Exercise is Medicine On Campus has been on the Michigan Tech Campus for several years. Current and past faculty and two KIP alum were published recently.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“Brain-Derived Extracellular Vesicles from Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats with High Salt Diet Increase PVN and SON Vasopressin Levels in Sprague Dawley Rats”
“Inhibiting Local Brain Metabolism of Ethanol in the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala Blunts Sympathoexcitatory Responses Induced by Ethanol in Sprague Dawley Rats”
“Classroom Techniques for Teaching Skeletal Muscle Contraction”
“Physiology Outreach in the Upper Peninsula,” Dr. Steven Elmer, Kyle Wehmanen (KIP PhD student)
“Metabolic Cost of Human Locomotion on Soft Terrain”
“Surface Electromyography to Quantify Deep Tendon Reflexes”
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!
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.
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.
Central Michigan University doctorate of physical therapy students from the Houghton/Michigan Tech campus cohort volunteered for a community-wide sled hockey event in Houghton, MI earlier this month. Over 100 people came out to learn the sport of sled hockey, which is an inclusive way for people of any ability to get on the ice and play. The KIP department has been a sponsor of the event for the past two years.
Sled hockey entails sitting on a sled with two blades and propelling via picks on the ends of two short hockey sticks. Other than being in the sled, the rules are essentially the same as stand-up hockey. Students were essential in making the event a success, doing everything from running the registration table to assisting participants who tipped over in their sleds or pushing those who couldn’t self-propel. People with and without physical disabilities were able to play hockey together without barriers. The DPT students were amazingly helpful and gained valuable experience with adaptive sports. It was an incredibly fun day!