KIP Newsblog

Category: Outreach

Upper Peninsula Adaptive Track & Field Clinic Held at MTU

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On Saturday, February 22, 2025, adaptive athletes from across the Upper Peninsula gathered at the MTU Student Development Center for an Adaptive Track and Field Clinic, co-sponsored by KIP. This clinic was hosted by “I Am An Athlete Too”, a nonprofit established by Houghton native Maria Velat to lobby the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) to create an adaptive division for middle and high school track and field, and to raise up and support adaptive athletes to join their school sports teams. The clinic was led by Amie Day, a Paralympian and track coach for the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association, as well as the University of Michigan Adaptive Sports and Fitness department.  Athletes, coaches, family members and support personnel learned about the basics of racing, how to maintain equipment, how to cultivate an athlete mindset and deal with stress, and modified strength and conditioning programs. The day ended with a mini-track meet! KIP students volunteered to make the day a resounding success!

Adaptive Track & Field Clinic Volunteers and Participants
Adaptive Track & Field Seminar Information Session

“I volunteered to help set up for the track and field clinic and have also volunteered with Maria at her other adaptive sports events like the E.L.K. Sled hockey event. It is truly amazing to see the impact that “I Am An Athlete Too” and E.L.K. have on the adaptive athlete community. It is always so much fun volunteering and participating in these events,” says Ella House a KIP Exercise Science Student. ‘It was great to see so many people supporting our local adaptive athletes. I learned a lot about racing chair maintenance, adapting workouts, and local opportunities for adaptive athletics. Overall a good experience both as a volunteer and as a community member”, says Leah Berkey a KIP Exercise Science Student.

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Title: A Week of Science, Exploration, and the Great Lakes

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Last week, I had the opportunity to blend professional growth with a bit of adventure during a short trip through Michigan. My journey began in Grand Rapids, where I attended the annual Midwest Chapter of American College of Sports Medicine (MWACSM) conference. It was an exciting and enlightening event where I had the chance to deliver a long-form professional presentation titled “Metabolic Cost of Human Locomotion: A Historical Review and Future Considerations.” Getting the experience to present and engage with a broad audience from undergraduate students to professionals in the field was rewarding and provided great opportunity for personal growth. The other highlight of the MWACSM conference was undoubtedly the keynote by Dr. Philip Skiba. His talk on Nike’s “Breaking Two” project—a quest to break the 2-hour marathon barrier—was inspiring and highlighted some of the most cutting edge work marrying engineering and science to optimize human performance.

From Grand Rapids, I then headed to Ann Arbor to attend the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) conference. Here, I presented a poster on my current research titled “Human Powered Locomotion on Variable Terrain: Implications for How to Move on Mars.” The interdisciplinary nature of the conference made it incredibly enjoyable. Presentations ranged from hard engineering to deep space science to ecology and biomechanics, fostering conversations that bridged numerous fields of research. It was refreshing to be part of such a diverse gathering of minds, all united by a common curiosity for the unknown.

Figure 1: The poster presented at the Michigan Space Grant Consortium Conference held October 19th 2024 in Ann Arbor, MI.

This trip was not just a personal and professional milestone but also an opportunity to represent Michigan Tech and the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (KIP). By presenting my research, I had the chance to showcase our work to undergraduates and other attendees from around the region. I hope that sharing cutting-edge topics and insights with future scientists and researchers could inspire collaborations both within and outside the department and university.

To cap off the trip, I embarked on a mini adventure. Driving back home, I took a scenic route that allowed me to touch three of the Great Lakes in a single day—Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Feeling the cool water from each of these massive lakes was a grounding experience, a reminder of the vast and varied landscapes that define this region.

All in all, the trip was a perfect mix of professional development, scientific inspiration, and personal exploration.

Submitted by Kyle Wehmanen

Figure 2: Scenes from my visit to three Great Lakes on the return trip to Houghton. The photo on the left is from near Lake Huron and the photo on the right, Lake Michigan.
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Time to Step UP and Move More

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Dr. Steve Elmer wrote a letter to the editor that was published in the Mining Journal on April 15, 2024 about the importance of physical activity and urging Senator Gary Peters and Senator Debbie Stabenow to support “Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act” so that physical activity becomes a national priority. This bill would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to continue issuing physical-activity guidelines at least every 10 years based on the most current scientific and medical knowledge.

To read the full letter, please visit the Mining Journal’s webpage.

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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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Michigan Tech University Recognized as a Silver Level Campus by Exercise is Medicine® On Campus Program

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Michigan Tech is among 145 campuses honored worldwide

Houghton, MI – Michigan Tech University is one of only 145 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by Exercise is Medicine® for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus. Students and faculty that deliver the “UP and Moving” Program housed in the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology helped the university to earn a silver level designation for the fourth consecutive year from the Exercise is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) program.

“We are thrilled to recognize these campuses’ commitment to make movement a part of daily campus culture and give students the tools to cultivate physical activity habits that will benefit them throughout their lives,”said interim CEO Katie Feltman.“ These campus programs are nurturing future leaders who will advance a key tenet of Exercise is Medicine®: making physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in health care.” 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults engage in at least 150 min of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity each week along with two days of muscle strengthen activities. To facilitate physical activity, the UP and Moving program offers free virtual home-based workouts to keep students, staff, faculty, and community members active. The home-based workouts include both aerobic exercise (i.e., walking) and muscle strengthening exercise (i.e., weightlifting), do not require any specialized equipment, and are easily adapted to fit a wide range of ages and ability levels. The live workouts are also recorded and available to watch anytime on the program’s website.

The UP and Moving Program was created in 2020 by a team of students supervised by Steven Elmer, Associate Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology. During the past year, workouts were led by a diverse group of Michigan Tech students from several countries around the world including the United States, Canada, France, and Nigeria.

Students of UP & Moving, from left to right: Oluwatosin Oyeniran, Kyle Wehmanen, Noelle St. Pierre, Abby Brooks, Nathan Balok

EIM-OC calls upon universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health and encourages students, staff, and faculty to work together to improve the health and well-being of the campus community. EIM-OC launched its recognition program in 2014 to honor campuses for their efforts to create a culture of wellness. Schools earn gold, silver, or bronze status based on their activities. Of the 145 campuses recognized, 83 received Gold, 44 received Silver and 18 received Bronze. All Gold, Silver and Bronze universities and colleges will be highlighted on May 29 at the Exercise is Medicine® recognition ceremony at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting.

As a silver level campus, the UP and Moving program has helped engage students, staff, and faculty in educational and wellness initiatives and make movement part of the daily campus and community culture. “Our program aims to achieve gold level status by working with local health care providers to establish physical activity as a health vital sign,” explained Elmer. “We are also working to raise awareness and support for U.S. Senate Bill 397 – “Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act” which would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to issue physical-activity guidelines for all Americans every 10 years based on the most current scientific and medical knowledge.”

The American College of Sports Medicine co-launched Exercise is Medicine® in 2007 with the American Medical Association. Exercise is Medicine® is committed to the belief that physical activity promotes optimal health, is integral in the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions and should be regularly assessed and included as part of health care. To learn more about Exercise is Medicine® and the UP and Moving program, visit their websites.

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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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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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Kelly Kamm Selected as SDOH Hub Advisory Council Member

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Kelly Kamm

Kelly Kamm (KIP) has been selected to serve on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ (MDHHS’) Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Hub Advisory Council.

Kamm, the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation Endowed Assistant Professor, focuses her research on understanding the determinants of health in young children and the elderly in rural populations, then works to develop and test interventions that improve health behaviors. She specializes in scalable, cost-effective interventions to improve health in communities with limited resources.

The advisory council’s work begins later this month. Kamm is eager to get started. “I’m excited to help represent the Upper Peninsula since social determinants of health play such a critical role in protecting and promoting health in our communities,” she said.

The SDOH Hub Advisory Council will guide the implementation of SDOH Hub pilot projects in communities across Michigan in 2024 and develop recommendations for future SDOH Hub initiatives.

According to the MDHHS, the pilot projects “bring community members, health care professionals, social service providers, government partners and business leaders together to address the social determinants of health and improve health equity.” Each pilot project will receive resources and technical assistance provided by MDHHS and contracted partners.

MDHHS said that over time, the Hub pilots’ aim is achieving “the overarching goal of the Roadmap to Healthy Communities: Improve the health and social outcomes of all Michigan residents while working to achieve health equity by eliminating disparities and barriers to social and economic opportunity.”

Visit the MDHHS’ SDOH Hubs page for more information on the program.

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