KIP Newsblog

Category: Students of Kinesiology

Gracie VanLangevelde Awarded GLIAC Pat Riepma Postgraduate Scholarship

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Gracie VanLangevelde, a KIP graduate student and senior goalkeeper on Michigan Tech’s soccer team, has been named a 2023-24 Pat Riepma Postgraduate Scholarship recipient.

Gracie appeared in 57 games over the past five seasons for Michigan Tech. She was the 2023 GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year and was a two-time All-GLIAC First Team selection. She was also honored by the United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region First Team and the CSC Academic All-District Team, and was a four-time member of the GLIAC Academic Excellence Team.

Gracie graduated in spring of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and received the 2023 American Kinesiology Association’s Undergraduate Scholar Award. She will complete her master’s degree in Kinesiology at Tech in spring of 2024 and plans to attend the University of Buffalo’s Department of Rehabilitation Science to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy.

Read more about Gracie’s scholarly and athletic achievements at Michigan Tech Athletics.

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KIP Department Hosts National Biomechanics Day

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After a hiatus due the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan Tech’s Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology is gearing up for 2024 National Biomechanics Day. National Biomechanics Day is part of a worldwide initiative to increase the influence and impact of biomechanics in our society with a focus on outreach and education in schools.  

Nathan, Kate, Logan, Blake, Wil (students in Dr. Duncan’s Advanced Biomechanics class)

This year’s theme for NBD is celebrating the 21st century’s breakthroughs in science. Our department, led by Dr. Carolyn Duncan’s Advanced Biomechanics class, will be taking students through a series of fun activities related to biomechanics technologies, including motion capture, surface electromyography, and force platforms. These activities will show how we can explore real-life situations (e.g. fall prevention, the NFL combine, and strength training). They will also demonstrate to students how the concepts that they are currently learning in their high school STEM classes, such as biology and physics, applies to the world around them since biomechanics is the study of physics acting on the living organisms. 

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KIP Doctoral Student Elected as GSG Research Chair

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Oluwatosin Oyeniran, a doctoral student in Integrative Physiology, was elected to serve as the Research Chair for the Michigan Tech Graduate Student Government (GSG).

Oluwatosin Oyeniran (PhD student) was elected to the serve as the Research Chair of GSG.

The GSG research chair is responsible for organizing the major GSG research events and activities on campus, which include the Graduate Research Colloquium, 3 Minute Thesis Competition, Merit Awards Program, and Alumni Reunion Poster Session. Oluwatosin’s one-year term as a research chair will start May 1st with the possibility of re-election for an additional one-year term.

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KIP Student-Athlete Selected as CSC Academic All-District Honoree

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Kate Meister, a guard on Michigan Tech’s women’s basketball team, has been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team for 2023-24. Kate holds a 3.89 GPA currently as a KIP master’s student and has already earned her BS in Human Biology with a minor in Pre-Health Professions. This season she became the 30th player in the women’s basketball program to score 1,000 career points.

The Academic All-District® Women’s Basketball teams that are selected by CSC aim to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

To read more about the honor that Kate has received and her accomplishments, go to Michigan Tech Athletics’ press release.

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KIP Graduate Students Earn Awards

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Congratulations to three of KIP’s graduate students on their recent research, teaching, and scholarly achievements! Compliments to these students, as well as the faculty that provide the training and mentorship for their success. 

  • Lily Hart (MS student) received the Harry R. Cohodas U.P. Graduate Student Fellowship for Summer 2024.
  • Felix Cottet-Puinel (MS student) is the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship from the Graduate School.
  • Kyle Wehmanen (PhD student) is the recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Graduate School.
  • Kyle Wehmanen received a second year of funding for his Michigan Space Grant Consortium Fellowship.
Lily Hart
Felix Cottet-Puinel
Kyle Wehmanen
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KIP Hosts Student Research Forum

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Presenters from left to right: Lily Hart, Lexi Little, Nathan Balok, Kyle Wehmanen, Xinqian (Sherry) Chen, Derrick Simet, Oluwatosin Oyeniran

The MTU KIP department hosted its annual Student Research Forum on February 16, 2024 as part of its February department seminar series. Students and faculty from the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, as well as the Central Michigan University Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program attended. Several undergraduate and graduate students presented their research, educational, and outreach related projects.

As part of the thematic style poster session, students first delivered short, 3-minute oral presentations to the audience and then gave more in-depth explanations of their projects to attendees that circulated through the posters. The student presentations were excellent, and students were commended for their work and level of professionalism. Importantly, the questions and feedback that students received will help them move their projects forward and prepare to present their work at regional and national conferences later this Spring.

To help support student travel to conferences, please consider contributing to our student travel fund through our giving opportunities page. 

Audience listening to the students’ 3-minute presentations
Small groups interacting with presenters and their posters
Left to right: Xinqian (Sherry) Chen (KIP PhD candidate) with Dr. Zhiying Shan
“Brain-Derived Extracellular Vesicles from Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats with High Salt Diet Increase PVN and SON Vasopressin Levels in Sprague Dawley Rats”
Left to right: Derrick Simet (member of Dr. Chen’s lab) with Dr. Qing-Hui Chen
“Inhibiting Local Brain Metabolism of Ethanol in the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala Blunts Sympathoexcitatory Responses Induced by Ethanol in Sprague Dawley Rats”
Left to right: Dr. Steven Elmer with Oluwatosin Oyeniran (KIP PhD student)
“Classroom Techniques for Teaching Skeletal Muscle Contraction”
Left to right: Nathan Balok (KIP MS student)
“Physiology Outreach in the Upper Peninsula,” Dr. Steven Elmer, Kyle Wehmanen (KIP PhD student)
“Metabolic Cost of Human Locomotion on Soft Terrain”
Left to right: Dr. Carolyn Duncan, Alexandra Little (BioSci undergraduate student), Lily Hart (KIP MS student)
“Surface Electromyography to Quantify Deep Tendon Reflexes”
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KIP and CMU-DPT Alum Brett Gervais Nominated as a Copper Shores Superior Educator

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Brett Gervais is an alum of both the MTU KIP department in Exercise Science and the CMU Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) program. He was nominated as a Copper Shores Superior Educator for his role as a football and track and field coach in the Lake Linden-Hubbell school district. He is currently a physical therapist at Aspirus in Calumet. Congratulations to Brett for earning such a great honor and being a positive role model for so many student athletes in our local area.

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February KIP Seminar: Student Research Forum

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Please join us this Friday, February 16, from 3:00-4:15 pm in ATDC 101 for this month’s KIP Seminar. Refreshments will be provided.

This seminar will showcase the current research, educational, and outreach projects that KIP’s undergraduate and graduate students are working on. Students will present their projects and answer questions. This is a great way for them to receive feedback before they go on to present at regional and national conferences. We look forward to seeing you!

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KIP Graduate Students Discuss Publication on APS Podcast

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Graduate students Kyle Wehmanen and Felix Cottet-Puinel discussed their recent publication in the Advances in Physiology Education titled “Impact of Health Behaviors on Community Well-Being and Resilience: Teaching K-12 Students with Jenga!” on the American Physiological Society (APS) Publications Podcast series. You can listen to the podcast on the APS Publications Podcast website.

Kyle and Felix during Podcast
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