Carey Simpson conducts an ultrasound procedure on the calf of volunteer John Bocti. As a fourth-year Human Kinetics student at UBC’s Okanagan School of Health and Exercise Sciences last year, Simpson conducted research that discovered significant differences in male versus female physiology when it comes to pre-exercise routines.
Student research opportunities
Undergraduate students have the option of taking HMKN 499 which involves working on laboratory-based research with a faculty member for a term. The students become intimately engaged in the program of research and participate in data collection and analysis. In some cases, they may repeat the commitment for a second term and even over the summer. The school is in the process of creating an undergraduate honour’s program to formalize this aspect of the curriculum for students who are interested.
Faculty research
Prof. Paul van Donkelaar’s program of research on sports concussion received both a Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funding this past year. His research will examine brain blood flow to understand how concussions induce behavioural symptoms, such as a decrease in balance, attention and concentration. This research will impact the contact sports community in the Okanagan Valley by generating new knowledge concerning the diagnosis and management of a concussion injury as well as contributing to the objective means by which return-to-play decisions are made.
In addition, four other HES faculty – Assoc. Prof. Neil Eves and Asst. Profs. Jennifer Jakobi, Jon Little, and Chris McNeil – received five-year Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grants to fund their continuing programs of research.
Intimate learning environments
Asst. Prof. Mary Jung’s new Laboratory Techniques in Exercise Psychology course is a great example of an intimate learning environment. The fourth-year elective course is designed specifically to foster applied, experiential learning through the use of laboratory assignments, partner and group-based work, and ongoing feedback from the professor.
Lab activities will include topics such as assessment of biological hormonal alterations and psychological changes as a result of exercise manipulations, in-depth analysis of how it feels to live with a physical disability, and the influence our fitness industry has on individuals who are overweight or obese. With a smaller class size, Jung will be able to offer unique opportunities to the students, including the use of innovative measurement tools, equipment, and delve into more personalized feedback with the students’ ongoing projects within the course.
Highlights of new programs and courses
The school is offering several new courses for the first time this upcoming academic year. The courses all ‘Special Topics’ courses aimed at third- and fourth-year students and include the following:
- Fatigue in Humans
- Exercise and Metabolic Disease
- Gross Anatomy
- Tissue Injury and Repair
- Laboratory Techniques in Exercise Psychology
Upcoming events
Prof. Danny Green – Winthrop Professor of Exercise Physiology and Biochemistry at The University of Western Australia and Liverpool John Moores University will be a visiting faculty member this coming academic year in the laboratory of Prof. Phil Ainslie.
Green is a human integrative biologist whose research focuses on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. His specific expertise relates to novel imaging approaches to the assessment of micro and macrovascular diseases, including surrogate measures of early and occult disease.
His research encompasses the lifespan; from exercise training in the prevention of the development of atherosclerosis in obese children and adolescents, to research on the best combination of exercise and medications in the management of patients with hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and coronary disease.
New faculty members
Greg DuManoir, instructor – Physiology. DuManoir was a faculty member at Okanagan College at the Penticton campus. He received his PhD from the University Alberta.
Glen Foster, assistant professor – Cardiovascular Physiology. Most recently, Foster was a post-doctoral fellow in the School of Kinesiology at UBC’s Vancouver campus. He received his PhD from the University of Calgary.
Ali McManus, associate professor – Pediatric Population Health. McManus has been a faculty member at Hong Kong University for the last 15 years. She received her PhD from Exeter University in the U.K.
Personnel changes and promotions:
Phil Ainslie and Gordon Binsted were promoted to full professor.
Sally Willis-Stewart was promoted to Senior Instructor with tenure.
Contact information:
School of Health and Exercise Sciences
ARTS 360
University of British Columbia
3333 University Dr.
Kelowna, B.C.
V1V 1V7
-30-
