KIP Newsblog

Category: News

COVID-19 Town Hall: Staying Active during the Pandemic

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Please join us every Thursday from 7:00-8:00pm EST.

See more on the U.P. Town Hall Series here:

An in-depth look at the many facets of the COVID-19 will be presented every Thursday evening on the U.P. COVID-19 Town Hall Series. Organized by the Health Research Institute at Michigan Technological University, the 60-minute town hall broadcasts can be heard at 7 p.m. each Thursday through Dec. 3 on 97.7 The Wolf (WOLV-FM) and viewed through a Zoom Webinar. Over the course of the series, moderated by Drs. Steven Elmer and Kelly Kamm, clinicians, public health officials, researchers, and community experts will discuss a range of pandemic-related issues. 

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Fasting Research Study

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A research study being conducted in the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology at Michigan Tech is re-starting data collection in accordance with Michigan Tech’s re-opening.

If you are interested in learning more about this research study and to see if you are eligible to participate, then please either contact Steven Stelly or provide your information for us to contact you at the following link.

Please know that we are employing an abundance of precaution to mitigate any risks associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic.

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KIP 2020 Student Awards

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Congratulations to the following students for being nominated and winning these yearly department awards!

  • Jana Hendrickson, Departmental AKA Undergraduate Scholar Award
  • Sarah Dix, Department Scholar
  • Jonathon Worden, Outstanding Senior Award
  • Nadine Sikora, Outstanding Service Award
  • Blake Dupius, Kinetic Energy Award
  • Benjamin Cockfield, Graduate Student Government Outstanding Scholarship Award
  • Hannah Cunningham, Departmental AKA Master’s Scholar Award
  • Nehemiah McIntyre, Outstanding Master’s Award

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#GivingTuesday

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#GivingTuesday

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving and unity set to take place on May 5, 2020, as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

Using the link below, monetary gifts go toward attracting top-notch faculty, supporting research programs and innovative curricula, and maintaining research/teaching facilities and equipment in the KIP Department. These educational components underpin our goal of becoming nationally recognized for offering excellent programs in the areas of kinesiology and integrative physiology. Please follow the link to help: https://www.mtu.edu/kip/giving

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Graduate Student Ben Cockfield Defends his Master’s Thesis

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This past week Benjamin Cockfield (Traverse City, MI) successfully defended his master’s thesis: “Acute Physiological Responses to Arm Cranking with Blood Flow Restriction”. Over 45 people attended the Zoom video conference presentation. Ben earned his Bachelor’s in Exercise Science from Michigan Tech University in 2018 and has since been working on his Master’s in Kinesiology. Specifically, Ben conducted his research in the Exercise Physiology Laboratory under the supervision of Associate Professor Steven Elmer.

For his research, Ben evaluated the cardiorespiratory, metabolic, and perceptual responses to arm cranking with blood flow restriction. Specifically, with blood flow restriction a pressurized cuff is placed over the arm to partially limit blood from leaving the working muscles. This creates a high-intensity workout for the exercising muscles but without overtaxing the heart, lungs, and joints.

In his research, Ben found that arm cranking with blood flow restriction resulted in a small increase in cardiorespiratory strain and effort, but a large increase in metabolic stress. Increased metabolic stress is thought to be an important mechanism for improving muscle size and strength. Long term, results from Ben’s research could have possible implications for upper-body trained endurance athletes (e.g., cross country skiers, rowers, America’s cup sailors), adults recovering from shoulder injuries, wheelchair users, and older adults. Ben was partially supported by a graduate student fellowship from the Michigan Space Grant Consortium.

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New minor in Public Health approved

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The Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology Department at Michigan Tech proudly announces that a Minor is Public Health is now an option for all of our students.

Faucet with running water

Human health is impacted by our individual biology as well as the natural, built, and social environments in which we live, work, and play. Thus, the ability to be health literate and able to integrate a health perspective is important in disciplines beyond traditional health-related and clinical fields. In the past 15 years there has been a growing recognition of the importance academia plays in teaching these skills. In 2002, an Institute of Medicine report recognized the need to better educate the public health workforce and partners that play key roles in the health of our communities who are not in traditional public health positions. A subsequent report expanded that call for public health education, recommending that “all undergraduates should have access to education in public health”. This widespread need to understand population health and health impacts was further highlighted when, in 2011, the U.S. federal government adopted a “Health in All Policies (HiAP)” strategy. A HiAP approach recognizes the importance of considering health across all fields in both the public and private sectors. The new Minor in Public Health will introduce students to the growing field of public health and the need to include a population health perspective in many of the university’s existing degrees. 

The audit check list is being created

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