Kinesiology movement science professor Michael G. Wade has been recognized by the North American Society of the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) with the 2012 Distinguished Scholar Award. The award is designed to “recognize outstanding long-term contributions in the research areas represented within NASPSPA,” and in particular Dr. Wade’s “outstanding scientific contributions to the area of motor control and learning.” Dr. Wade was presented with the $1,000 award at the association’s annual conference in Honolulu, HI, June 7-9.
Azizah Jor’dan awarded post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard
Azizah Jor’dan, PhD candidate, has been awarded a post-doctoral fellowship in the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Translational Research in Aging Training Program. Ms. Jor’dan will receive two years of funding as an NRSA Research Fellow and will work with research faculty at Harvard Medical School in the area of aging.
Dr. Michael Wade, professor of movement science in Kinesiology is Ms. Jor’dan’s adviser. She will defend her dissertation this spring and begin her post-doc next fall. Her dissertation is titled “Assessment of Movement Skills and Perceptual Judgment in Older Adults.” She is minoring in Gerontology. Congratulations, Ms. Jor’dan!
LaVoi Blogs from Abroad, Reflects on Physical Activity in China
School of Kinesiology lecturer and Tucker Center associate director Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi recently wrote a commentary on her personal blog about her experiences while in China for the Grand Opening of the American Cultural Center for Sport. Her insights on physical activity and obsesity can be found here.
Ross quoted in Star Tribune article on Minnesota sports fans
Dr. Stephen Ross, director of Kinesiology undergraduate programs and associate professor of sport management, was quoted in a StarTribune piece, “Rand: The Power of One of Us.” Ross discusses the attachment that individuals have to local sport stars, and the bandwagon nature of Minnesotans. To read more, go to: http://www.startribune.com/sports/142712285.html
Ben Peterson, Kinesiology PhD student, co-authors ebook
Mr. Ben Peterson, Kinesiology Ph.D. student in exercise physiology, is first author on an ebook that has recently been released: http://store.xlathlete.com/product-p/triphasictraining.htm
Triphasic training is designed to break down dynamic, athletic movements into three components (eccentric, isometric, and concentric), which improves performance and allows athletes to continuously develop strength, speed, and power. In this book, the authors demonstrate how to incorporate the Triphasic methods into existing strength and conditioning programs. Over 3,000 exercises are included with specific performance instructions. Mr. Peterson co-authored the book with Cal Dietz, head Olympic strength and conditioning coach for numerous sports at the U of M since 2000. The complete citation is below.
Peterson, B. & Dietz, C. (2012). Triphasic Training; A Systematic Approach to Elite Speed and Explosive Strength Performance. ISBN: 978-0-9851743-0-9
Mr. Peterson is advised by Dr. Stacy Ingraham and Dr. Arthur Leon.
Kinesiology professor Dr. Jürgen Konczak in the news
Dr. Juergen Konczak, Kinesiology professor of biomechanics, has had a busy and productive academic year. Here are some of the highlights:
In February, Dr. Konczak participated in a national NIH Taskforce on Childhood Motor Disorders. The meeting took place at the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, MD. Nearly 50 national and international experts convened for two days to make concrete recommendations toward identifying new technologies and methods for improving the diagnosis and quantification of motor disorders in children.
Dr. Konczak has been invited to contribute to a special issue of Frontiers in Neuroscience on Autism: The Movement Perspective. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are portrayed as cognitive and social disorders. The issue will focus on evidence indicating that profound movement and sensory differences exist in ASD that can be characterized in a way that is conducive with new behavioral treatments, an advantage over observational inventories.
In a collaboration with colleagues at the Italian Institute of Technology, Dr. Konczak published a project in Journal of Neurophysiology that investigates how haptic information from the two hands is shared across the hemispheres of the brain when exploring an single object. Results indicate that the brain does not combine the information from both hands, but rather selects either the left and right hand information in order to make judgments about the property of an object. For more information, visit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22031771
Stoffregen featured in Semester at Sea promotional video
Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., Kinesiology professor, is featured in a recent Semester at Sea video. In January, Stoffregen led an international team of researchers conducting the first-ever studies of how novices adapt body movement to life at sea. The experiments were conducted on the Semester at Sea’s M/V Explorer, cruising from the Bahamas to Brazil.
Sea Legs from Semester at Sea on Vimeo.
Weiss and Kipp publish on youth motivation and participation in physical activity
Maureen Weiss, professor of Kinesiology, and Lindsay Kipp, Kinesiology doctoral candidate, published a chapter in the prestigious Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation, edited by noted theorist Richard Ryan. The authors conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on social influence (parents, peers, coaches/teachers) and developmental outcomes of physical activity motivation and participation. The chapter is part of a large-scale project by Oxford University Press to publish a synthetic library covering topics that span the entire field of psychology. The library will comprise handbooks that summarize and synthesize a topic, define the current scholarship, and set the agenda for future research. The full reference for the publication is: Weiss, M.R., Amorose, A.J., & Kipp, L.E. (2012). Youth motivation and participation in sport and physical activity. In R.M. Ryan (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation (pp. 520-553). New York: Oxford University Press.
LaVoi discusses Ricky Rubio in FSN piece
Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D., lecturer and associate director of the Tucker Center, was mentioned in a FoxSportsNorth article on the dichotomy between Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio’s competitive court presence and his laid-back off-the-court persona. A selection from the article, by Joan Niesen, appears below:
LaVoi said Rubio’s ability to switch between a laid-back manner and the competitive intensity he displays on the court should not be considered a facet of his personality. Rather, she said, the young point guard most likely possesses keen mental and psychological skills.
“Regardless of how he is off the court, what we find from top performers is that they can switch into a performer identity, by getting into the zone, being at an optimal arousal level,” LaVoi said.
Leon publishes with current and former graduate students
Dr. Arthur Leon, Kinesiology professor of exercise physiology, announces three book chapters published with current and former graduate students.
Arthur Leon and Scott Brown published “Physiological adaptation to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise,” in Barbara Ainsworth and C.A. Macera, editors, Physical Activity and Public Health Practice, CRC Press, 2012. Arthur Leon and Ulf Bronas published “Cholesterol, Dyslipidemia, and Lifestyle,” and “Hypertension: Role of Lifestyle in Etiology, Prevention, and Management,” in J.M. Rippe, editor, Encyclopedia of Lifestyle Medicine and Health, Volumes 1-2, Sage Publishing, 2012
Current PhD candidate Scott Brown has previously served as Dr. Leon’s teaching assistant. Ulf Bronas was a PhD advisee of Dr. Leon, and graduated in 2007.
Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies is a top field for future workforce
Many of the University of Minnesota’s fastest-growing academic disciplines fall into industries predicted to thrive. The School of Kinesiology’s popular Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies undergraduate program, directed by Dr. Connie Magnuson, was highlighted in this category yesterday by the Minnesota Daily in the article “Top U fields have a future in the workforce.”
Along with biological sciences and construction trades, recreation and fitness studies saw the highest percentage growth in graduates within the past decade. This is promising news for Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies undergraduate students Brittany Turnis and Tyler Joing, who are featured in the story.
“This major puts you out there and gets you connected to people who can help you in the future or maybe get you a job,” Turnis said.
Read the full article here.
Ji and LaVoi to visit Tianjin University of Sport; LaVoi to give keynote
Dr. Nicole LaVoi, Kinesiology lecturer in sport sociology, and School of Kinesiology Director Li Li Ji will be traveling with a U of M delegation to Tianjin, China, this month to celebrate the US-China Center for Sports Culture Exchange at Tianjin University of Sport. Also included in the delegation is Robert Jones, senior vice president, and Joan Brzezinski, director of the China Center. Dr. LaVoi will deliver a keynote titled, “The Evolution of American College Sport & the Role of Females,” at the inaugural celebration and opening ceremonies.
PhD students present at Midwest Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium
Kinesiology Ph.D. students Reed Steele and Hayley Russell, sport and exercise psychology, presented at the 22nd Annual Midwest Sport and Exercise Psychology Symposium at Michigan State University on February 17 and 18. Steele presented a research proposal titled ” A history of life stressors and sport injury: The role of perfectionism.” Steele and Russell co-presented a research proposal titled “Acute and chronic sport injury narratives among runners,” a project co-authored by other Sport Medicine Psychology Laboratory members, Prof. Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ayanna Franklin, and Shelby Hoppis. Steele, Russell, Franklin, and Hoppis are all advisees of Prof. Wiese-Bjornstal.
Wiese-Bjornstal co-authors chapter in Athletic Training textbook
Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate professor in sport and exercise psychology, co-authored a chapter in the just published Human Kinetics book, Core Concepts in Athletic Training and Therapy.
The chapter, “Psychological aspects of sport injury and rehabilitation”, was created in collaboration with Laura Kenow, current School of Kinesiology doctoral student and Coordinator of the Athletic Training Education Program at Linfield College in Oregon, and Frances Flint of York University, Ontario. The chapter will be used in athletic training education programs, and covers the psychological knowledge base required for certification exams.
Kane appointed as co-chair to lead search for new athletics director
Dr. Mary Jo Kane, director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and Kinesiology professor of sport sociology, was appointed by President Eric Kaler to co-lead the search for the University’s new director of athletics to replace Joel Maturi, who is retiring June 30.
Kane will co-chair both the search advisory committee and a smaller search subcommittee with Tim Mulcahy, U of M vice president for research. “I’m honored and deeply humbled that President Kaler has the confidence and trust in me to help lead a critical search for the University of Minnesota,” said Dr. Kane. “I am fortunate to be working with Vice President Tim Mulcahy, whose judgment related to leadership skills and characteristics is unsurpassed.”
Stoffregen publishes on brain study about video game motion sickness
“Postural activity and motion sickness during video game play in children and adults,” by Chih-Hui Chang, Wu-Wen Pan, Li-Ya Tseng, and Professor Thomas A. Stoffregen, has been published in Experimental Brain Research. Stoffregen is the director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology. Professor Chang received her Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, where her supervisor was Professor Michael Wade.
Weiss gives research colloquium at Miami U-Ohio
Maureen Weiss, professor of Kinesiology, gave a University-wide research colloquium sponsored by the Center for Human Development, Learning, and Technology and the Departments of Kinesiology and Psychology at Miami University of Ohio. The title of her research talk was, Youth Development in Physical Activity Contexts: Promoting social, psychological, and physical assets. The annual colloquium is designed to bring in outside scholars in areas that cut across faculty and student research interests in Kinesiology, Psychology, and Child Development to enhance knowledge of cutting-edge research and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue.
Maturi will join Sport Management faculty in fall 2012
Joel Maturi, retiring Gopher athletics director, will join Kinesiology as a faculty member in Sport Management beginning in fall 2012. Maturi, who has led Gopher athletics for the past 10 years, has been a regular guest lecturer in Sport Management courses each semester during his tenure as athletics director, which ends on June 30. “I’m thrilled at the opportunity to be teaching in the School of Kinesiology,” says Maturi. “I’ve always been an educator at heart, and being a guest lecturer in Kinesiology all these years has made me realize that being in the classroom, working with students, and helping design courses will be one of my great rewards in retirement.”
As athletic director at the U of M, Maturi oversaw the difficult merger of the men’s and women’s athletic departments, the fund raising and construction of TCF Bank Stadium, and men’s and women’s hockey and wrestling national championship titles. During Maturi’s tenure, the Gopher athletics budget was balanced for 10 consecutive years after facing a projected $31 million deficit at the time he was hired. Under his leadership, Golden Gopher athletes have won more than 40 Big Ten or WCHA championships.
The School’s director, Dr. Li Li Ji, feels that Maturi’s 40 years of experience in sports and his national stature and reputation will give students a unique classroom experience. “Joel brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our school,” he says. “He’s an educator and role model of the highest caliber, and we’re fortunate to have him on our faculty.”
Kane to present at Florida International University’s Honors Lecture
Dr. Mary Jo Kane, Director of the Tucker Center and professor of sport sociology, was recently invited to present at Florida International University’s Honors College Excellence Lecture.
Kane’s lecture is titled, “Media Representations of Female Athletes: The Good, the Bad & the Sexy,” a discussion of why sportswomen are routinely portrayed in the media by their femininity and sexuality rather than their on-court talents and the negative consequences from this representation.
The lecture will be given on Thursday, March 1, at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus in the School of International and Public Affairs building (SIPA).
Buysse receives CEHD P&A Professional Development Award
Dr. Jo Ann Buysse, Kinesiology lecturer in sport and exercise psychology, has won a Professional Development Award from the College of Education and Human Development. She has been accepted to attend the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 5th World Conference on Women and Sport in LA February 16-18, and will be using the award for this purpose.