Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi, teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, explains what sport can afford youth in "Be a Winning Parent: 3 Tips for Parents of Young Athletes," a piece that appeared on Riedell skates' blog. LaVoi states that youth sports should be a place where young people have fun, socialize, develop, and strive for success. Further, she notes that adults have a large role and need to be conscious of their actions.

Joshua Aman, Ph.D., post-doctoral research associate in the Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL), has been awarded an international travel grant from the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance to support his travels to the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa, Italy this summer. Aman, along with Jürgen Konczak, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology and director of the HSCL, have been invited to attend a workshop that examines proprioceptive dysfunction and the role of robotic rehabilitation in restoring proprioceptive-based sensorimotor function. The interdisciplinary workshop convenes a small group of invited international experts with diverse backgrounds and is part of a collaborative effort between IIT and the University of Minnesota.

On April 16, the graduate teaching assistants within the School of Kinesiology's Human Performance Teaching Laboratory hosted a Scrubs, Gloves & Microscopes (SGM) session.

SGM is a hands-on health career exploration opportunity for high school students currently in grades 9-12. During the SGM experience, about 30 students participated in practices that are commonly utilized in the field of kinesiology and and discovered important next steps for pursuing a career in kinesiology.

Kinesiology doctoral student Patrick Wilson has been awarded a Hauge Fellowship for 2013-2014 from the College of Education and Human Development. The $11,500 award recognizes the academic achievement of graduate students enrolled in any department or program in CEHD. Wilson's advisers are Dr. Stacy Ingraham and Dr. Li Li Ji.

Lead author and kinesiology doctoral student Patrick Wilson, along with kinesiology doctoral student John Fitzgerald, and their advisor Stacy Ingrahm, Ph.D., lecturer in the School Kinesiology, are to publish in the International Journal of Cardiology.

The journal has an impact factor of 7.08 and is the 7th ranked cardiology journal worldwide. The article, "Relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status and cardiorespiratory fitness: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey," examined whether serum vitamin D status was predictive of cardiorespiratory fitness amongst healthy individuals in the general population.

Dr. Nicole LaVoi, teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, weighs in on why there has been an increase in females that participate in sport but a decrease in females coaching.

In the article titled, "As more girls play sports, fewer women have coaching jobs," LaVoi notes, "When jobs become more desirable and they become better-paid, the men will start infiltrating those jobs and that's exactly what we've seen with coaches of specifically girls basketball." LaVoi continues to explain that in order to change stereotypes there needs to be more women in powerful positions such as head coaching.

Thomas Stoffregen, Ph.D., professor in the School of Kinesiology, along with doctoral candidate Yi-Chou Chen, alumni Fu-Chen Chen, Ph.D., and Taiwanese colleagues, are to publish in, Gait and Posture. Their contribution is titled, "Cognitive and postural precursors of motion sickness in adolescent boxers."

Kinesiology doctoral students Patrick Wilson, Chris Lundstrom, and Greg Rhodes, along with their advisor, Stacy Ingraham, Ph.D., have published an article in the, International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism.

The article titled, "Dietary tendencies as Predictors of Marathon Time In Novice Marathoners," was designed to examine the effects of dietary factors such as carbohydrates on performance in novice marathon runners. They found that consuming a high amount of carbohydrates 24-36 hours before running a marathon is associated with a faster marathon time.

Dr. Nicole LaVoi, teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, comments on the controversies surrounding Brittney Griner in the article, "What Brittney Griner says about us."

"We disparage female athletes so we don't have to make room for them," notes LaVoi. "People can't just say, 'Wow, Brittney Griner is a great athlete.' We need to have a caveat: 'She plays like a guy, she looks like a guy, she must be a guy.' These qualifiers marginalize what Brittney has done and serve to keep the current pecking order in place, whereby men's sports are more valued, more culturally relevant -- the norm."

Griner, center for Baylor University's women's basketball team, has won numerous awards throughout her basketball career and continues to break collegiate records. For more on Griner and her statistics read here.

Doctoral candidate Maya Hamilton is the recipient of the 2013-2014 Jean Freeman Scholarship from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). The scholarship, named for legendary U of MN coach Jean Freeman, is given annually to a male and a female assistant coach in each NCAA division whose exceptional contributions have brought recognition to their college or university.

Hamilton received this award through her position as an assistant swim coach at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate in Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, examining moral identity development of college coaches. She works as a research assistant under the guidance of the associate director of the Tucker Center, Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D. As an undergraduate, Hamilton received a B.A. in History from Yale University. Additionally, she is a member of the Alliance of Women Coaches, which serves to support and increase opportunities for women coaches.

"Maya is a deserving recipient of this prestigious award in Jean's honor," said Dr. LaVoi. "Maya is an exemplar young coach who lives her values of integrity, honesty, and graciousness while striving to help her athletes perform to their best abilities and become good people. I am so proud that her efforts are being recognized by her peers, she is most deserving."