Ji, LPHES lab members presenting at ACSM

May 31, 2016

This week at the American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Boston, Li Li Ji, PhD, Kinesiology professor and director, and director of the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science (LPHES), will be making the following presentations with lab members:

Protection of Avenanthramides On TNFα-induced Muscle Cell Atrophy Via NFκB Inhibition (Dongwook Yeo, Kinesiology doctoral student, Chounghun Kang, postdoctoral associate, and Li Li Ji)

Anti-inflammatory Effect of Avenanthramides Via Nf-κB Pathways in C2c12 Skeletal Muscle Cells (Kang, Woo Shik Shin, graduate student, Yeo, and Ji)

PAEL, Gao presenting several studies at ACSM Annual Meeting

May 31, 2016

Zan Gao, Ph.D., Kinesiology associate professor and director of the Physical Activity and Epidemiology Laboratory (PAEL), and members of his lab will be presenting at the American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting and Exercise is Medicine World Congress held jointly in Boston, MA, this week through June 4. PAEL’s papers accepted for presentation and School of Kinesiology presenters are:

At ACSM:

Trajectory changes of children’s energy expenditure and physical activity: The effect of physical activity regiment. (Gao and June Lee, Kinesiology doctoral candidate)
Dynamic relationship among elementary school children’s psychosocial beliefs, outside school physical activity and screen time. (Gao and Lee)
Effects of exergaming on college students’ energy expenditure, physical activity and enjoyment. (Zachary Pope, Kinesiology doctoral student, Lee, X. Li, visiting scholar, and Gao)
College students’ situational motivation, energy expenditure, and blood pressure in exergaming and treadmill walking (Nan Zeng, visiting doctoral student, Pope, Lee, Li, and Gao)

At Exercise Is Medicine World Congress:

A meta-analysis of effects of exergaming on individuals’ rehabilitation. (Pope, Zeng, and Gao )

Magnuson interviewed for Staycations article

May 31, 2016

Connie Magnuson, Ph.D., director of the Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies program was interviewed for WalletHub’s article 2016’s Best & Worst Cities for Staycations. She was part of a panel of experts who responded to the pros and cons of taking a staycation. On why families should choose a staycation, she states: “Vacations and staycations are all about creating memories and enjoying life. You can make that happen anywhere.”

Read the full article here.

Barr-Anderson to present at ACSM Annual Meeting

May 27, 2016

Assistant professor Daheia Barr-Anderson, Ph.D., will participate in a symposium session at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. Barr-Anderson will present with other experts in a session titled, “Stressed Out? . . . Get Moving.” She will discuss addressing chronic stress through physical activity interventions and their implementation.

Stoffregen mentioned in ReliefBand product review

May 26, 2016

Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology professor and director of the APAL lab, was mentioned in a product review for ReliefBand Motion Sickness Device on the website, The Truth About Cars. In the article, his research is summarized as follows: “Stoffregen says that humans get nauseated (grammar note: nauseous is an adjective) because they have not yet learned how to maintain a stable posture in the new environment.” Read the story here.

Clinical Exercise Physiology Lab members to present at ACSM Annual Meeting

May 26, 2016

Six members of the School of Kinesiology will be representing the Clinical Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in Boston, MA.

Graduate assistant Eli Kelley and lecturer Chris Lundstrom, Ph.D., will both be giving talks, with Eli presenting on how genetic variation of the beta-2 adrenergic receptor can influence muscular strength in healthy subjects and Dr. Lundstrom presenting on the effects of marathon training on substrate utilization in runners.

Graduate student researchers Erin McGuirk, Hanan Zavala, Emma Lee, and Kate Uithoven will all be presenting research findings at various poster sessions. Erin will be presenting data exploring the effect of gender on substrate utilization and how differences in substrate utilization influence pacing strategies in marathon runners, and Hanan will be presenting findings that demonstrate that non-invasive estimates of pulmonary vascular function are not accurate in patients with cystic fibrosis during exercise. In addition, Emma will be discussing recent findings that demonstrate variables involved in sustained muscular efficiency in patients with cystic fibrosis, and Kate will be presenting data that compares stimulation of the lungs with a drug compared to exercise and the resulting lung fluid changes.

The students are mentored by CEPL director and assistant professor Eric Snyder, Ph.D.

Delegation from Colombia visits School of Kinesiology

May 25, 2016

On Tuesday, May 24, six delegation members from Colombia visited the School of Kinesiology, where they met with Chelsey Thul, Ph.D., due to her expertise in community-based research. The visit was organized by the U.S. Department of State.

The delegation included:

Mr. Antonio Maria, Manager, Colombian School of Physical Educators
Mr. Juan Manuel, Sports Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Pedro Jose, Sports Secretary, Quibdo Major’s Office
Mr. Juan Carlos, Deputy Director General, Administrative Department of Sports, Recreation, Physical Activity and Use of Leisure Time, Coldeportes
Mr. Fernando Enrique, Legal Representative, Ave Fenix Foundation
Ms. Adriana Natali, Programmatic Coordinator, Sport Power 2 Project

Dengel quoted in Huffington Post

May 24, 2016

Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology (LIHP) was recently quoted in The Huffington Post on why it is important to change up your workout routines.

Dengel said, “Any form of activity is good activity … but speciality is not the best way to work our bodies. Variety is what we want.”

Read the full article here.

Gao named President-elect for International Chinese Society for Physical Activities and Health

May 24, 2016

Zan Gao, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL), has recently been elected as President-elect for the International Chinese Society for Physical Activities and Health (ICSPAH). The society is a non-profit professional organization serving hundreds of scholars and graduate students from North America, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macaw and Taiwan.

The mission of this society is to facilitate professional growth and development among its members and to promote healthy, physically active lifestyles through strengthening research and education in international communities.

Gao will serve the organization for the next three years, as President-elect, President, and immediate past-President respectively. During his term, Gao will pursue the creation of a new interactive website for ICSPAH, as well as the establishment of a professional journal affiliated with the society. In addition, he intends to continue to expand the membership through other venues such as the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting. He also plans to enhance the members’ engagement through improved communication and social networks within the society, and to focus on the development of early career scholars and graduate students in the field of physical activity and health.

Kinesiology alum Yawen Yu awarded fellowship by Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia

May 23, 2016

Yawen Yu, Kinesiology Ph.D. (2011), recently was awarded a 2-year fellowship by Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia to study “Vestibular function and contribution in children with cerebral palsy.” Dr. Yu’s advisor was Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., professor and director of the School of Kinesiology’s Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory.

Leon receives 2016 Honor Award from American College of Sports Medicine

May 19, 2016

Arthur Leon, M.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, has been selected by the American College of Sports Medicine as a 2016 Honors Award recipient. This award is granted to an individual with a distinguished career of outstanding scientific and scholarly contributions to sports medicine and/or the exercise sciences.

Dr. Leon received his B.S. from the University of Florida (1952) and an M.S. (1954) and an M.D. (1957) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1973, Leon joined the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science (LPHES) at the University of Minnesota, where his research resulted in over 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. Today Dr. Leon is internationally recognized for his research on the role of physical activity in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and for advancing the understanding of the role of genetic and non-genetic factors in the variability of responsiveness to exercise training.

“Arthur S. Leon, M.D., M.S., one of the ‘World’s Top Cardiologists’ and a ‘giant’ in the fields of exercise science and cardiovascular medicine, is most deserving of the 2016 ACSM Honor Award,” said Wayne State University professor and ACSM past president Barry Franklin. “His primary research focus, the role of exercise, diet and lipids in the primary and secondary prevention of coronary disease, has culminated in ~300 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including several seminal papers. He has served as the PI on 5 major, multi-year NIH grants and PI or Co-PI on dozens of additional grants.”

Currently Leon is the Henry L. Taylor Professor of Exercise Science in the School of Kinesiology, where his continued commitment to research and teaching serves as a model and motivation for both students and colleagues.

Dr. Leon will be honored at the ACSM’s Annual Meeting Awards Banquet on June 3 in Boston, MA.

International patent filed for robotic rehabilitation device

May 19, 2016

Professor Jürgen Konczak, PhD, director of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory, together with colleagues from the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia and Nanyang Technological University of Singapore has been named inventor for an international patent application that was filed by the University and its international partners in Italy and Singapore. The patent concerns a robotic device intended for the physical rehabilitation of wrist and hand function. Clinical trials to show the efficacy of the device are currently conducted here at the University of Minnesota and two rehabilitation hospitals in Italy.

HSCL to test elite baseball pitchers for Visyn Inc.

May 19, 2016

baseball-97898_640 The Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory led by professor Juergen Konczak, PhD recently received a contract from Visyn to record the pitching motion from elite baseball pitchers. The company produces digital movement skill learning software and will use the biomechanical data to produce scientifically sound animations of “best practice” elite pitches. The participants (i.e., the pitchers) will receive relevant cues and coaching tips that are based on objective movement data.

This project is partially supported by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Weiss to receive Distinguished Scholar Award from the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity

May 18, 2016

Maureen Weiss, Ph.D., professor of Kinesiology, will be recognized with the Distinguished Scholar Award from the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) at its annual conference in Montreal, June 15-18. The award is the most prestigious that the Society offers and recognizes outstanding long-term contributions and excellence in research that has made a significant impact on scholarly knowledge in the psychological sciences. In the 50-year tenure of the Society, only 22 individuals have been recognized with the Distinguished Scholar Award.

Weiss’ research has consistently focused on the psychological, social, and physical development of children and adolescents through participation in sport and physical activity, with particular interests in self-perceptions, motivation, moral development, and social relationships. Weiss has published over 140 journal articles and book chapters in her areas of expertise and has edited or co-edited 4 books on youth sport and physical activity, including Worldwide Trends in Youth Sport (1996) and Developmental Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Lifespan Perspective (2004).

The North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity is a multidisciplinary association of scholars from the behavioral sciences and related professions. The Society functions to: (1) develop and advance the scientific study of human behavior when individuals are engaged in sport and physical activity, (2) facilitate the dissemination of information, and (3) improve the quality of research and teaching in the psychology of sport, motor development, and motor learning and control.

School faculty & staff participate in technology-driven professional development program

May 17, 2016

Gao, "Flipped Classroom" — Gao, “Flipped Classroom”

A group of School of Kinesiology faculty and students presented their projects at the Kickstart Open Lab, an incentivized, project-based approach to eLearning exploration, adoption, and implementation. The goal of this program is to provide sustained, year-long training and support opportunities for faculty, staff, and graduate assistant as they kickstart a particular technology-enhanced education project.

The members of the third cohort and their projects are as follows:

Zan Gao (Assistant professor), Flipping the Classroom: Research Methods in Kinesiology
Alyssa Maples (Academic advisor), Flipped Advising
Connie Magnuson (Senior lecturer & director, Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies program), Incorporating Digital Tools: Pinterest & VoiceThread
Caroline Heffernan (Sport management doctoral student), Adding Engagement to Ethics & Values in Sport curriculum
Kinesiology staff (Beth Bayley, Jonathan Sweet, Tricia Davies, Silke Moeller, Carol Nielsen, Linda Estrem, Miriam Deroode, and Nina Wang), Process mapping

An archive of previous Kickstart Open Lab projects is available here.

Second annual PE Talks will stream live this Wednesday, May 18

May 16, 2016

The second annu

al PE Talks presented by the School of Kinesiology’s Physical Education/Health licensure program will be held Wednesday, May 18, at 6 p.m. in the Burton Hall Atrium. Graduate students will present a 5-minute “Ted Talk style” presentation about education and physical activity. The event will be streamed live beginning at 5:45 p.m. and comments and questions can be sent through Twitter #PEtalks. Go to PEtalks.umn.edu for more information and to link to the live event.

Dengel co-author on article published in Techniques Magazine

May 16, 2016

Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology in the School of Kinesiology, is co-author of an article published in the May 2016 issue of Techniques Magazine, published by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The article entitled “Body Composition: Methods and importance for performance and health” examined body composition of track and field athletes in the various disciplines. Olivia Dengel, an undergraduate student at the College of Saint Benedict, was also a co-author on the paper.

APAL research to be featured in Experimental Brain Research

May 11, 2016

Two articles by Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) researchers will be featured in Experimental Brain Research. In 2014, the impact factor for EBR was 2.036.

The first article, “Postural sway in men and women during nauseogenic motion of the illuminated environment,” is authored by Frank C. Koslucher, Justin Munafo, and professor and APAL director Thomas A. Stoffregen, PhD.

The second article, “The distance of visual targets affects the spatial magnitude and multifractal scaling of standing body sway in younger and older adults,” was written by Munafo, Christopher Curry, professor Michael G. Wade, PhD, and Dr. Stoffregen.

Continue reading “APAL research to be featured in Experimental Brain Research”

APAL undergraduate student researcher to graduate with Latin honors

May 6, 2016

Meg Diedrick, an undergraduate student researcher in the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL), is graduating summa cum laude with a BA in biology. As a University Honors Program, she conducted original research, which was supported by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROP), for her honors project on postural sway in relation to sex differences in motion sickness in the APAL, under the direct supervision of Professor Thomas Stoffregen.

Pope’s research featured as main story within The Graduate School’s Synthesist

May 5, 2016

Zachary Pope, Ph.D. student in the School of Kinesiology and graduate assistant within the Physical Activity Ep idemiology Laboratory, recently had his ongoing grant-funded research highlighted by the University of Minnesota Graduate School with his research featured as the main story within The Graduate School’s Synthesist on May 3rd. The article talks not only of Pope’s ongoing research, but also addresses what research means to him and what drives him to make an impact through the work he is doing.

The article and a fuller description of Pope’s research can be found here: http://www.grad.umn.edu/news/pope.

CEHD News Kinesiology

CEHD News Kinesiology