CEHD Inside / Out

Jeannie Larson, Ph.D. student in Education-Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies (Kinesiology), was featured in an article in the Star Tribune today on horticulture therapy. Jeannie has been running a therapeutic horticulture program through the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum that uses plants to "improve the body, lift the spirit, and stimulate the mind." Li-jung Lin is also mentioned in the story and has been working with Jeannie in the program. Li-jung is also a Ph.D. student in Education-RPLS.

Program seeds a path to healing
Star Tribune (Minn.) May 14, 2008

Posted by Anitra Budd at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Professor Don Dengel (Kinesiology) has published an article with former students Thomas Olson (Ph.D.) and Jennifer Tracy (M.A.) in the recent issue of Open Sports Medicine Journal on "Validity of a Low-Flow Pneumotach and Portable Metabolic Measurement System." Download article [.pdf].

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Mary Jo Kane, professor and chair of the School of Kinesiology and director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, is quoted as an expert in women's sports in a recent New York Times article.

The uneven playing field
New York Times (N.Y.) May 11, 2008

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Carol Leitschuh, Kinesiology lecturer and research associate, can count published poet among her community engagement activities. In April, Carol's book Harmony with God, Choral Prayer and Preparation was published by Liturgical Press at St John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. Each poem is complemented by an original choral refrain composed by Dr. Lynn Trapp. The refrain is vocal pedagogy and spiritual enhancement for all involved: directors, singers, and instrumentalist.

This month, Carol's prayer Spirit of Unity is the text used in a commissioned musical arrangement for drums and organ. On May 10, Dr. Kathy Romey in the School of Music conducted a 250-person choir at St. Olaf Church in the world premier of Spirit in Unity set in the Voices of Africa concert with the Minnesota Chorale along with the choirs of St.Olaf, Central Lutheran, St. Peter Claver, and the Twin Cities African choirs.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chris Reiff from the School of Kinesiology's Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology (LIHP) has been awarded an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) grant to support his research project titled "Differences in Caloric Expenditure in Standing versus Sitting Desks."

Congratulations, Chris!

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Anita Bendickson, a long-time self-defense instructor in the University's Physical Activity Program, has recently been featured in a number of WCCO News stories. These stories detail important information on defending against attackers.

Police: Woman jumps out window fleeing from rapist
WCCO News (Minn.) May 5, 2008

Self-defense online tutorial
WCCO News (Minn.) May 5, 2008

Groping Don Shelby and YouTube (Esme Murphy's blog)
WCCO News (Minn.) May 5, 2008

Self-defense expert demonstrates the basics
WCCO News (Minn.) May 6, 2008

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In 2007-08, six undergraduate research assistants have received awards from the University to support their research in the School of Kinesiology's Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL). These competitive awards, from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), have been made to Elizabeth deSanto, Mallory Dzubay, Kyle Elm, Zoe Fung, Christie Pelzer, and Alison Smith.

Please join us in congratulating the APAL and these exceptional undergrads!

Posted by Anitra Budd at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Frank Moe, Kinesiology Ph.D. student and Minnesota state legislator from Bemidji, has been awarded a 2008 Bush Leadership Fellowship. Frank is pursuing a Ph.D. in Education-Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies and is advised by Professor Keith Russell.

The fellowships, presented by the Bush Foundation, support full-time academic or self-designed study in a wide range of fields including educational policy and leadership, immigrant business development, public health, ecological education and improvement, and Native American culture and language preservation. Bush Fellows include women and men in such fields as public service, education, government, health, business, engineering, architecture, science, farming, forestry, law, trade unions, law enforcement, journalism, and social work.

Congratulations Frank!

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Two Ph.D. candidates in the School of Kinesiology, Drew Bailey and Jung Hyun Kim, have been awarded Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships for 2008-09 from the Graduate School. These competitive, prestigious, all-University fellowships are designed to support outstanding Ph.D. candidates in devoting full time to their dissertation writing and research. They carry a nine-month stipend of $22,000 plus tuition for thesis credits and/or required seminars during the academic year.

Drew Bailey, student in Education-Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies, emphasis Outdoor Education/Recreation, is advised by Associate Professor Keith Russell. His research topic, Cultivating Wisdom through a Service-Learning Experience, explores how alternative types of education may contribute to the development of wisdom in young people. In his fellowship application, Drew writes, "If the future is plagued with conflict, the instability is not something that exists 'out there somewhere' but a current that flows from inside individuals. To ensure both individual and social well-being, it may be necessary to not only teach students to recall facts and to think critically, but to think wisely as well."

Jung Hyun (Kenny) Kim is a Kinesiology student whose emphasis area is Exercise Physiology. He is advised by Professor Arthur Leon and Professor Victor Koscheyev. His research topic is Regulation of an Energy-Efficient Physiologically Designed Cooling Garment through a Finger Calorimeter Feedback System for Thermal Comfort During Extravehicular Activity (EVA). He is investigating optimal cooling regimes imposed by a cooling garment with participants at different modes and intensities of work as an analog for astronaut thermal comfort under different levels of exertion during EVA. A second aim of his study is to develop a physiological model of a finger calorimeter feedback system as an indicator of human thermal status while working in a protective garment. Kenny writes, "This research will . . . help to better understand human thermoregulatory responses and provide physiological principles for designing a cooling garment."

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Doctoral student Joe Warpeha (Kinesiology) was quoted in a Minnesota Daily article on the University of Minnesota Police Department's Biggest Losers weight loss contest. The Kinesiology department's Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science was also feature.

Minneapolis and campus police seek to shed pounds and gain a new image
Minnesota Daily (Minn.) May 1, 2008

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Michael Wade, Kinesiology professor, was invited to give the keynote address at the First International Conference on Physical Education, Sport, and Health in Kuwait City, Kuwait, April 1-3. This was an inaugural event for the State of Kuwait. The conference was sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the Kuwait Public Authority. Kinesiology Ph.D. graduates Husain Al-Makaimi, Salman Mohammed, and Mubarak Redah were involved in the conference organization and all three hold faculty appointments at the College of Education in Kuwait. Michael also participated in the local TV program "Good Morning, Kuwait."

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Sunday, April 27, at 10:00 p.m. Tucker Center Associate Director Nicole LaVoi will be featured on WCCO TV talking about the Parents And Coaches Together (PACT) sport education program she helped co-develop for the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association.

UPDATE: View the story and video at http://wcco.com/specialreports/parents.coaching.behave.2.709792.html.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jens Omli, Kinesiology Ph.D. candidate, has been offered a two-year NIMH traineeship at the Institute of Child Development. He will be working with Professors Dante Cicchetti and Nicki Crick to acquire new research skills, including measurement of HPA-axis functioning, which will allow him to investigate the influence of angry parent behavior on emotional outcomes in youth sport participants.

Congratulations, Jens!

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Carol Leitschuh, Kinesiology research associate and lecturer, was named Fulbright Scholar Alternate for 2008-09. Further awards for Carol's proposal are contingent on agency resolution of financial disparities between the dollar and the euro. If funded Carol will work in the Czech Republic lecturing at Palacky University in Olomouc and conducting pilot research on motor development for infants and toddlers living in orphanages.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nicole LaVoi, associate director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, was featured on this morning's news segment on Minnesota Public Radio. She discussed the newly released 2007 Tucker Center Research Report: Developing Physically Active Girls.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kristen Pickett and Kuan-yi Li, Ph.D. candidates in Kinesiology, and their adviser, Juergen Konczak, won a Cognitive Science Spring Research Poster Prize at the Center of Cognitive Science's Research Day held
April 3 at the Metrodome Holiday Inn. The title of their poster is "A New Method for the Measurement of Passive Limb Motion Sensitivity."

Posted by Anitra Budd at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Beth Lewis, assistant professor in Kinesiology, presented at and chaired the symposium titled "Innovative methods for examining mediators in randomized controlled intervention trials" at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM), San Diego, CA, in March 2008.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 01:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Professor Michael G. Wade (Kinesiology) will join an interdisciplinary conversation titled "Time and Embodied Cognition" along with scholars Ursina Teuscher (Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego), Even Selinger (Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology), Wade Savage (Philosophy, University of Minnesota), and moderator Arun Saldanha (Geography, University of Minnesota). The panel is an interdisciplinary research project funded by the University's Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and the Office of the Vice President for Research as part of the University Symposium on Time. The free conversation is part of IAS's "Symposium on Time" and will take place on Friday, April 25, in room 125 Nolte Library.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Thursday, April 10, Research Associate Carol Leitschuh (Kiniesiology) will be the keynote speaker at the 15th Annual Conference Together We Will Create Motor and Movement Experiences for Young Children held in Connecticut. Her keynote presentation title is “Children's Movement: The So Essential Contributor to Positive Development!! (Yes, even the brain!)”. This presentation will address the importance of movement and how we as a nation have veered away from that focus. Carol will also be doing a workshop titled, “Development and Validation of Functional Movement for Young Children.”

Posted by Anitra Budd at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joe Warpeha, Kinesiology Ph.D. student, has been quoted in the March 2008 issue of Men's Health magazine and the April 2008 issue of Vogue magazine regarding exercise and special training methods.

Joe has also just completed a two-year term as a columnist for the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Performance Training Journal and has published more than 20 articles in the journal since 2004. Joe will be presenting at the Northland chapter meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the Midwest regional meeting of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the annual meeting of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP) this spring.

Congratulations, Joe!

Posted by Anitra Budd at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Beth Lewis, assistant professor of kinesiology, has been awarded a three-year $232,577 subcontract for her role as a co-investigator on an NIH-funded multisite trial examining the efficacy of stent vs. exercise for treating peripheral artery disease (PAD) titled "Claudication: Exercise Versus Endoluminal Revascularization (CLEVER)." Beth will be responsible for delivering the telephone-based exercise maintenance interventions to participants across all of sites in the study.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kinesiology graduate students Joe Warpeha (Ph.D.) and Adam Frye (M.A.) in the exercise physiology emphasis will be featured in a story on KARE-11 tonight on the Minneapolis Police Department and their Biggest Loser contest. One hundred police officers will visit the School's Laboratory of Physical Hygiene and Exercise Science to get their body fat assessed at the beginning of the contest and at three months. The lab is using the underwater tank for body fat testing. Adam was videotaped performing the procedure as Joe was interviewed. Tune in tonight--the story will be aired at either 5 p.m. or 6 p.m.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mary Jo Kane, Kinesiology chair and director of the Tucker Center, is featured in an NCAA News Web site article, "Forum Studies Women in Sports". The article highlights Kane's research in her session titled "Portrayal of Female Athletes in the Media," to be given at the upcoming Women in College Sports Forum, April 6, in Tampa, Florida.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Keith Russell, associate professor of kinesiology, was featured in the February issue of Parks & Recreation for his work with the Wise Kids program, an out-of-school pilot program designed to help kids make wise nutrition and activity choices. Wise Kids is funded by the Säjai Foundation and Keith has been heading the team that is assessing the program's impact.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two Ph.D. students in the School of Kinesiology have had posters accepted for presentation at the American College of Sport Medicine's Annual Meeting on May 29 in Indianapolis. Danielle Templeton's poster is titled "Bone Mineral Content in Overweight and Normal Weight Children." Michael Nelson's poster is titled "Reliability of Heart Rate Variability by Sample Entropy at Rest and During Light Exercise in Children." Both students are advisees of Associate Professor Don Dengel.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kinesiology lecturer Stacy Ingraham offers comment in the debate on whether athletes should stretch.

To Stretch or Not to Stretch? The Answer Is Elastic
New York Times (N.Y.) March 13, 2008

No One Knows Value of Stretch
The Ledger (Fla.) March 18, 2008

Posted by Anitra Budd at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kinesiology lecturer Stacy Ingraham was featured extensively in yesterday's Minnesota Daily in an article about plagiarism.

Policing plagiarism in a digital age
Minnesota Daily (Minn.) March 3, 2008

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Kinesiology professor Art Leon will be an invited presenter at Arizona State University's 3rd Annual Conference, "Building Healthy Lifestyles," Feb 28 to March 1. His two presentation topics are "Relationship of Physical Activity and Physical Fitness to Risk of Coronary Heart Disease" and "Contributions of Blood Lipids and Dietary Habits to Risk of Coronary Heart Disease."

Posted by Anitra Budd at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Professor Arthur Leon (Kinesiology) received some excellent news this week regarding his grant proposal with NIH, which received a score of 1.3 from the NIH peer review, assuring funding when the council meets in May. The grant is for expansion of his research on the role of exercise (arm cycling vs. walking) on improving walking capability in patients with peripheral artery disease.

The grant request is for $3.5 million total cost for 5 years beginning this July. Professor Diane Treat- Jacobson of the School of Nursing is the PI, Art is the Co-PI, and Ulf Bronas, who received his Ph.D. in Kinesiology last fall, is the Project Coordinator. The group is currently in the fourth year of an AHA pilot project, which is the basis for the NIH proposal.

Congratulations, Art!

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Eric Brownlee, teaching specialist in the School of Kinesiology, recently had his study "The Effectiveness of Sponsoring Women's Collegiate Sport" accepted for presentation at the 2008 North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) conference in Toronto, Canada.

Congratulations Eric!

Posted by Anitra Budd at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Keith Russell, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, has been invited by the National Institute of Drug Abuse/NIH to present with other leading researchers at a special meeting examining the role that outdoor recreation experiences and physical activity play in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse in youth. The meeting will be held April 22 and 23 in Rockville, Maryland, and presenters will have the opportunity to submit an RFP for research in this area. Keith is recognized nationally and internationally as a foremost researcher in the area of wilderness treatment programs.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Look for Tucker Center Associate Director Nicole LaVoi Saturday, February 9, on the FoxSports North broadcast of Hockey Day Minnesota, where she will discuss results of the Tucker Center's research on what motivates fans to attend men's and women's intercollegiate hockey.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Professor Tom Stoffregen, doctoral students Russ Giveans and Ken Yoshida, and postdoctoral student Sebastien Villard (all in the School of Kinesiology) were featured in a story and video by Ivanhoe Broadcast News on why some people experience motion sickness while others don't.

See the story and video.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 01:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don Dengel, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, recently published an article.

Continue reading "Dengel: Recent publication" »

Posted by Anitra Budd at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kiley Theede, M.Ed./initial licensure student in applied kinesiology, has been selected 2008 Student of the Year by NASPE (National Association for Sport and Physical Education). Kiley has an impressive academic record and exceptional volunteer experiences. She is a mentor at Bethune Elementary in Minneapolis and serves as an Amicus volunteer. She has volunteered for Toys for Tots, ARC of Minnesota, the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, and Hearing and Service Dogs. She attended the Global Peace and Security Summit in Minneapolis last fall and will be attending the National Convention for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance this April in Fort Worth, Texas. Elizabeth Spletzer is her adviser.

Congratulations, Kiley!

Posted by Anitra Budd at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A recent Connect! article on kinesiology doctoral candidate Jens Omli is being featured in UMNnews and on the front page of the University's Web site.

A sporting chance
UMNnews (Minn.) Jan. 11, 2008

Posted by Anitra Budd at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Keith Russell, associate professor of kinesiology, will present a symposium at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention in Boston in August 2008. He and Dr. Lee Gillis, a psychologist from Georgia College and State University, were chosen to present "Group-Based Adolescent Treatment: Service Delivery and Effectiveness, and Emerging Treatment Alternatives."

Keith also has a chapter in a forthcoming book, Approaches to Substance Abuse and Addiction in Education Communities: A Guide to Practices that Support Recovery in Adolescents and Young Adults, edited by Jeffrey D. Roth, M.D., and Andrew J. Finch, Ph.D. The book chapter is titled "Scope of the Problem--Adolescent Substance Use."

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rayla Allison, kinesiology lecturer, was quoted in the latest edition of the Minnesota Women's Press in an article on Foundation IX, a nonprofit organization committed to eliminating cost as a barrier to girls' participation in sports and fitness activities.

Play it forward
Minnesota Women's Press (Minn.) Jan. 4, 2008

Posted by Anitra Budd at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Assistant Professor Beth Lewis (Kinesiology) recently published a commentary.

Continue reading "Lewis: Recent publication" »

Posted by Anitra Budd at 09:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Research on motion sickness from the School of Kinesiology's Tom Stoffregen's Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) is featured in an article on the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Web site, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The video clip in the article is one of only five currently listed, and one of only 32 in the history of the HFES program. Read the article here: http://www.aip.org/dbis/HFES/stories/17051.html.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kinesiology faculty members Nicole LaVoi and Diane Wiese-Bjornstal and doctoral candidate Jens Omli of the Minnesota Youth Sport Research Consortium (MYSRC), housed in the School of Kinesiology, have had three recent articles addressing the behavior of youth sport parents and coaches accepted for publication.

Continue reading "MYSRC researchers publish several articles" »

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kevin Burns, a kinesiology doctoral student advised by Professor Don Dengel, has been awarded an American Heart Association (AHA) Pre-doctoral Fellowship Award for his project "Chronic Effects of Right Ventricular Pacing on Left Ventricular Torsion."

Only 26 percent of applications for this prestigious award receive funding. Kevin's percentile ranking was 4.3 percent, which is exceptionally high for this award. Kevin is the fourth student from the School of Kinesiology to receive the AHA award, joining Aaron Kelly (Ph.D., 2004), Tom Olson (Ph.D., 2005), and Ulf Bronas (Ph.D., 2007). Professor Dengel says, "This exceptional accomplishment speaks to the quality of our students, the research they are conducting, and the education that they are receiving."

Posted by Anitra Budd at 01:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maureen Weiss, professor in the School of Kinesiology, was named Chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) Science Board for 2008. The board’s activities include review and input on the long-standing President’s Challenge program as well as many other initiatives related to physical activity and health across the lifespan. The board includes ten scholars from across the nation who were selected due to their significant contributions to the research and science of physical activity, fitness, health, and sports.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rayla Allison, J.D., lecturer and CEO of the newly formed Sport Business Institute, has been making the School of Kinesiology proud this month. She was inducted into the Honor Wall of Fame honoring Distinguished Alumni at the University of Texas at Arlington on November 6. She was a guest speaker for the Horizon 100 organization at the Minneapolis Woman’s Club on November 14, on a legal review of the implementation of Title IX in athletic settings. Rayla was also interviewed by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal for an article on the Sport Business Institute published November 16.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mallory Dzubay, a kinesiology senior, has been awarded a UROP grant to support her research in Professor Tom Stoffregen's Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL).

Emily Schroeder and Allison Klumpp, undergraduate students in the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory directed by Professor Jürgen Konczak, have also both won UROP awards.

Congratulations to all three of these motivated students!

Posted by Anitra Budd at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bob Fusaro, a karate instructor in the School of Kinesiology, was recently featured in a Southwest Journal article. Fellow instructor Anita Bendickson (self-defense) was quoted in the article as well.

"The sensei's sensei"
Southwest Journal (Minn.) July 30, 2007

Posted by Anitra Budd at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Anita Bendickson and Mary Brandl, two self-defense instructors in the School of Kinesiology, were mentioned in a recent Minnesota Daily article on self-defense courses for University students.

"Self-defense classes focus on students strengths"
Minnesota Daily (Minn.) November 5, 2007

Posted by Anitra Budd at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Associate Professor Diane Wiese-Bjornstal in the School of Kinesiology was quoted in an October 20 Star Tribune article on high school chapters of the Fellowship for Christian Athletes (FCA), an organization promoting a faith-based approach to athletic competition.

"Fellowship off the field"
Star Tribune (Minn.) October 20, 2007

Posted by Anitra Budd at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lisa Kihl, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology, presented her paper titled "A Theory of Sport Organizational Stakeholder’s Suffering and Dealing with Corruption" at the Play the Game 2007 International Conference, "Creating Coalitions for Good Governance in Sport." This year's conference was held October 28 through November 2 in Reykjavik, Iceland.