CEHD News Kinesiology

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CEHD News Kinesiology

Magnuson recommends, “start adventuring young,” in Men’s Health article

April 28, 2014

children-hikingIn an interview with Men’s Health, Connie Magnuson, Ph.D., director of recreation, park and leisure studies in the School of Kinesiology, offered many tips on how to start bringing children on adventures from a young age. From hiking to riding river rapids, Magnuson suggests starting young, picking the difficulty appropriate for the child’s age and ability, and encouraging children along the way.

The article, titled “7 Adventures to Do With Your Kids – Safely,” features seven activities to do with your children and offers both easy and more difficult options.

 

Dengel serves as co-investigator on Veterans Affairs Grant

April 25, 2014

Donald Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology,  and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology is a co-investigator on a grant funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The 3-year grant titled, “Development of Adaptive Prosthetic Ankle-Foot Systems,” will develop a new energy efficient prosthetic ankle-foot system.

Dengel co-authors article on risk of abdominal fat in children

April 25, 2014

Donald Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology,  and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology,  is a co-author of an article published in, Clinical Obesity. The article titled, “The Relative Contributions of the Abdominal Visceral and Subcutaneous Fat Depots to Cardiometabolic Risk in Youth,” examined the effects of abdominal fat in children on the development of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors.

Lead author of this article is Dr. Aaron Kelly, School of Kinesiology alum (Ph.D., ’04).

KIN alum publishes article from UROP research

April 25, 2014

Rebecca Gusmer,  School of Kinesiology alum (B.S., ’12) and current U of M physical therapy student, is the lead author of an article published in the journal, Open Sports Medicine Journal. The article titled, “Comparison of FitBit® Ultra to ActiGraphTM GT1M for assessment of physical activity in young adults during treadmill walking, ” examined the accuracy of the FitBit Ultra to assess physical activity and calories consumed. The research for this article was part of  Gusmer’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Project (UROP).

Co-authors on this article include: Donald R. Dengel, professor of kinesiology,  and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology,  and School of Kinesiology graduate students, Tyler Bosch, Joe Ostrem, and Ashley Watkins.

Magnuson receives President’s Award for Outstanding Service

April 22, 2014

Connie Magnuson, Ph.D., director of the Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies program, MagnusonC-2012is a recipient of the 2014 President’s Award for Outstanding Service. This highly prestigious award is presented each spring and recognizes exceptional service to the University, its schools, colleges, departments, and service units by an active or retired faculty or staff member. Recipients of this award have gone far beyond their regular duties and demonstrated an unusual commitment to the University community.

In the award letter, President Kaler writes, “Your excellence is a model for your colleagues and co-workers to emulate. True to the mission of this great land-grant institution, you have done more than your share to make the University of Minnesota one of the preeminent institutions in the nation.”

Magnuson has directed the Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies program since 2006 and founded the all-University Gopher Adventure Race. This past January, she led a group of students to Tanzania and to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro as part of her course, REC 4301.

The School of Kinesiology has had one other recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Service. Faculty member and former director Prof. Mary Jo Kane received the award in 2006.

Healthy Mom Research Program sponsors and organizes team for Daisy Dash 5K

April 21, 2014

The Healthy Mom Research Program, led by Dr. Beth Lewis, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, is a proud sponsor of the Daisy race6530-logo.bs6999Dash 5K. All proceeds of the 5K benefit Pregnancy & Postpartum Support Minnesota (PPSM), an organization that provides emotional support and resources to women and families who are dealing with mental health concerns during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

In addition to sponsoring the race, Healthy Mom is currently organizing a 5K race team. The race is on Sunday May 18, at 10:30 A.M., in Lakeville, MN. Individuals who register as part of the “U of M Healthy Mom Program” corporate team receive a 10% discount on race fees. You can register for the team here, using the discount code “UMN KIN.”

Check out the Daisy Dash 5K Flyer or contact Amanda Williams at: will3956@umn.edu for further questions.

Freshman seminar addresses global sport issues

April 17, 2014

Dr. Jo Ann Buysse, senior lecturer in the School of Kinesiology, leads the freshman seminar, Sport Culture in Italy (KIN/SMGT 1905).  This course is designed to introduce students to global sport issues from a sociological point of view and to broaden their knowledge of global perspectives in sport with a specific emphasis on sport in Italy. A major part of the course  includes a trip Italy to visit sport and cultural sites and apply course topics. The trip took place over the University of Minnesota’s Spring Break.

Students with Trevor Mbakwe
Students with Trevor Mbakwe in Rome

During the trip, Dr. Buysse and her students met up with former Gopher basketball player, Trevor Mbakwe who now plays for the Italian professional basketball team, Virtus Roma. Mbakwe graduated from the School of Kinesiology in December 2011 with a degree in Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies.

Stoffregen featured on “Science in the Wild” Podcast

April 17, 2014

Professor of kinesiology StoffregenT-2013-thumb-200x240-167170and director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) Dr. Thomas A. Stoffregen recently was the sole guest on two episodes of the podcast, Science in the Wild.  In one episode, Stoffregen discussed wearable technology and the scientific implications for the Facebook-Oculus partnership, while in the second podcast, he discussed careers prospects in research laboratories.

 

 

Kinesiology research spurs an unlikely collaboration between horses and humans

April 11, 2014

PHOTO_JuergenKonczak_WideRecently, University of Minnesota Leatherdale Equine Center and the School of Kinesiology’s Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL) have combined forces to study what is known as shivers in horses. Shivers is a neuromuscular equine disease that hinders horses ability to lift their heir legs and walk backwards.  The collaboration occurred after equine researcher Stephanie Valberg, D.V.M., heard Dr. Juergen Konczak, director of HSCL, speak on motor control. Valberg contacted Konczak to collaborate on understanding the loss of motor control in horses and possible connections to the brain.

Humans and horses share many genetically similar disorders, and the shivers seen in horses mirrors symptoms of ataxia in humans. The research from the equine study will be used to treat ataxia in humans and work toward slowing down the negative effects of ataxia, a condition that often causes poor coordination, loss of balance, and difficulty swallowing.

Learn more about the research here.

Gao organizes research symposium and presents at AAHPERD

April 9, 2014

GaoZ-prefDr. Zan Gao, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL), organized a research symposium titled, “Impact of School-based Physical Activity Programs on Children’s Health,” at the 2014 American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) National Convention & Expo in Charlotte, NC.  The purpose of this symposium was to investigate the effects of different school-based physical activity programs on children’s health outcomes, such as energy expenditure and self-esteem.

Gao presented papers, delivered a first-author oral presentation, and co-presented five projects with his colleagues, graduate students, and former advisee.

Continue reading “Gao organizes research symposium and presents at AAHPERD”

School of Kinesiology to be well-represented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference

April 4, 2014

logoA number of faculty and graduate students from the School of Kinesiology will travel to Orlando, FL., this May to display publications and presentations at the American College of Sports Medicine 2014 annual meeting.

The following publications have been accepted:

  • Tholen, J.T., Wilson, P.B., Rhodes, G., & Ingraham, S.J. (2014). Associations between pre-race diet and gi distress in competitive triathletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
  • Russell, H., Rhodes, G., Ingraham, S.J., & Wiese-Bjornstal, D. (2014). Psychological predictors of physiological changes in novice marathon runners. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
  • Rhodes, G.S., Wilson, P.B. & Ingraham, S.J. (2014). Pre-race dietary tendencies do not predict race performance during a half-Ironman distance triathlon. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
  • Wilson, P.B., Rhodes, G.S. & Ingraham, S.J. (2014). The validity of self-reported fluid intake during the run of a Half-Ironman. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Lundstrom, C.J., Ingraham, S. J., & Rhodes, G.S. (2014).

Additionally, doctoral students Chris Lundstrom and Patrick Wilson will be presenting at the Northland American College of Sports Medicine on March 26.

  • Lundstrom, C.J., Ingraham, S. J., & Rhodes, G.S. (2014). Allometric Scaling of VO2MAX in Models of Performance for College Aged Recreational Runners. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
  • Wilson, P.B., Rhodes, G.S. & Ingraham, S.J. (2014). The validity of self-reported fluid intake during the run of a Half-Ironman. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

Patrick Wilson, Chris Lundstrom, Greg Rhodes,  and Jillian Tholen are advised by Dr. Stacy Ingraham, senior lecturer in the School Kinesiology, & Dr. Eric Synder, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology. Hayley Russell is advised by Dr. Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate professor of kinesiology.

Healthy Mom research published by Lewis and colleagues

April 3, 2014

Lewis-Beth-2012Dr. Beth Lewis, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, recently published an article in Mental Health & Physical Activity.

The article is titled “A randomized trial examining a physical activity intervention for the prevention of postpartum depression: The healthy mom trial” and focuses on  the efficacy of a physical activity intervention for the prevention of postpartum depression.

Dengel keynotes at Minnesota Technical Symposium

April 1, 2014

Donald Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology,  and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology gave the keynote presentation at the Minnesota Technical Symposium annual meeting. The event had multiple technical and scientific organizations from the area come together at Medtronic Headquarters on March 27. Dengel’s presentation was titled, “New Ideas on Diagnostic Testing For Traumatic Brain Injury.”

Motion sickness expert comments on Facebook acquisiton of Oculus

March 27, 2014

Professor of kinesiology StoffregenT-2013-thumb-200x240-167170and director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) Dr. Thomas A. Stoffregen was a guest on NPR’s Marketplace this week, commenting on Facebook’s purchase of virtual reality company, Oculus, for $2 billion.

Stoffregen’s expertise on motion sickness was highlighted as virtual environments have been known to cause dizziness, nausea, vertigo, and disorientation.

Smith elected Chair of the Dakota County Extension Committee

March 27, 2014

SmithT-2013 Thomas Smith, Ph.D., lecturer in the School of Kinesiology, has been elected Chair of the Dakota County Extension Committee.

The Extension Committee provides practical education and research you can trust, to help people, businesses and communities solve problems, develop skills and build a better future. Smith’s position provides oversight for University of Minnesota Extension programs in Dakota County, namely 4H Youth Development Organization, Ag Water Quality education, and Financial Empowerment education.

Dengel and Marlatt co-author article on vascular function in children and adolescents

March 26, 2014

Donald Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology,  and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology and kinesiology doctoral student Kara Marlatt, M.S., are co-authors of an article to be published in the journal Atherosclerosis. The article, “Younger age is associated with lower reactive hyperemic index but not lower flow-mediated dilation among children and adolescents,” examines two different measures to measure vascular function in children and adolescents.

Lead author of this article is Dr. Aaron Kelly, a graduate of the School of Kinesiology (Ph.D., ’04) and an associate professor of pediatrics and medicine at the U of MN.

Gao publishes article on youth fitness and physical activity

March 21, 2014

GaoZ-prefDr. Zan Gao, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL), recently co-authored, “Influence of Health-Related Physical Fitness Model on students’ physical activity, perceived competence, and enjoyment.”  The article  was published in, Perceptual and Motor Skills, and explored the effects of a health-related physical fitness physical education model on students’ physical activity, perceived competence, and enjoyment.

Lead author, You Fu, is a Ph.D., candidate at University of Utah, assistant professor at University of Nebraska – Kearney, and current advisee of Dr. Gao. 

Dengel co-authors two articles

March 20, 2014

Dr. Donald Dengel, professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology (LIHP), is a co-author in two different journal articles.  The first article is titled, “Carotid intima-media thickness is increased in patients with treated mucopolysaccharidoses types I and II, and correlates with arterial stiffness,” and was published in, Journal of Molecular Genetics and Metabolism. The article examined the effects of the genetic disease Mucopolysaccharidoses on the health of the carotid artery.

The second article Dengel co-authored was titled, “Bone mineral deficits in recipients of hematopoietic cell transplantation: the impact of young age at transplant,” and was published in, Journal Bone Marrow Transplantation. The article examined the effects of bone marrow transplant on bone health in cancer survivors.

Nelson, Biltz, and Dengel publish article in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

March 20, 2014

Michael Nelson, Ph.D., a recent doctoral graduate from the School of Kinesiology is the lead author of an article published in, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. The article titled, “Cardiovascular and ride time-to-exhaustion effects of an energy drink,” examined the effects of energy drinks on cycling performance.

George Biltz, M.D., professor of kinesiology, and Donald Dengel, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology (LIHP) are co-authors on this article.