Dr. Michael Nelson, Kinesiology graduate (2014), is the lead author
on an article accepted for publication in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The article, “Repeatability of Respiratory Exchange Ratio Time Series Analysis, ” examines a new way to measure the variability in an individual’s metabolism during exercise. Dr. Nelson, who was advised by Dr. Donald Dengel, professor and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology in the School of Kinesiology, based the article on his doctoral dissertation research. George Biltz, M.D., Kinesiology research associate, and Dr. Dengel are co-authors on the article.
APAL to host visiting scholar from Turkey
Dr. Nurtekin Erkmen, Associate Professor of Physical Education and Sport at Selcuk University, Turkey, will join the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) as a Visiting Scholar for a 1-year term beginning June 2015.
Professor Erkmen will collaborate with APAL scholars on research relating perceptual-motor control to expertise in sport. His visit is funded through a competitive program of the Turkish government.
Stoffregen to publish in AIEDAM
Professor and director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL), Dr. Thomas Stoffregen, along with Dr. Bruno Mantel have had an article acceptedfor publication in Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing. While peer-reviewed, the article, “Exploratory movement and affordances in design,” was also an invited contribution to a special issue on “Affordances in Design.” The special issue is scheduled to be published this summer.
Dr. Mantel is an assistant professor (sport science) at the University of Caen, France.
KinTeach hosts students from Minneapolis Southwest High School
The KinTeach program hosted a group of students from Minneapolis Southwest High School on Thursday, February 26. The students are enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Sports and Exercise Science course at the school; they have spent the year studying aspects of kinesiology.
During their visit to the School of Kinesiology, graduate assistants Naveen Elangovan and Jessica Hoist-Wolf, along with post-doctoral research associate Josh Aman, introduced the students to research in the Center for Clinical Movement Science (CCMS). They also spent time in the Human and Sport Performance Lab (HSPL), where graduate assistant Morgan Betker took them through a VO2 test and explained the underwater weighing tube. Read more about testing services here.
Magnuson develops, instructs “GO Minnesota” Winter Sports Seminar
Dr. Magnuson, director of the Recreation,Park and Leisure Studies (RPLS) program, helped to develop and teach the first class of a unique short-term study abroad seminar January 2015. The course, Winter Sports: Education and 
Management, is a remarkable combination of experiential and classroom-based learning available to University of Minnesota International students.
The first class of the program, a group of Australian students, were able to enjoy this course offered through the GO Minnesota program in partnership with the University of Minnesota RPLS, The Center for Outdoor Adventure, Three Rivers Park District, and YMCA Camp Menogyn.
Ideal for individuals studying education, outdoor recreation, sport management, physical education, kinesiology, or tourism the three-week study abroad program based in the heart of Minnesota will allow students to appreciate the wintry weather through the development of outdoor leadership competencies, becoming well-versed in winter technical skills, engaging in a dog sled run, and learning how to scale a frozen ice wall.
Dr. Wiese-Bjornstal honored at Celebration of 50 years of Women’s Athletics
Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology associate professor in sport psychology, attended the Celebration of 50 years of Women’s Athletics at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. The event took place Saturday, February 14 and honored members of the inaugural women’s varsity sports teams at Luther College.
Dr. Wiese-Bjornstal was invited to attend as a member of the first women’s intercollegiate volleyball team at the college, which started in 1976. She also competed on the intercollegiate softball team.
CHINA CHAMPIONS program engages with Kinesiology students
On February 19, the China Champions attended the class KIN 5375: Competitive Sport for Children and Youth to discuss their development from child athletes to elite champions.
Sandy Wang, doctoral student in Sport Management, facilitated the session and provided translators for small group discussions between the athletes and students.
To foster an exchange of culture, education and sport, the University of Minnesota is hosting 10 Chinese Olympic and world champion athletes and one Olympic-level coach as part of the CHINA CHAMPIONS program (CCP).
For more information about the China Champions program, click here.
School of Kinesiology alumnus mentioned on Triathlete.com
Dr. Patrick Wilson (Ph.D., 2014) was mentioned in an article on Triathlete.com.
The article, “How Much Fluid are You Consuming During a Race?” cites Dr. Wilson’s research at the University of Minnesota in reference to a triathlete’s ability to judge their fluid needs during a race. According to him, such personal judgement can be unreliable, which can lead to risks like dehydration on race day. Read more here.
During his tenure at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Wilson was advised by Dr. Stacy Ingraham, lecturer in the School of Kinesiology and director of Human and Sport Performance Laboratory (HSPL). Dr. Wilson is now a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, working in the Nebraska Athletic Performance Lab.
Smith to present at International Ergonomics Association meeting
Thomas Smith, Ph.D., teaching specialist in kinesiology, has
had two papers accepted for presentation at the 19th Triennial Meeting 
of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) in Melbourne, Australia, August 9-14, 2015. The papers are: (1) Driver Distraction Is Greater with Cell Phone Conversation than with Passenger Conversation — A Social Cybernetic Interpretation (coauthored with Zhezi Yang, College of Design graduate student); and (2) A Philosophy of Ergonomics/Human Factors – A Broader Perspective.
Dr. Smith also is a member of the IEA K.U. Smith Student Award Committee (named in honor of his father, the first treasurer of the IEA), and will present the award to two students at the meeting.
Dengel publishes in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases
Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, is a co-author of an article to appear in the journal, Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. The article entitled “Supporting Public Health Priorities: Recommendations for Physical Education and Physical Activity Promotion in Schools” is a world-wide overview of key issues and challenges in the areas of physical education and physical activity in schools. The article also provides recommendations moving forward for promoting physical education and physical activity in school systems.
Gao publishes in obesity management journal
Assistant professor Zan Gao, Ph.D., and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL), served as a corresponding author for a recently published a paper in Obesity and Control: Open Access.
The paper “Examining Psychosocial Correlates of Adolescent Girls’ Physical Activity Levels“, inspected the relationships between several psychosocial constructs and physical activity levels in adolescent girls, as well as their differences across several ethnicities. The study found that adolescent girls’ self-efficacy appeared as the only predictor of their daily physical activity levels, and therefore interventions to enhance their self-efficacy should be considered.
The full citation is as follows:
Zhang, P., Xiang, P., Lodewyk, K., Sheng, H., & Gao, Z. (2015). Examining psychosocial correlates of adolescent girls’ physical activity levels. Obesity and Control: Open Access, 1(1), 105.
Stoffregen quoted in The Atlantic
Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) director and kinesiology professor Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., was interviewed in The Atlantic article, “The Mysterious Science of Motion Sickness,” on February 17, 2015. The article identifies new research that makes efforts to understand how come some people feel nauseous on cars, boats, buses, and even carnival rides, while others do not.
Dr. Stoffregen describes his theory as an explanation for motion sickness, which involves a dissonance in “the relationship between postural movement and postural outcome.” Furthermore, Stoffregen also inspects evidence that susceptibility to motion sickness, “sway” specifically, can be accounted for by gender difference.
APAL researchers to publish in Experimental Brain Research
A paper, “Coupling of postural activity with motion of a ship at sea” will be published in Experimental Brain Research. The project was led by researchers in the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL).
The research was conducted on board the M/V Explorer, as a part of the Semester at Sea program. The journey took participants from the Commonwealth of Dominica to Brazil.
Co-authors on the paper include Manuel Varlet, post-doctoral associate at the MARCS Institute in Australia and former doctoral student at EuroMov in Montepellier, France. EuroMov director Benoît G. Bardy, Ph.D., is also a co-author, along with doctoral student at the University of Sao Paulo, Cristina Alcantara.
Recent Ph.D. graduate from the School of Kinesiology Dr. Fu-Chen Chen, who was then-advised by Dr. Michael Wade, Ph.D., and Dr. Thomas A. Stoffregen, Ph.D., is a co-author. Chen is now an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. Stoffregen, APAL director, is also a co-author on the paper.
The full citation is as follows:
Varlet, M., Bardy, B. G., Chen, F.-C., Alcantara, C., & Stoffregen, T. A. (2015). Coupling of postural activity with motion of a ship at sea. Experimental Brain Research, in press.
Stoffregen presented at Illinois State University
Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) director and kinesiology professor Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D. presented a talk at Illinois State University’s colloquium, February 13, 2015. His talk was part of a series put on by Illinois State University’s Department of Psychology.
Entitled, “Exploratory movement in Affordance Perception, or, the Kinesiology of Epistemology,” his focus was on the concept of epistemology, and how recent empirical research reveals a possible connection between skilled movement and the pickup of information.
Read the abstract here.
Four articles accepted for publication from HSPL
Four articles have been accepted for publication in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research from the Human & Sport Performance Laboratory (HSPL).
Several authors of these studies are current and former graduate students advised or co-advised by School of Kinesiology faculty Dr. Ingraham, Dr. Lewis, and Dr. Synder. Current graduate students include M.S. students Zachary Rourk, Morgan Betker, and Matt Carlson, as well as Ph.D. candidates Chris Lundstrom and Greg Rhodes. Dr. Fitzgerald is a 2013 Ph.D. graduate from the School of Kinesiology.
- Carlson, M., Rourk, Z. & Ingraham, S. (2015). Youth Sport Specialization and Injury Status In Intercollegiate Sports. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
- Fitzgerald, J.S., Ingraham, S.J., Peterson, B. J., & Rhodes, G. (in press). Association Between Vitamin D Status and Maximal-Intensity Exercise Performance in Junior and Collegiate Hockey Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
- Betker, M.R., Lundstrom, C.J. & Ingraham, S.J. (in press). Plyometrics and Sprint Training versus Core Training on Power Outcomes in Novice Marathoners. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
- Lundstrom, C.J., Betker, M.R., Rhodes, G.S. & Ingraham, S.J. (in press). Competitive Marathon Runners Exhibit Greater Running Economy than Recreational Runners. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
Ingraham invited to present at MNPTA workshop
Dr. Stacy Ingraham, lecturer in the School of Kinesiology and director of Human and Sport Performance Laboratory (HSPL), has been petitioned to present an all day workshop for the Minnesota Physical Therapy Association. Entitled, “The Science of Sports Performance Collides With Today’s Athlete”, the workshop is scheduled to take place on November 21, 2015.
Stoffregen quoted in NOVA/PBS article
Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) director and kinesiology professor Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D. was quoted in NOVA/PBS article, “You May Be Born to Feel Carsick,” on February 3, 2015. The article explores the implications of the first ever genome-wide association study of motion sickness which gathered data from 80,000 participants.
Dr. Stoffregen provided insight from a motion sickness perspective explaining that people “get sick in all kinds of different situations,” thus creating difficulty in drawing broad conclusions from a self-reported online questionnaire that explicitly analyzed carsickness.
Two M.S. students to present at Experimental Biology
Alex Kasak and Alexander Bisch, both M.S. students advised by assistant professor Eric Snyder, Ph.D., will present posters at Experimental Biology in Boston this March.
Bisch’s poster is titled, “Influence of Circulating Catecholamines on Cardiovascular Function at Rest and During Exercise in Cystic Fibrosis,” while Kasak’s poster is, “Gas Exchange Estimate of Pulmonary Capacitance is Similar in Cystic Fibrosis Patients and Healthy Humans When Matched for Stroke Volume.”
Co-authors on both projects are Snyder, Sarah Baker and Courtney M. Wheatley, both postdoctoral fellows at the Mayo Clinic.
Inoue to publish cause-related sport sponsorship article
A paper led by assistant professor Yuhei Inoue, Ph.D., has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. The paper, “Roles of Sport and Cause Involvement in Determining Employees’ Beliefs about Cause-related Sport Sponsorship,” investigates how employees respond when their company sponsors a cause-related sport event. The results indicate that employees predominantly refer to their psychological connection with the sponsored cause, rather than the sponsored sport, in developing positive beliefs about their company’s cause-related sport sponsorship.
The full citation is as follows: Inoue, Y., Havard, C.T., & Irwin, R. L. (in press). Roles of sport and cause involvement in determining employees’ beliefs about cause-related sport sponsorship. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship.
Gao publishes in International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Assistant professor Zan Gao, Ph.D., and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL), published a paper in International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.
The paper, “Need Satisfaction, Motivation, and Engagement Among High Performance Young Athletes: A Multiple Mediation Analysis,” examined the effects of motivation articulated in self-determination theory and the relationship between athlete engagement and satisfaction. Findings highlight the importance of self-determining forms of motivation in mediating need satisfaction and engagement.
Click here to read more.