NFL Charities awarded the University of Minnesota a $100,000 medical research grant Tuesday, with two-thirds of the funds focused on investigating the effects of concussions. The university was one of 15 organizations awarded an NFL grant.
Dr. Donald Dengel, associate professor of kinesiology, will be leading the research team. He was interviewed by KARE 11 and the St. Paul Pioneer Press to discuss the recent financial contribution.
“The University always has a positive reaction to grants, but the NFL grant has a little mystique to it, ” Dengel said.
Dengel explained that the study will focus on MRI techniques used to detect concussions to get a better understanding about how people’s brains are affected by concussions. According to Dengel, currently an MRI works like a camera; his team want to make it work like a video camera to study blood vessels in the brain.
“We’ve spent three years researching our technique, and it’s exciting that they have the same philosophy and think our ideas could work,” Dengel said.
Learn more about this exciting study here.
LaVoi to facilitate Title IX discussion at Women’s Center
On Wednesday, September 12, Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi will facilitate the Women’s Center’s brown bag discussion on the importance and the legacy of Title IX. The discussion will take place in 310 Appleby Hall from 12-1 p.m. Cost is free. For more information, click here.
Rhodes places 69th out of 2,900 in Ironman
Greg Rhodes, Kinesiology Ph.D student in exercise physiology, competed against 2,900 other tireless athletes in the Madison, WI Ironman this past Sunday. Placing 69th overall, Rhodes swam 2.4 miles in 0:53.01, biked 112 miles in 5:15.55, and completed the 26.2 mile marathon in 3:53.1. His final time was 10:14.15, earning him 11th place in his age division.
Rhodes is advised by Dr. Stacy Ingraham, Kinesiology lecturer in exercise science.
On behalf of the School of Kinesiology, Congratulations!
Dengel and students publish article in Journal of Physical Activity and Health
Dr. Donald Dengel, Kinesiology associate professor of exercise physiology, has recently published an article in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health with a former honors student and current doctoral student Kara Marlatt.
Christopher Reiff, Kinesiology B.S. honors student who graduated summa cum laude in 2010, is the lead author. Kara Marlatt is a third-year doctoral student and advisee of Dr. Dengel.
The article citation is as follows:
Reiff CJ, Marlatt KL, Dengel DR: “Difference in caloric expenditure in sitting versus standing desks.” Journal of Physical Activity and Health 9, 1009-1011.
Konczak lab publishes in Experimental Brain Research
A research focus of the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory is to understand how the human brain combines sensory information about objects and how such information is transformed into motor commands that are used to manipulate such objects. Sarah Hirsiger, a former master’s student from Switzerland, and Kristen Pickett, now a postdoc at Washington University in St. Louis, investigated how simple cues for weight and size of an object are processed and how it affects hand motor control. The results are summarized in a new paper to appear in the journal of Experimental Brain Research. Ms. Hirsiger is the lead author and Jürgen Konczak is the senior author on the paper. Ms. Hirsiger is now a doctoral student at the Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center of the University of Zürich.
Lewis and advisee Bonikowske publish in Contemporary Clinical Trials
Dr. Beth Lewis, Kinesiology associate professor in the area of behavioral aspects of physical activity, recently published an article in Contemporary Clinical Trials.
Amanda Bonikowske, Kinesiology PhD student and advisee of Dr. Lewis, is a co-author on the article. The citation is as follows:
Lewis, B.A., Gjerdingen, D., Avery, M., Guo, H., Sirard, J., Bonikowske, A.R. & Marcus, B.H. (2012). Examination of a telephone-based exercise intervention for the prevention of postpartum depression: Design, methodology, and baseline data from The Healthy Mom Study. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 33, 1150-1158.
Stoffregen and colleagues will publish in PLoS ONE
Dr. Thomas Stoffregen, Kinesiology professor of human factors and ergonomics, recently had an article accepted for publication in PLoS ONE, the flagship journal of the Public Library of Science.
PLoS ONE publishes research in all areas of science, and has a journal impact factor of 4.4. The article is titled, “Pre-Bout Standing Body Sway Differs Between Adult Boxers Who Do and Do Not Report Post-Bout Motion Sickness”, by Yi-Chou Chen, Ting-Hsuan Hung, Tzu-Chiang Tseng, City C. Hsieh, Fu-Chen Chen, and Thomas A. Stoffregen. Yi-Chou Chen is a doctoral student working in the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory under Dr. Stoffregen’s supervision. Fu-Chen Chen, assistant professor at National Pingtung University (Taiwan), received his Ph.D. in Kinesiology in 2011 from the University of Minnesota, where he was jointly supervised by Kinesiology professor Dr. Michael Wade and Dr. Stoffregen.
Konczak and Italian colleagues to publish in the journal Brain
Dr. Juergen Konczak, School of Kinesiology professor of biomechanics and neuromotor control, with colleagues from the Italian Institute of Technology, will soon be publishing the results of an international collaboration in the journal Brain.
Brain is one of the world’s leading journals in neurology with an impact factor of 9.46. Dr. Konczak, lead author on the paper, investigated how Parkinson’s disease alters haptic perception and the underlying neural mechanisms of somatosensory and sensorimotor integration. Haptic perception refers to the ability to sense the shape and texture of objects by touch and without sight.
Although Parkinson’s disease is considered a movement disorder, Konczak’s research suggests that the disease accelerates age-related decline in haptic perception by altering somatosensory integration — a neural mechanism that combines sensory information from the many receptors of the skin and muscles. That is, perception as well as movement is affected by the disease.
Stoffregen and PhD graduates publish in Ecological Psychology
“Control of a virtual avatar influences postural activity and motion sickness,” by Yi-Chou Chen, Xiao Dong, Fu-Chen Chen, and Thomas A. Stoffregen, has been accepted for publication in Ecological Psychology.
Yi-Chou (Chris) Chen is a graduate student working under Dr. Stoffregen’s supervision in APAL. Fu-Chen (Kidd) Chen received his PhD (2011) in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota and is now an Assistant Professor at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan.
Physiotherapists from Polish university to visit Kinesiology in October
Dr. Juergen Konczak, movement science professor, will be hosting a group of physiotherapists from the University of Rzeszow, Poland, October 22-26. The group will be exploring the University’s program in clinical physiology and the Center for Clinical Movement Science. Plans are being made for a possible seminar during the physiotherapists’ visit that would be open to the public. Related announcements will appear on the Kinesiology Web site.
Spring PE 1262 Marathon Class slide show features all-stars
The spring 2012 course offering, PE 1262 Marathon Class, enrolled 87 students, each with the goal of completing the Eau Claire Marathon in Wisconsin. Every student who started the May 3 race finished. The group has released a YouTube slide show of their race experience.
One Marathon student was working on an important project last spring, but found time to compete in the race. That student was Prof. Roger Rusack, a U of M physicist who has worked for the last two decades on the search for the Higgs boson particle (nicknamed the “God particle”), whose potential discovery was announced in July. Dr. Rusack appears in several of the slides.
PE 1262 was taught by graduate assistant Christopher Lundstrom and Dr. Stacy Ingraham, lecturer in exercise physiology.
Gao appointed as Section Editor for Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science
Dr. Zan Gao, assistant professor of kinesiology, was recently appointed Section Editor for Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science. The journal, published by Taylor & Francis, Inc., is a valuable resource for users of quality measurement information in the fields of physical education and exercise science.
Chen authors article published in Chinese-language newspaper, United Daily News
Yi-Chou (Chris) Chen, Kinesiology PhD student in movement science, recently authored an article published in the United Daily News, a major Chinese-language newspaper. His article, “After the London Olympics, don’t put all your budget into one packet: develop diverse strategies on sports and PA promotion,” discusses sports and physical education policy recommendations for Taiwan, following the close of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Chen is advised by Prof. Tom Stoffregen.
Coach Sobalvarro leads USA women’s fencing team to first epee medal in Olympic history
Roberto Sobalvarro, University of Minnesota PE Fencing instructor and head coach for USA Women’s Epee, celebrated an Olympic win at the London 2012 games on August 4. Earning the first USA medal in epee since 1932, Sobalvarro’s team reached its goal with a bronze medal win over Russia in overtime with a score of 31-30.
“We’ve been together for a long time and that was huge for us,” said Coach Roberto Sobalvarro. “You know, the last two years we’ve quietly been doing better than almost everybody else and we have done everything I’ve always said we could do and now we really have done everything I knew we could do. It’s always been all about the team.”
Below: Sobalvarro and fencers Courtney Hurley, Susie Scanlan, and Maya Lawrence celebrate their win. (Photo: Hannah Johnston/Getty Images Europe.)
Click here to view the full article.
Konczak is co-investigator on research grant with Italian Institute of Technology
Dr. Juergen Konczak, professor of kinesiology, is co-investigator on an interdisciplinary research grant with the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). Dr. Konczak will be working with two researchers from IIT, principal investigators Valentina Squeri and Marianna Semprini, on the project, “Robotic Rehabilitation for Brain Injured Patients Based on Multimodal, Bidirectional Feedback.”
The grant award, close to $160,000 (131,840 euros) supports researcher exchange and equipment for the co-investigator. A doctoral student and a postdoc will spend several months in Konczak’s Human Sensorimotor Motor Control lab for training, and members of HSMC will travel to IIT. The start date is January, 2013. Congratulations, Dr. Konczak, on this interdisciplinary, international collaboration.
Kane quoted in Star Tribune on Olympic athletes as “eye candy”
Dr. Mary Jo Kane, professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Tucker Center, was quoted in a Star Tribune article titled, “Aye-aye to Olympics eye candy.”
On the difference of appreciating Olympic figures to sexualizing them, Kane stated, “If it’s a means of celebrating their bodies, it’s fine. For the athletes, it’s having a public venue to expose their very well-crafted and hard-earned bodies. Sports is ultimately about the body and what you can do with your body to achieve success.”
Kin undergraduate Rebecca Gusmer publishes as lead author in Techniques for Track & Field and Cross Country
Rebecca Gusmer, Kinesiology undergraduate studying Clinical Movement Science, recently had an article published in Techniques for Track & Field and Cross Country as lead author. She was also featured on the cover (photo: Gusmer, 342).
Dr. Donald Dengel, Kinesiology associate professor of exercise science, is currently working with Gusmer on a UROP grant. “Rebecca did the majority of work on the article, with some editing and writing support from me. She is just a wonderful individual. She represents the very best of student athletes, and I’m very proud of her,” he said.
The article citation is as follows:
Gusmer RJ, Dengel DR. “Iron: The missing nutritional link to performance.” Techniques for Track & Field and Cross Country, 6(1):8-16, 2012.
LaVoi interviewed on KARE-11 about Missy Franklin’s path to gold
U.S. Olympian gold medal winner Missy Franklin doesn’t fit the mold of most Olympic athletes who live and breathe their craft 24/7, year in and year out. Franklin, a high school junior from Colorado who won the women’s 100-meter backstroke competition, leads a balanced lifestyle that makes room for typical teenage fun along with serious training. Nicole LaVoi, associate director for the Tucker Center, commented on this unusual Olympian in a July 31 KARE-11 interview.
“Missy Franklin is living proof that there are many pathways to elite performance,” said Dr. LaVoi. “I think the biggest lesson we can learn…is that sports should be fun.”
Go here for the full story and interview.
McCue, Marlatt, Sirard and Dengel manuscript accepted for publication in Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice
Authors Meghan McCue, Kara Marlatt, J. Sirard, and Kinesiology associate professor of exercise physiology, Dr. Donald Dengel, recently had a manuscript accepted for publication.
Their contribution, “Examination of changes in youth diet and physical activity over the summer vacation period,” is to be published in the Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice.
Graduate students Meghan McCue and Kara Marlatt are currently advisees of Dr. Donald Dengel.
LA Times, Charlotte Observer quote Kane on Muslim Olympian sportswomen
Dr. Mary Jo Kane, professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Tucker Center, is quoted on the female Muslim athletes competing in the Summer Olympics in London in a piece in the Charlotte Observer titled, “Female Muslim athletes are pioneers for progress” and in the Los Angeles Times in an article titled, “London Olympics: Women from three Muslim countries are pioneers.”
“Female Muslim athletes are pioneers for progress.” Kane said. “It [progress] is a very slow process, but one of the things sport teaches us as human beings is perseverance.”