Category: Students of Kinesiology

New minor in Public Health approved

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

Does Fasting Help Cardiovascular Health?

Are you interested in helping us learn if fasting improves cardiovascular health?

Variety of veggies and fruit

We are recruiting participants for a research study investigating how an intermittent fasting program impacts cardiovascular health. This study involves a 4 week control period followed by a 6 week period of intermittent fasting.

For this study you will be asked to do the following:

  • Visit the lab 8 times over 10 weeks
  • Fast twice weekly for 6 weeks

For those participating in this study you will receive

  • Monetary compensation
  • Information about your body composition and cardiovascular health

Eligibility Requirements:

  • 18 to 40 years old
  • No acute or chronic health conditions, injured, or recent surgery
  • No history of eating disorders
  • Normal resting heart rate and blood pressure
  • Do not smoke or vape more than once a month
  • Not currently participating in a fasting program
  • Pre-menopausal with a regular menstrual cycle typically lasting 15 to 45 days
  • Not breastfeeding, pregnant, or trying to become pregnant
  • Not currently using oral, injection, or implantable contraception.

If you are interested, please contact us using the information below or send us your contact info by using the QR Code or link.

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Participants Needed Upper Body Exercise Study

Heart shape with heartbeat

We are recruiting healthy adults to perform an upper-body endurance exercise test. Your participation will help us develop a heart-rate based equation to better prescribe exercise for healthy and clinical populations.

You may be eligible to participate in this research study at Michigan Technological Univesity if you:

  • Are between the ages of 18-80
  • Do not smoke
  • Are not diabetic
  • Have never had a heart attack or stroke
  • Do not have a cardiopulmonary condition
  • Do not take any heart or blood pressure medication
  • Do not have any implanted devices such as a pacemaker or pain pump.

For more information, contact Jana Hendrickson at janah@mtu.edu or 906-369-3648

Undergrads Abstracts to be Presented at NCUR

Michigan Tech will be well represented this year at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at Montana State on March 26th through 28th. These seven students will be presenting their posters or abstracts:

  • Jana Hendrickson, Exercise Science
  • Sarah Dix, Exercise Science
  • Garek Dyzsel, Electrical Engineering
  • Tristan Duelge, Exercise Science
  • Alex Rondorf, Biological Sciences
  • Brennan Vogl, Biomedical Engineering
  • Emily Nelson, Biomedical Engineering

Abstract accepted for poster presentation

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.

Award Winning student

Joshua Gonzalez

Congratulations to our PhD Candidate, Joshua Gonzalez, who has been selected as a recipient of the 2020 Caroline tum Sudent/Frances Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Award from the American Physiological Society!

This award is for his abstract, Acute Effects of the JUUL E-cigarette on Blood Pressure and Peripheral Sympathetic Activity in Young Non-Smokers, which was co-authored by Dr. William Cooke and Stephanie Jewel, undergraduate research assistant.

We are so proud of you all!

Thank You for the Support

Group of CMU Physical Therapy studentsOn behalf of the CMU Physical Therapy Student Organization (PTSO), MTU cohort, and Laurel and Melissa Maki from 31 Backpacks, we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to all who helped make the Spaghetti Dinner a bigger success than we could have ever imagined. Thanks to everyone who bought tickets, donated money, or donated merchandise for auction, we were able to raise $1,869 to be able to send to 31 Backpacks.

In addition, as a part of Giving Tuesday on Tuesday December 3, we donated the proceeds through the Portage Health Foundation, and they matched our donation, bringing that total to $3,738. It is amazing that we were able to raise as much as we did, and it speaks volumes to the generosity of everyone in this wonderful community here in Houghton. It goes to show that we can make a very significant difference in the lives of those who need our help, and we hope that you will continue to show this generosity as we have more events to raise money for other organizations, including our 5k Hero Hustle Race for the Michigan Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, coming in July 2020.

The PTSO group also collects Tadych’s Econo receipts and they can be sent via campus mail to the Kinesiology & Integrative Physiology Department, 231 SDC.

In Print

Business woman working on laptop computer at ergonomic standing desk. Female professional working at her desk with male colleague working at the back.John Durocher (BioSci), Steve Elmer (KIP) PhD student Ian Greenlund, recent graduate Piersan Suriano and Jason Carter published The paper titled “Chronic Standing Desk Use and Arterial Stiffness” in this month’s issue of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.

The results of the study indicate that using a standing desk for more than 50% of the workday did not effectively reduce arterial stiffness. The study confirms that aerobic fitness reduces arterial stiffness, and that aging increases arterial stiffness. The authors wish to thank faculty and staff members from around campus who participated in this study.

The article can be viewed free.

Tessa Sprague, Pre-Physician Assistant Program

Tessa Sprague

Michigan Tech offered so many resources that greatly improved my success. Grades are very important when applying to Physician Assistant (PA) schools, so the learning centers and tutoring kept me on track with my goal GPA. There was also a wide range of volunteer opportunities in health-related areas that helped me become more comfortable as a healthcare provider.

Bachelor of Exercise Science major helped me prepare for PA school by requiring a summer internship which opened doors for me getting more direct patient care hours which is a big focus for many PA schools. I also really enjoyed the tests and research I was able to do throughout my courses in this major.

I applied to CMU’s program initially due to the success rate of their students in passing their PANCE exam first round and how driven they were in helping the underserved which is a large part of medicine. After interviewing at CMU for a spot in their program I felt the most comfortable with the faculty and students’ view on community. Coming from Michigan Tech and a good program, community was very important to me in my decision. In summer 2019, I was accepted into Central Michigan’s Physician Assistant Program!

The biggest advice I have for future students is to do extracurricular activities that will make you stand out through the application process. I was involved in Michigan Tech EMS which helped me become certified as an EMT. I then used my certification to build up experience and direct patient care hours for my application. I would also suggest taking a gap year between undergrad and PA school to get some job experience that will make certain aspects of PA school much easier.

I did a variety of extracurricular activities while at Michigan Tech. I worked for Student Health and Wellness as a Peer Health Advocate which strengthened my communication skills and was the best job I could’ve had throughout school. I volunteered with Michigan Tech EMS as a first responder giving me valuable patient experience. I was involved in research and was part of the Spartners program helping educate children about nutrition and fitness.

Michigan Tech helped me in my success in getting into PA school as well as giving me a good base of knowledge to help make connections with the new material. The application process isn’t always easy but just remember to be yourself and show them what makes you stand out!

Students Present at Annual Michigan Space Grant Consortium Fall Conference

KIP students from Dr. Steven Elmer’s Advanced Exercise Physiology class. From left to right, back row; Sarah LewAllen (MS), Benjamin Cockfield (MS), Andrea Serrano (Ph.D.), Isaac Wedig (Ph.D.), Nehemiah McIntyre (MS). Front row; Josh Gonzalez (Ph.D.), Jessica Pitts (MS), Jessica Bruning (Ph.D.).

On Saturday, October 12th, eight students in the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (1 undergraduate, 3 Masters, 4 Ph.D.) had the opportunity to travel to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to attend the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) Fall Conference. This annual conference focuses on research, education, and outreach, providing both academia and industry the opportunity to share ideas in fields related to space and NASA’s strategic interests. At this year’s conference, Michigan Tech’s unique group of KIP students were able to highlight some of the important concerns facing human systems when conducting space exploration.

“NASA’s strategic plan emphasizes the complexity of systems involved in human spaceflight, but perhaps the most complex and limiting is the human body”—PhD student Jessica Bruning during their group’s oral presentation on Saturday

Led by Dr. Steven Elmer as part of his Advanced Exercise Physiology class (KIP 5000), this multidisciplinary group of students possessing backgrounds in physiology, biomechanics, biology, and biomedical engineering, were able to present preliminary data and future directions for a class project looking into human locomotion under reduced gravity conditions.

KIP students with MSGC Fall Conference keynote speaker and NASA astronaut, Tony England (middle). From left to right, back row; Benjamin Cockfield (MS), Andrea Serrano (Ph.D.), Isaac Wedig (Ph.D.), Nehemiah McIntyre (MS). Front row; Josh Gonzalez (Ph.D.), Jana Hendrickson (undergrad), Jessica Pitts (MS), Jessica Bruning (Ph.D.).

All eight students were involved in a group oral presentation, led by Ph.D. student and MSGC fellowship recipient, Josh Gonzalez, titled “Setting foot on Mars: A Big Step and Even Greater Leap for Undergraduate and Graduate Students”. The presentation highlighted the class’s work to determine the most energetically efficient form of locomotion on Mars and its implications for successfully carrying out a human Mars mission.

The presentation emphasized the team’s diversity of educational backgrounds and how their multidisciplinary approach serves a major benefit in answering these and many other important questions when sending humans to space.

The students had the honor of meeting the keynote speaker, Dr. Tony England, a NASA astronaut who spoke about his experiences and insights during his involvement with the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. If you’ve ever seen the classic 1995 film Apollo 13, then you’ve seen England in action. He is the real-life astronaut stationed at mission control who was tasked with engineering a make-shift carbon dioxide scrubber for the Apollo space crew, ultimately saving their lives and allowing them to return safely to Earth.

Two students, Benjamin Cockfield and Jana Hendrickson, gave individual presentations in addition to the group presentation.  Benjamin Cockfield, an MS student and MSGC fellowship recipient, gave an oral presentation discussing his research on upper body aerobic exercise with blood flow restriction and its applications to human space travel, mission success, and astronaut health.

“The purpose of my research is to discover novel modes of exercise that could be used by astronauts to help mitigate the muscle and bone loss from long term space-flight and microgravity exposure.” —Benjamin Cockfield

KIP undergraduate student, Jana Hendrickson, presenting her poster about a 3D elbow model used for K-12 outreach showing how levers work in the human body.

Undergraduate student Jana Hendrickson presented a poster on K-12 student outreach that utilized a 3D elbow model to help visualize how levers work in the human body.  “It was exciting to present my educational outreach poster to a diverse audience and share the importance of inspiring the next generations of researchers, scientists, and health professionals,” Jana shares.

Invigorated by their experience, the group of students plan to continue their investigation into human locomotion and will be designing a harness system to simulate and test human movement in reduced gravity conditions. In addition to their MSGC presentation, the group has also applied for the Hands-On NASA-Oriented Experience for Students (HONES) grant, which could fund further research and a trip to the Johnson Space Center located in Houston, Texas.

“We have a strong group and I believe we submitted a competitive HONES application. Presenting at the Johnson Space Center would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.”—PhD student Josh Gonzalez

The students who attended the MSGC Conference would like to thank Dr. Elmer for his guidance and research laboratory access, as well as Dr. Frost, the KIP department chair, and the MSGC for supporting this hands-on educational experience.

“The conference provided a great opportunity to meet and interact with professionals of many different fields, from astrophysics to geology, and gave us practice communicating our expertise across varying domains,” —Isaac Wedig