In another spinoff from the extensive publicity generated by the TPT/Tucker Center documentary, “Concussions and Female Athletes,” Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Kinesiology associate professor in sport and exercise psychology and Tucker Center affiliated scholar, was interviewed on WCCO Radio last Friday. She appeared live on the HINESight show with John Hines (Steve Thomson filled in for Hines). Listen to her interview at this link:
https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=b6ccf089b5&view=att&th=13318d1a65efcd10&attid=0.1&disp=safe&zw Steve
UMNews Multimedia features interview with LaVoi, Wiese-Bjornstal
The growing incidence of concussions and female athletes was the topic of a UMNews Multimedia feature, with an interview with Nicole LaVoi, associate director of the Tucker Center, and Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate professor in Kinesiology. Listen to the conversation here:
http://www1.umn.edu/news/multimedia/2011/UR_CONTENT_359850.html
MinnPost runs article on Tucker Center/TPT concussion documentary
Nicole LaVoi, associate director of the Tucker Center and lecturer in Kinesiology, was interviewed for an article on female athletes and concussions that appeared in MinnPost on Friday, October 14.
Read the article at MinnPost.
Wade comments on driving during deer season
Michael Wade, professor of movement science in Kinesiology, was quoted in a story on NewsWorks, a news site supported by WHYY radio in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania has the fourth-highest rate of collisions between deer and cars in the nation, and as the mating season for deer approaches the chances of accidents are higher. Drivers are encouraged to watch for deer-crossing signs, and Prof. Wade has conducted research on drivers’ attention to roadside signs. Read the article here:
http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/health-science/item/28281-mating-season-means-deer-apt-to-dart-into-traffic
Weiss presents at University of Winnipeg
Maureen Weiss, professor of Kinesiology in the psychology of physical activity, presented a keynote as part of The Cal Botterill Lecture at the University of Winnipeg on October 12. Her presentation was titled, “Promoting Positive Youth Development through Sport and Physical Activity.”
Students, staff and faculty team up for 2nd annual Gopher Adventure Race
Gopher Adventure racers learned just how large the U of M Twin Cities campus is last Friday at the second annual Gopher Adventure Race (GAR). Starting and ending at Northrop Plaza, the teams traveled the East Bank, West Bank, and St. Paul campuses, solving clues and performing physical and mental feats to compete for the coveted winner’s medal. Second-year medical students Tracey Powell and Beth Tacl finished first, completing the race in 4 hours 16 minutes.
The race was organized by a team of students and volunteers led by Dr. Connie Magnuson, director of the Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies B.S. program in the School of Kinesiology. In the photos, President Kaler stopped by before the race to pose with staff, and Jennifer Bhalla and Nicole LaVoi, faculty team from Kinesiology, flex for the camera. (Congratulations to Bhalla and LaVoi, who came in first in the Faculty division.)
KARE-11 covered the GAR:
http://www.kare11.com/news/article/941662/14/Teams-race-around-U-of-M-
LaVoi featured in Star Tribune column on Lynx’s championship
Star Tribune sports columnist Rachel Blount devoted her October 11 column to the Minnesota Lynx’s WNBA championship and its impact on women’s sports. Nicole LaVoi, lecturer and associate director of the Tucker Center, was interviewed on the key reasons why the Lynx were the best sports news in the Twin Cities this fall. “People who hadn’t been exposed to the game got drawn in because the team was so good,” LaVoi observed. “That is a really positive thing for the Lynx and for women’s sports in general.”
Read Blount’s column at http://www.startribune.com/sports/lynx/131492038.html.
Weiss appointed to board of directors of Girls on the Run International
Maureen Weiss, professor of Kinesiology in the psychology of physical activity, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Girls on the Run International, based on her significant contributions to girls and women in sport and physical activity through research, publications, and professional and community service.
Girls on the Run International (GOTRI) is a positive youth development program that uses physical activity as a vehicle for promoting psychosocial and physical health and well-being among pre-teen and adolescent girls, and is committed to a mission of “preparing girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.” GOTRI delivers the Girls on the Run program for girls in grades 3-5 and the Girls on Track program for girls in grades 6-8, totaling 186 sites in 45 states and serving one million girls in 2011. GOTRI programs accomplish their mission and goals by combining physical activity and training for a 3.1 mile (5K) running event with a life skills curriculum featuring developmentally appropriate and female-relevant health issues such as body image, self-esteem, eating behaviors, and social relationships.
M.Ed student Tiffany Hoffmann featured on CEHD Web site
Tiffany Hoffmann, School of Kinesiology master’s student, is featured this week on the CEHD Web site.
For the past two years, Hoffmann has served as intramural program assistant for the Department of Recreational Sports. In that role she oversees all intramural sports for the University.
Hoffmann is pursuing a master’s of education in applied kinesiology with an emphasis in sport management.
View the full story here.
Scibora discusses nutrition on MyTalk 107.1
Dr. Lesley Scibora, School of Kinesiology postdoctoral associate, appeared as a special guest live on the MyTalk 107.1 Dishing Up Nutrition show. Dishing Up Nutrition is a weekly radio show that discusses practical, real-life solutions for healthier living through good nutrition. She discussed with host Darlene Kvist the importance of nutrition and physical activity for preserving bone health from childhood into adulthood. Dr. Scibora’s research has focused on the effect of weight loss surgery on bone strength, and she is interested in understanding how lifestyle modifications, including physical activity and diet, can improve bone outcomes following weight loss.
Wade serves on NSF, VA funding review panels
Michael G. Wade, Kinesiology professor in movement science, served on the NSF Science and Technology review panel to evaluate new applications for funding at NSF headquarters in Arlington,VA, September 26-28. The panel reviews pre-proposals for 5-year Center grants of $25 million in Science & Technology. In early August, Prof. Wade also served on the Veterans Administration’s Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease review panel for VA research funding.
Wiese-Bjornstal interviewed for CNN story on concussion injuries
Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Kinesiology professor in sport and exercise psychology, was interviewed by CNN for a story on female athletes and concussion that appeared on the CNN Web site today. Prof. Wiese-Bjornstal comments on the high expectations placed on young athletes and references the upcoming documentary on female athletes and concussion that is being aired by TPT-Channel 2 on Sunday, October 18, at 8 p.m. Read the CNN story here: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/10/04/cnnheroes.sports.injuries/index.html
Kihl to present at Play the Game international conference
School of Kinesiology associate professor, Dr. Lisa Kihl, will be presenting at “Play the Game 2011: Bringing change to the heart of sport.” The international conference will be held in Cologne, Germany, from October 3-6.
Dr. Kihl will be presenting research on athletes as effective agents of social change in her paper titled, “Developing athletes’ civic agency: An exploratory study.”
Female athletes and concussions explored in ground-breaking documentary by Tucker Center, TPT
In collaboration with the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) Channel 2 has produced a ground-breaking one-hour documentary on the untold story of female athletes and concussion injuries airing Sunday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m.
Concussions and their devastating consequences affect athletes in all sports and at all levels. However, while sport-related concussion has ignited a national conversation and public debate about this serious brain injury, the majority of attention has focused on male athletes. Critical issues–and unanswered questions–surrounding the impact of concussion on female athletes have been largely ignored. Are females as or even more susceptible to concussion than males? Are female athletes less likely to report a concussion when compared to their male counterparts?
Through the personal stories and experiences of coaches, athletes, and their families, as well as in-depth interviews with nationally recognized scholars and medical experts, this documentary examines the causes underlying concussion and offers practical solutions to help prevent and treat sports-related concussion injuries in female athletes.
“This amazing partnership with TPT allows us to fulfill the core mission of the Tucker Center–to engage in research that truly makes a difference in the lives of girls and women, their families, and communities,” says Tucker Center Director and Professor Mary Jo Kane. “We are also deeply committed to educational endeavors and community outreach that provide knowledge to a vast audience. In the case of serious brain injuries such as concussion, this first-of-a-kind documentary can quite literally save lives.”
In a unique arrangement, TPT has granted the Tucker Center rights to distribute the documentary as an educational tool to a broad constituency, including high school and college coaches, along with scholars, educators, policymakers and the general public. “Having the ability to widely disseminate the video will potentially make a difference and impact those who need the information the most,” said Nicole M. LaVoi, associate director of the Tucker Center.
Former U of M president Robert Bruininks, who appears in the documentary, states that, “Sport-related concussion is a much more serious issue than we thought just a few years ago. There is no better place than the Tucker Center and the U of M to have a serious conversation about the implications of this injury on the long-term health of girls and women who participate in exercise and sport.”
Nine doctoral students attend National Academy of Kinesiology conference
Nine Kinesiology doctoral students embraced an opportunity to attend the opening evening events of the National Academy of Kinesiology conference held in Minneapolis on Thursday, September 15. Students heard keynote speaker Dr. Richard Troiano from NIH speak on grant funding opportunities for Kinesiology researchers, and afterward they enjoyed a social reception with top scholars in the field. Based on the students’ enthusiasm and feedback, it was an invaluable and rare opportunity to interact with the iconic leaders in the field of Kinesiology. The students who attended were (clockwise from top): Lindsay Kipp, Alison Phillips, Emily Houghton, Julia Dutove, Amanda Williams, Eric Statt, Frank Koslucher, Jessica Holst, and Tony Mayo.
The dual purpose of the National Academy of Kinesiology is to encourage and promote the study and educational applications of the art and science of human movement and physical activity, and to honor by election to its membership persons who have contributed significantly to the study and application of the art and science of human movement and physical activity. All senior faculty in the School of Kinesiology are elected Fellows in the Academy (Ji, Kane, Konczak, Leon, Stoffregen, Wade, Weiss) and Maureen Weiss is serving as president of the organization for 2011-2012.
Jordan Langen selected to present at National McNair Research Conference and Graduate Fair
Congratulations to Jordan Langen, a McNair Scholar under the direction of Dr. Stacy Ingraham, has been selected to present at the 20th National McNair Research Conference and Graduate Fair which will take place in November at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. His research project is called, “Body Composition and Weight Changes during a 15-Week Marathon Training Program.”
Jordan is a senior Kinesiology B.S. student studying exercise science.
Konczak to present at Medtronic Neuromodulation Visiting Scholars Program
Dr. Juergen Konczak, Kinesiology professor in biomechanics and neuromotor control, has been invited to present at the Medtronic Neuromodulation Visiting Scholars Program on October 4 at the Twin Cities headquarters. His topic, “Perceptual Changes in Parkinson’s disease: Effects on Proprioception and Haptic,” involves research that suggests Parkinson’s disease (PD) may lead to changes in perception which affect motor function. Dr. Konczak will report on a series of studies that his group has conducted, and show some new results on whether pharmacological intervention or deep brain stimulation can alleviate the perceptual deficits in PD. In addition, he will outline how these perceptual changes are linked to the motor deficits observed in PD.
Biltz presents at International Symposium
Dr. George Biltz, Kinesiology lecturer in human physiology and exercise science, gave a talk this past week at the 27th International Symposium of European Group of Pediatric Work Physiology in Mawgan Porth, United Kingdom. His topic was, “RER variability analysis by sample entropy: Comparing trained and untrained adolescent female soccer players.”
Dr. Biltz has also had a monograph printed:
Biltz, GR, Unnithan VB, Brown SR*, Marwood S, Roche DM, Garrard M, Holloway K: RER variability analysis by sample entropy: Comparing trained and untrained adolescent female soccer players. In: Williams CA, Armstrong N (eds.), Children and Exercise XXVII: The Proceedings of the XXVIIth International Symposium of the European Group of
Pediatrics Work Physiology, September, 2011, 121-125. 2012. Oxon, England:
Routledge.
Kinesiology PhD student in exercise physiology, Scott Brown, is an author on the monograph.
Stoffregen to serve on Campus Screening Committee
Dr. Thomas Stoffregen, Kinesiology professor in movement science, has been asked to serve on the 2011 Campus Screening Committee for University of Minnesota applicants for student Fulbright awards. The Committee screens and interviews applicants from all fields of study for these prestigious fellowships.
Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies program presents second annual Gopher Adventure Race
An amazing race returns to the U of M. Dr. Connie Magnuson, director of Kinesiology’s Recreation, Park, & Leisure Studies (RPLS) undergraduate program, and John Lisec, Kinesiology PhD student, are working hard on the second annual Gopher Adventure Race to be held October 7. Following a format similar to the popular television show “The Amazing Race,” two-person teams will explore the Twin Cities campuses by taking on a variety of mental and physical challenges while deciphering clues. (There’s still time to sign up!)
While more than doubling the number of participants in last year’s inaugural race, Magnuson and Lisec are encouraging students, faculty, staff, and alumni to experience the outdoor and recreation opportunities that are available on the Twin Cities campuses. In addition to increasing awareness of the RPLS program at the U, the Gopher Adventure Race has also provided hands-on learning opportunities for RPLS students, who are gaining field experience through creating courses, marketing the event, and acquiring sponsors.