A team of five Beaver College of Health Sciences undergraduate students recently attended the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Conference (SEACSM) and placed fifth out of 32 collegiate teams in an Exercise Science-based quiz bowl competition modeled after Jeopardy.
The team, which included students Jamison Cowart, Elaine Holley, Jonathan Renteria Rios, Dylan Edwards and Brody Wright, competed against other undergraduate teams from universities across the Southeast region from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
(App State's Quiz Bowl participants and faculty (from left) include: Jonathan Renteria Rios, Brody Wright, Dr. Kevin Zwetsloot, Dr. Bob Kowalsky, Elaine Holley, Jamison Cowart and Dylan Edwards.; photo provided)
Exercise Science (soon to be the Department of Kinesiology) faculty members Dr. Bob Kowalsky and Dr. Kevin Zwetsloot coached the quiz bowl team, attending the conference in Greenville, S.C., with the quiz bowl participants, graduate students, and colleagues Dr. Becki Battista and Dr. Becka Kappus.
In addition, Battista was honored with her career-long devotion to service, leadership, advocacy and mentorship with SEACSM with the Emily M. Haymes Mentorship award and was elected to the SEACSM Board as the representative to the American College of Sports Medicine.
“Our undergraduate students who participated in the quiz bowl loved the competition and the conference experience,” said Battista. “All of the students attending were fortunate to meet the ACSM President and attend numerous research presentations. Seeing them develop a newfound passion for science and return to App State eager to share their experiences with their peers was rewarding for us as faculty members.”
Four App State Exercise Science graduate students attended the conference, with three presenting:
Graduate student Olivia McCallum, a clinical exercise physiology major, was selected to present research entitled “10 Minutes of Active Standing Every 30 Minutes Improves Subjective Ratings of Discomfort and Fatigue” which she completed with Kowalsky’s mentorship. (Image shows McCallum (left) and Kowalsky with the research poster presentation; photo provided).
Graduate student Carolyn Gura presented work done with HOPE Lab Team Members titled: Science In Motion: Exploring Ways to Increase Children’s Physical Activity During the School Day.” Co-authors included Dr. Brooke Towner, Stella Cybulski, Dr. Joy James and Battista.
Jack Scroggs, second-year master’s student, co-presented with Battista and Kappus on “The Importance of Exercise: Promoting Physical Activity To Our Future Clinicians.”
“App State’s presence at SEACSM continues to grow, and we are excited to bring more students and faculty to this conference every year to further App State’s reputation and influence,” said Battsta.
Three students wearing App State shirts sit around a table together
Jonathan Renteria Rios, Elaine Holley, and Jamison Cowart (left to right).