Our first spring seminar will be Friday February 12th. KIP faculty will provide a brief 3-4 min snapshot of their research/scholarly work. Please join us to learn about the breadth and depth of research from “cell to society” here in KIP.
Join us for an in-depth look at all facets of the pandemic . The Town Hall will be presented monthly, January-April on the last Thursday of each month, starting 7 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 28). https://mtu.edu/health-research/covid19townhall/…
Please register to join our Department Chair, Dr. Megan Frost, and her colleagues on January 25th from 12-1pm.
Our seminar topic this month will focus on how to adapt and move research forward during the pandemic. We will also discuss how the pandemic is impacting internship experiences and what opportunities students have.
A variety of faculty and student speakers will give brief rapid-fire presentations and answer questions along the way. The seminar goal is to facilitate meaningful discussions for how to provide robust research and internship experiences for students during the pandemic.
KIP November Seminar: Friday, November 13 from 3:00 – 4:00pm
“Strategies for Conducting Research during the COVD-19 Pandemic” Please email kip@mtu.edu for Zoom link before noon on Friday.
Please join the KIP department from 3 to 4 p.m. this Friday (Oct. 30) as Dr. Kaushik Patel from the Dept. of Cellular & Integrative Physiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center presents “Enhanced Sympathetic Outflow in Heart Failure: Improving ‘NO BRAKES’ by Exercise Training,” via zoom.
Contact kip@mtu.edu for the Zoom link.
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.
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.
The Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology Department will be holding an informational session about our Kinesiology Accelerated Master’s Program (BS-MS). The informational session includes an overview of the program, an opportunity to talk with graduate students who are currently enrolled in the BS-MS program, and tips for preparing an application.
The information session will take place at 2:30 p.m. today (Feb. 28) in ATDC 101. Feel free to stay for the KIP Seminar that follows.
Please RSVP by calling the KIP office at (906) 487-2715 or by emailing Melissa.
Congratulations to our PhD Candidate, Jessica Bruning, whose abstract was selected to be presented at the Experimental Biology Convention in April. Her abstract titled, ” Microbial Derived Short Chain Fatty-Acids and Autonomic Regulation of Cardiovascular Function” will be part of the Cellular and Molecular Basis of Autonomic Control session. This abstract will also be published in an upcoming FASEB Journal.
Experimental Biology 2017 (EB) was held in Chicago, IL the end of April. Faculty, numerous graduate students and one undergraduate student were in attendance from The Department of Kinesiology and Intregrative Physiology. EB is an annual meeting of six societies comprised of more than 14,000 scientist and 50 guest societies. The conference focus areas include anatomy, biochemistry and molecular biology, investigative pathology, nutrition, pharmacology, and physiology. Conferences like EB provide faculty opportunities for collaboration with top scientists from around the world, preview latest technologies from exhibitors, and allows a platform to present their latest research. Students gain valuable presentation experience and acknowledgment of their work through oral presentations and poster sessions.
Integrative Physiology Laboratory
Jason Carter, PhD
Dr. Carter, department chair and professor, participated in a Sleep, Circadian Clocks and Metabolism symposium where he presented “Consequences of Sleep Deprivation and Circadian Misalignment on Sympathoneural and Adrenomedullary Control”. Carter had two students presenting work from his laboratory.
Ida Fonkoue, recent PhD graduate
Oral Presentation Title: Black Adults Display Reduced Sympathetic Reactivity to Mental Stress Compared to Non-Hispanic White Adults, I.T. Fonkoue, C.E. Schwartz, B.M. Gervais, J.R. Carter
Poster Title: Sympathetic Neural Control in Chronic Insomnia, J.R. Carter, D. Grimaldi, I.T. Fonkoue, L. Medalie, B. Mokhlesi, E.Van Cauter
Travis Wakeham, master’s student and laboratory supervisor (BIO)
Oral Presentation Title: Reliability of Heart Rate Variability as an Assessment of Cardiac Sympathetic Activity in Humans, TR. Wakeham, I.T. Fonkoue, J.J. Durocher, W.H. Cooke, J.R. Carter
Congratulations to Dr. Fonkoue who was the recipient of the Neural Control and Autonomic Regulation (NCAR) Research Recognition Award for her first author abstract. This award recognizes an outstanding investigator in the early stages of their independent career. Dr. Fonkoue adds this to a long list of awards and accomplishments throughout her time as a Michigan Tech graduate student.
Electrophysiology Laboratory
Qing-Hui Chen, PhD
Dr. Chen, associate professor, chaired a section and presented an oral presentation. He had two graduate students in attendance from his laboratory.
Oral Presentation Title: Small-Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ (SK) Channels Regulate Pre-Sympathetic Neurons in the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus (PVN) and Parasympathetic Cardiomotor Neurons (CMN) in the Nucleus Ambiguus (NA): Pathological Changes, Z. Cheng, M. Lin, G.M. Toney, Q. Chen
Andrew Chapp, PhD student
Poster Title: Acetate, an Ethanol Metabolite increases Neuroinflammation and Neuronal Death: Implications in Ethanol Neurodegeneration, A.D. Chapp, K.M. Driscoll, J. Behnke, Z. Shan, Q.Chen
Jessica Behnke, master’s student
Poster Title: Acetate, the Metabolite of Ethanol, Increases Cytosolic Calcium and mRNA Expression Levels of EGR1 and TNFα in Dopaminergic Like PC12 Cells, J.E. Behnke, A.D. Chapp, K.M. Driscoll, Z. Shan, Q. Chen
Molecular Physiology Laboratory
Zhiying Shan, PhD
Dr. Shan, assistant professor, also attended the conference. There were three posters presented from her laboratory.
Taija Hahka, master’s student
Poster Title: High Salt Diet Plus Fructose Water Intake Induces Hypertension, T. Hahka, Y. Fan, E. Jiang, Q. Chen, Z. Shan
Enshe Jiang, visiting scholar
Poster Title: High Salt Intake Induces Sympathetic Activation in Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats Through Activation of Orexin-TNFa Signaling in the PVN, E. Jiang, M. Huber, Y. Fan, F. Zhu, Q. Chen, Z. Shan
Yuanyuan Fan, visiting student
Poster Title: Orexin A Receptor 1 (OX1R) Activation Increases Cam K2 Expression in PC12 Cells, Y. Fan, E. Jiang, T. Hahka, Q. Chen, Z. Shan
Exercise Physiology Laboratory
Steven Elmer, PhD
Dr. Elmer, assistant professor, attended and presented a teaching section poster. He also had one undergraduate student attend from his labratory.
Poster Title: The “Locomotion”: Not the Pop Song But an Activity Designed to Link Energetics and Mechanics to Understand Human Movement
Thomas Bye, undergraduate student, presented a Physiology Understand (PhUn) Week poster.
Poster Title: Use of Course-Based, Required Service Learning Assignment to Increase Physiology Understanding in Local Schools, T. Bye, K. Carter, J. Carter, S. Elmer
Dr. Schwartz, lecturer, also attended this year and was a co-investigator on an oral presentation.
Oral Presentation Title: Elevated Sympathetic Nerve Activity Mediates Increases in Large Central Elastic Artery Stiffness Independent of Changes in Blood Pressure in Humans, S.W. Holwerda, D.P. Credeur, L.E. DuBose, R.E. Luehrs, C.E. Schwartz, P.J. Fadel, G.L., Pierce