Kinesiology students present at conference

Twenty students and four faculty members from the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Department of Kinesiology attended the annual meeting of the Southeast Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM) from Feb. 20-22 in Greenville, South Carolina. Five of the students presented research posters at the event.

Danielle Bull, a senior from Gainesville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in kinesiology with an exercise science concentration, became the first student from UNG to present a poster two years in a row at the SEACSM meeting.

Her poster was a collaboration with Dr. Brad Bailey, professor of mathematics; Dr. Sabrina Fordham, associate department head and associate professor of kinesiology; and Dr. Blake Podsen, assistant professor of kinesiology. They surveyed students about joint pain, stiffness and weakness along with conducting functional movement screening to compare the results. Their research found a lack of physical activity as a key indicator in these health problems.

Bull has been accepted into UNG's Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, which she will begin after graduating with her bachelor's degree in May. She appreciates her department's support of her undergraduate research efforts and said it set her up to be accepted into the DPT program. The SEACSM event, she said, was another confidence-booster.

"You get to network with so many experts in the field from high-level universities," Bull said. "You get to feel like the expert and share what you've learned."

Connor McKay, a senior from Cumming, Georgia, pursuing a degree in exercise science, presented his poster on a systematic review of Brazilian jiu-jitsu nutrition. He earlier received a Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities mini-grant to support similar research that sought to determine the ability of a supplement to limit fatigue when doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

McKay has been accepted into Florida State University's master's and Ph.D. program in exercise physiology in its Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine. With a graduate research position that provides a full tuition waiver and stipend, McKay will be working under Dr. Michael Ormsbee, one of the world-renowned professors in the field.

He said he can draw a direct line from his undergraduate experience to his graduate school opportunities.

"Mentorship in the kinesiology program and exercise science is second to none," McKay said. "Dr. Parker Hyde has helped shape me as a scientist."

Hyde, assistant professor of kinesiology, said the students thrived while sharing their research with fellow scientists, as well as practitioners.

"That translational research of sharing with multiple audiences is usually more of something that graduate students do," Hyde said. "Our faculty members are pouring into our students, and our students are pushing themselves to do great things."