KIP Newsblog

Celebrating Physiology Friday

Published October 25, 2017

With the assistance of exercise science student, Thomas Bye, KIP Assistant Professor Steve Elmer, and Advisor/Outreach Coordinator Kathy Carter were recently awarded a $500 Physiological Society Outreach grant for funding activities that promote Physiology Friday. As part of Biology Week during October 9-13, Physiology Friday was an international event with students all over the world participating in events and celebrating Physiology, the function of the human body.

Lead by Elmer and Carter, students from Kinesiology and Biomedical visited 6 area schools. Over 135 area high school students took part in numerous engaging activities that demonstrated how basic knowledge of physiology is important for understanding how we move.

In addition to bringing the awareness of Physiology to area high school students, this event creates learning opportunities for our students as well. Here are a few quotes from the MTU students that participated:

“I learned a lot about myself in doing this project. It was really fun, I found that I wasn’t as nervous about presenting as I thought I would be and I sort of just let my enthusiasm and passion take over. It’s really easy to present on a topic you’re already excited and possionate about!”

– Abby Sutherland, Second Year Exercise Science

“This experience actually alowed me to learn more about physiology, because when you educate others about a topic it helps you to better understand it as well. I was also able to learn how to be a more effective speaker from my fellow outreach participants in our preparation meetings.”

– Jana Hendrickson, Second Year Exercise Science

“I learned that I love teaching and I may want to try and pursue more things related to the area. It was nice to step out of my departments and experience more of the physiology and athletic sciences research opportunities.”

– Levi Oxner, Fourth Year Biomedical and Electrical Engineering

“From this experience I learned how to problem solve, we had two mess ups during our activity but easily solved them.”

– Thomas Bye, Fourth Year Exercise Science

“I helped with this event because I enjoy teaching. Also, when I was in high school I was unaware of what kinesiology was and all the cool job opportunities that came with a degree in this field. It feels great to introduce students to this and help them realize what they may want to do in the future.”

– Kevin Phillips, PhD Student Integrative Physiology

KIP Faculty and Students Attend Experimental Biology 2017

Published May 10, 2017

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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

JasonCarter_Portrait.2011 (2) 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

Christopher Schwartz, PhD

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

KIP Faculty Awarded Research Excellence Fund Awards

Published April 28, 2017

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Funding
News

Three KIP faculty members were awarded internal Research Excellence Fund (REF) awards this week. There are four internal REF categories for researchers to select from and new for 2017 were three health-oriented Portage Health Foundation REF (PHF-REF) categories. All three KIP faculty were awarded grants from the PHF-REF categories.

Trewartha’s Article Published in Cognition

Published April 24, 2017

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Assistant Professor Kevin Trewartha (CLS/KIP) was recently published in Cognition, an international journal that publishes theoretical and experimental papers on the study of the mind. His article titled “Linking actions and objects: Context-specific learning of novel weight priors” is a fun read that explores how context impacts our memory for objects.

His work was also featured in Michigan Tech News.

Steve Elmer Recognized for Teaching by Dean

Published April 14, 2017

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News

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Steve Elmer for his recognition from College of Sciences and Arts Dean, Bruce Seely, as the final member of the Spring 2017 Dean’s Teaching Showcase.

Elmer continues to strive for excellence in his teaching approach. Students studying and working with him experience hands-on learning and are encouraged to be involved in his research.

You’ll find his students everywhere on campus and around town. His students lead area visiting high school students through experiments, they can be seen buying parts at local hardware stores to make a model for his lab, predicting when a runner will break the two hour barrier for a marathon, or pushing each other to find their VO2 max.

The full story about Steve’s nomination by Dean Seely can be read on Tech Today.

rsz_fullsizeoutput_59 — Alex Gabe, exercise science undergraduate student, leading a group high school students through the analysis of the experiment.

rsz_fullsizeoutput_5a — Tom Bye and Kirsen Hudak, both exercise science undergraduate students, explaining to a group of high school students how to make the wooden apparatus needed to navigate a slalom course as part of an experiment to determine the rotational inertia on turning performance.

Houghton High School Visits Anatomy & Physiology Classes

Published April 13, 2017

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The Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Kinesiology & Integrative Physiology hosted students from Houghton High School’s Anatomy and Physiology class last week. Department chairs Dr. Shekhar Joshi (BIO) and Dr. Jason Carter (KIP) kicked off the visit with an informational session about the many ways each department prepares students for health-related careers. Students then toured labs in both departments engaging in lab activities.

rsz__dsc0084 — Ida Fonkoue engaging students in an experiment about the influence of stress on blood pressure. Ida recently earned her PhD studying under Jason Carter.

fullsizeoutput_54 — Derek Walli demonstrating a concentric and eccentric exercise experiment with a Houghton High School student. Derek is a master’s degree student studying under Steve Elmer.

The Daily Mining Gazette also covered this visit.

Dollar Bay High School Students Participate in National Biomechanics Day

Published April 10, 2017

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News

Students from Dollar Bay High School were on campus Thursday, April 6 to participate in National Biomechanics Day. Steve Elmer and Tejin Yoon‘s laboratories lead students through experiments demonstrating methods of biomechanics research.

KIP Coordinates National Biomechanics Day Outreach with Local Schools

Published April 4, 2017

By Heather Powers

National Biomechanics Day is Thursday (April 6), a world-wide event for high-school teachers and students to advance the science and education of human biomechanics.

This year’s theme is, “Science Meets Fun on National Biomechanics Day.” The Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (KIP) Department has collaborated with several departments across campus to invite local students to engage in fun, hands-on activities focused on biomechanics research.

Students will start their visit with KIP faculty, Steve Elmer and Tejin Yoon. Elmer will engage students in building a wooden apparatus that they will use to investigate the influence of rotational inertia on turning performance. To do this students will navigate a slalom course with and without the wooden apparatus. Yoon will demonstrate the many tools used to analyze and describe human motion during exercise, and students will even get a chance to test their strength compared to Michigan Tech football players.

Students will also have the opportunity to visit additional biomechanics laboratories across campus. Physical Therapist, Caroline Gwaltney, and several Central Michigan University doctorate of physical therapy students will demonstrate how foot position can alter posture.

Students will also make imprints of their foot type and analyze how different foot type impacts movement across multiple joints.

In Mo Rastgaar’s (MEEM) HIROlab, students will place EMG sensors on their arms and move a robotic arm, as well as investigate an agile robotic prosthesis as it moves on a circular treadmill.

Finally, students will wear trackable sensors to experiment with creating sound from their own movement and dance in Myounghoon “Philart” Jeon’s (CLS) Mind Music and Machine lab.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday with lab activities scheduled to begin at 9:10 a.m.

Local Students Win Portage Health Foundation Making a Difference Scholarships to Michigan Tech

Published April 4, 2017

By Heather Powers

Four students who are entering Michigan Tech this fall to pursue health-related careers have received $8,000 Making a Difference scholarships from the Portage Health Foundation. Another 10 entering first-year students received $1,000 awards.

The $8,000 scholarships went to:

Peter Alger, Houghton, computer engineering
Alexa Destrampe, Lake Linden, exercise science
Hannah Kariniemi, Calumet, biological sciences
Karmyn Polakowski, Houghton, biological sciences

Receiving $1,000 scholarships were:

Blake Dupuis, Lake Linden, exercise science
Lauren Gabe, L’Anse, biological sciences
Austin Goudge, Houghton, medical laboratory science
Bella Nutini, Hancock, exercise science
Celia Peterson, Calumet, biomedical engineering
Anna Pietila, L’Anse, biological sciences
Lindsay Sandell, Houghton, biomedical engineering
Brooke Tienhaara, Calumet, biological sciences
Nicholas Walli, Finlandia University, biological sciences
Sloane Zenner, Houghton, mechanical engineering

The students are from Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga or Ontonagon counties.

The 14 recipients of the 2017 awards have an average GPA of 3.81. Their interests reflect a broad spectrum of majors including biological sciences, exercise science, biomedical engineering, computer engineering, medical laboratory science and mechanical engineering. The scholarship winners flip Michigan Tech’s male to female ratio of 3:1, with 10 female and 4 male recipients.

The scholarships are part of a Michigan Tech-Portage Health Foundation partnership established in 2015 to support health-related research and education, jobs and community health. The scholarships were first awarded in 2016.

“The awards reflect the high-caliber student talent we have locally, thanks to exceptional schools, outreach programming and parent support,” says Jodi Lehman, director of foundations at Michigan Tech. “We know that student talent is key in supporting the success of college peers and inspiring K-12 students to pursue health science and engineering pathways.

The Portage Health Foundation and Michigan Tech share the long-term goal of retaining or recruiting back local workforce talent — whether that be orthodontists, doctors, physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons, biomedical engineers or professionals in the field of medical informatics. Scholarships ultimately play a critical role in helping to grow our local economy while fostering healthy communities.”

At a dinner for finalists, the scholarship recipients heard from current students also supported by the Portage Health Foundation through the Undergraduate Research Internship Program (URIP). Both speakers shared their internship experiences and career goals.

Read the full story.

Stephanie Dietrich in Undergrad Research Symposium

Published March 24, 2017

By Heather Powers

Students of Kinesiology

Stephanie Dietrich’s research, Subjective and Objective Assessments of Sleep Differences in Male and Female Collegiate Athletes, was presented at Michigan Tech’s 2017 Undergraduate Research Symposium this past week.

With the assistance of Jason Carter, she hypothesized that female athletes would demonstrate improved objective, and worse subjective, assessments of sleep when compared to men.

A number of studies report that sex (i.e., male vs. female) can influence subjective and objective assessments of sleep. Specifically, women tend to report lower subjective sleep quality compared to men, yet objective assessment via actigraphy have shown a paradoxically higher sleep duration and sleep efficiency in women compared to men. The vast majority of work in this area has been limited to middle-age and older adults. Despite the importance of sleep in athletic performance, no studies to date have focused on young, healthy athletes.

The Undergraduate Research Symposium highlights the amazing cutting-edge research being conducted on Michigan Tech’s campus by some of our best and brightest undergraduate students.

The students showcasing their work today have spent a significant portion of the past year working alongside Michigan Tech faculty and graduate students to explore, discover and create new knowledge. They’ve spent long hours in the lab or out in the field designing experiments, gathering data, creating new models and testing hypotheses. They’ve applied their classroom knowledge in new and sometimes unexpected ways, and developed new skills that will propel them forward in their careers.