane force winds in the Pacific Northwest, January 12, 2016, as seen from the main deck starboard portal of a US scientific research vessel transiting from Seattle to San Diego.

Gao and students publish two papers in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health

October 20, 2016

Zan Gao, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and Director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab, recently published two papers with his students in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health.

The first paper, “Effect of SPARK on students’ physical activity, motivation and cardiovascular fitness in physical education” examines the effect of a 9-week SPARK program on physical activity, cardiorespiratory endurance (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run), and motivation in middle-school students. The researchers found that, following the intervention, SPARK displayed greater increases on physical activity and motivation measures in younger students compared with the Traditional program. The first author, You Fu, is Dr. Gao’s previous PhD student and currently Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada at Reno.

The second paper, “Young children’s energy expenditure and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on weekdays and weekends” was funded by NIH with June Lee serving as the first author. This study explores children’s estimated energy expenditure rates and time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in three-time segments: at-school, after-school, and weekends. It was found that children’s energy expenditure rate and minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day were higher during after school and weekends than at school. Yet, children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during weekdays and weekends still fell far short of the recommended level of 60 minutes/day.

2016-17 China Champions arrive at the University of Minnesota

October 17, 2016

The School of Kinesiology welcomes this year’s China Champions, the third cohort of Chinese world-class athletes to experience a year of study at the University of Minnesota. This year’s students include three speed skaters, a weightlifter, an ice dancer, a sailor, a bicyclist and a taekwondo coach. Most of the athletes have completed their competitive careers and now work in the China Sport Administration or are coaches.

During the year, the China Champions will attend specially designed courses in the School of Kinesiology, including academic seminars, workshops, and classes in English as a Learned Language. Athletes will also visit Minnesota cultural sites and become familiar with the Twin Cities. The China Champions are available to visit classes around the U and share their personal experiences in training and achieving elite world championship status in their sport.

The University of Minnesota hosts the annual China Champions Program (CCP) to foster an exchange of culture, education and sport. Led by the School of Kinesiology in collaboration with Beijing Sport University and supported by the China Scholarship Council, CCP is a unique, global collaboration that provides mutual benefits for Chinese athletes and University faculty, staff and students.

China Champions hosted by the School of Kinesiology at a welcome dinner at the Tea House restaurant.

Reception in Minneapolis for the General Consulate of China, where the China Champions were recognized.

Stoffregen featured in article on VR and motion sickness in women in online pub Inverse

October 17, 2016

Tom Stoffregen, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, was interviewed for an article in the online publication Inverse on the issue of virtual reality systems (VR) causing motion sickness, which appears to affect women in disproportionate numbers.

In the article,”Playstation VR Has a Short Woman Problem,” Stoffregen says: “I don’t think that this design is intentional, but it just so happens that the design of these systems push the instability buttons on some sorts of bodies. They tend to affect shorter bodies with a lower center of mass. That is to say, females.”

He goes on to say that the issue could create future legal problems for the industry. Read the full article here.

Kihl quoted on therapeutic use exemptions in online publication Vocativ

October 17, 2016

Associate professor Lisa A. Kihl, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology, was quoted in a published article in the online publication Vocativ, titled “Hacking The System: The Debate Over Athletes Getting PED Hall Passes.” The article reports on a series of Internet hacks by the Fancy Bears team of hackers that has raised questions about the legitimacy of therapeutic use exemptions in sport. Read the full article here.

Ji, Hoffman to present at AORE Summit Series

October 13, 2016

Mitch Hoffman

Li Li Ji, Ph.D., director of the School of Kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science (LPHES), and Mitch Hoffman, RecWell director of the Center for Outdoor Adventure, will be co-presenting at the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) 2016 Summit Series with Jeannette Stawski, Executive Director of AORE. Their presentation topic is “AORE’s Advocacy Abroad: Meeting the Needs of the Asian Culture” and it will take place Wednesday, Nov. 9 in Minneapolis, MN.

AORE is an organization dedicated to providing opportunities for professionals and students in the field of outdoor recreation and education to exchange information, promote the preservation and conservation of the natural environment, and address issues common to college, university, community, military, and other not-for- profit outdoor recreation and education programs. Supporting the 2016 conference theme, “Innovate. Collaborate. Recreate.”, the two day series is designed to first take an “inward-facing” look at program growth and innovation touching upon opportunities to build and solidify partnerships on campus that result in broadening the student experience. Day two will feature “outward-facing” issues that impact our programs where they intersect with external stakeholders.

View the full Summit Series schedule here.

HSC lab and partners publish in PLOS ONE

October 13, 2016

Anna Cuppone, a doctoral researcher at the Italian Institute of Technology is the first author on a publication. The research for this publication was conducted during her visiting year in the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL). The article “Robot-Assisted Proprioceptive Training with Added Vibro-Tactile Feedback Enhances Somatosensory and Motor Performance” is published in PLOS ONE.

This study examined the trainability of the proprioceptive sense and explored the relationship between proprioception and motor learning, using the wristbot developed by HSCL director Juergen Konczak, Ph.D. and collegues from Italy and Singapore.

Gao, Lee, and Pope have study published in Games for Health Journal

October 11, 2016

Director of the School of Kinesiology’s Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, Zan Gao, Ph.D., and doctoral students/co-authors June Lee and Zachary Pope, had a recent study published in Games for Health Journal.

The study investigated the effect of school-based active video games on underserved minority children’s on-task classroom behavior, academic effort, and cardiovascular fitness over the course of a 6-week intervention. Findings indicated children’s on-task classroom behavior and academic effort to increase significantly over time. However, while improvements in cardiovascular fitness were seen over time, these improvements were not significant. Nonetheless, findings indicated that a school-based active video gaming program may be able to promote improved classroom behavior and academic effort–possibly by decreasing children’s self-stimulated behavior following gameplay. Read the full article here.

Kinesiology students present research at Association of Applied Sport Psychology annual conference

October 5, 2016

The School of Kinesiology was well represented at the 2016 annual conference for the Association of Applied Sport Psychology held Sept 28-Oct 1 in Phoenix. AZ.

Ph.D. student Kristin Wood presented a talk on “Increasing Rehabilitation Adherence through Game-based Technology” and Ph.D. candidate Andrew White presented a portion of his dissertation research on reducing poor sportsmanship and injury rates in youth football. Kristin and Andrew are members of the Sports Medicine Psychology Lab and are advised by Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., professor of sport and exercise psychology.

Lauren Billing, Ph.D. student, presented “Understanding pre-performance routines in marathon runners: Focus groups on task-relevant thoughts” with adviser Beth Lewis, Ph.D., and Hailee Moehnke, M.S. student advised by Maureen Weiss, Ph.D.

CEHD Vision 2020 blog features Barr-Anderson’s yoga study

September 30, 2016

Daheia Barr-Anderson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology, has a featured post in the CEHD Vision 2020 blog. Barr-Anderson’s post, “Unlocking the Health Benefits of Yoga for African American Women,” explains her engagement in yoga-based wellness interventions and her passion for removing participation barriers, especially for African American women facing obesity.

Leon to present at Endangered Neuron Conference

September 29, 2016

Arthur Leon, M.D., School of Kinesiology professor, will present a featured lecture at the Endangered Neuron Conference to be held at the American Swedish Institute on October 2, 2016. His presentation will be about the “Role of Lifestyle in Attenuating Cognitive Decline and Risk of Dementia with Aging”.

Stoffregen co-authors piece in Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied

September 28, 2016

“Passive restraint can reduce visually induced motion sickness in older adults,” by Behrang Keshavarz, Alison Novak, Lawrence Hettinger, Jennifer Campos and Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Experimental Pyschology: Applied.

Dr. Keshavarz, Ms. Novak, and Ms. Campos are from the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and Dr. Hettinger is a Principal Researcher at the Liberty Mutual Institute for Safety. Professor Stoffregen is the director of the School of Kinesiology’s Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL).

Magnuson to present at Internationalizing the Curriculum and Campus Conference

September 27, 2016

Connie Magnuson, Ph.D., director of the School of Kinesiology’s Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies program, will present her poster Global Connectedness: Our Actions Matter at a conference on September 30, 2016 at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs on the U of M campus.

Internationalizing the Curriculum and Campus Conference: Preparing Global-Ready Students will showcase current programs, research, and initiatives to internationalize the curriculum and campus at the University of Minnesota. The conference is free and open to all University of Minnesota staff, faculty, and students.

In her presentation, Magnuson will underscore these points about internationalization: “Whether we are diving in Belize, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro or surfing in Panama, a constant theme in all of these learning abroad courses is: how we choose to live, the resources we use and the actions we take, have a global impact. Students become immersed in the environment and the culture of these international locations and gain first hand knowledge of how interconnected we really are on this planet and what it means to be a global citizen.”

Wade appointed to Dept. Veteran Affairs’ Scientific Merit Review Board

September 20, 2016

Michael Wade, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, has been appointed to the Scientific Merit Review Board of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for a 4-year term. Dr. Wade will serve on the Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease Study section.

The board gives advice and evaluation of research grants that are supported by VA research funds.

Thul receives grant for intergenerational physical activity program

September 16, 2016

A project titled “Impact of an East African Mother-Daughter Physical Activity Program and Co-Designed Activewear” received a $75,000 University of Minnesota Extension FY 2016-2018 Block Grant. The project is led by:

Chelsey Thul, Ph.D., Lecturer in the School of Kinesiology
Elizabeth Bye, Ph.D., Professor and Department Head of the Apparel Design Program in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota
Jennifer Weber, Behavior Specialist and Volunteer Coordinator/Athletic Director at the Cedar-Riverside Community School
Mary Marczak, Director of Urban Family Development and Evaluation at University of Minnesota Extension

The project aims to engage 10-15 urban, East African mother-daughter (in 2nd-5th grade) pairs in a two-year intergenerational physical activity program. The goal of the program is to increase physical activity opportunities through physical activity and healthy living education, practice and the co-design of culturally sensitive activewear. The study extends Bye, LaVoi, Thul & Hussein’s 2013-2015 culturally sensitive activewear co-design project with East African adolescent girls, which resulted in the design of a general physical activity garment and the first-ever sport uniform for adolescent Muslim girls in the U.S., to a wider range of girls and their mothers.

PAEL appears on ISBNPA’s Meet Your Neighbor column

September 16, 2016

The International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) recently featured a video to its “Meet Your Neighbor” media column showcasing the Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory (PAEL), directed by Zan Gao, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Kinesiology. The video highlights some of the outreach done by PAEL, including the development of exergaming laboratories in local schools.

ISBNPA has an international presence with nearly 900 members representing 40 countries (numbers from May 2016). Its mission is to stimulate, promote and advocate innovative research and policy in the area of behavioral nutrition and physical activity toward the betterment of human health worldwide.

CEHD News Kinesiology

CEHD News Kinesiology