By Amanda Mlekush
Two App State Kinesiology students received recognition for the quality of their research at the Southeastern American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM) (which includes states Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Puerto Rico) conference held recently in Greenville, S.C.
Brighten Winslow received first place and Millie Monahan received third place in the undergraduate research poster competition.
Winslow’s research (she is shown at left with her research poster; photo submitted) compared cardiovascular responses from a 10-minute bout of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on a treadmill to a 10-minute bout of HIIT training using body weight resistance exercises. She measured blood pressure, heart rate and pulse wave velocity to determine that individuals can achieve similar benefits from either type of HIIT session.
Monahan’s research (she is shown at left with her research poster; photo submitted) focused on measuring validity and reliability of conducting a pulse wave velocity assessment (a measure of arterial health) while standing instead of lying on an examination table–which is the typical way this measurement is conducted. Her findings concluded that the pulse wave velocity assessment can be conducted standing or lying down.
“We are incredibly proud of Brighten and Millie for their outstanding research and recognition at this year’s SEACSM conference,” said Dr. Joe Marino, Kinesiology professor and department chair. “Their work exemplifies the high caliber of undergraduate research in our department, moving beyond the classroom to provide meaningful insights into cardiovascular health and clinical assessment.”
Both students were mentored by Dr. Robert Kowalsky, associate professor of Kinesiology, who was elected member at-large to the executive board. Another Kinesiology professor, Dr. Becki Battista, is beginning her five-year term as the SEACSM Executive Director.
Seventeen App State students attended the conference to present research or participate in the Quiz Bowl competition including: undergraduate students Daliana Estevez, Garrett Johnston, Riley Evans, Caitlin Fish, Breanna Gibson, Mackenzie Knapp, Keegan Carter, and London Fidler; and graduate students Ansley Patton, Rhett Schimpf, Avery Yoder, Byron Hollowell, Brendan Thompson, Carolyn Gura, Payton Rainey, Charleston Gaillard (Biology) and Maggie Emmons (Nutrition). (Five students--Johnston, Ritchie, Winslow, Evans, and Fish--participated in the Quiz Bowl competition and placed 10th overall; photo submitted).
In addition to Marino, Kowalsky and Battista, students were accompanied by Kinesiology faculty members Drs. Rebecca Kappus, Matt Rogatzki, Andy Shanely, Jared Skinner, Kevin Zwetsloot and Jennifer Zwetsloot.
(Header photo shows all the App State affiliated attendees at the SEACSM conference; photo at right shows Winslow and Monahan with faculty mentor Dr. Robert Kowalsky.)
Two women hold certificates with a man standing between them and a banner behind them that reads SEACSM conference
Millie Monahan, Dr. Bob. Kowalsky and Brighten Winslow