Conference Gives Exercise Science Students Motivation, Knowledge

Heidi Wells

A student asks a question during the regional conference of the American College of Sports Medicine held at the University of Arkansas.

Watching other students present their research can be the push a student needs to get on that same path, more so than a class or lecture or even the example of a faculty member.

That's the assessment of Michelle Gray, an associate professor of exercise science at the University of Arkansas who organized a regional conference of the American College of Sports Medicine in October. More than 175 participants from universities in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, the majority of them students, came to Fayetteville for the two-day conference that Gray described as student-centered.

"We base many of the talks on the needs and wants of the students," said Gray, who is past president of the Central States Chapter of the national organization. "We have students of all levels attending — undergraduate, masters and doctoral."

Olivia Orsak, a U of A senior from Memphis, Tennessee, is a kinesiology major interested in becoming an occupational therapist.

Orsak heard about Gray's research into ageism when Gray was a guest speaker in a seminar kinesiology course that Orsak took. She was then eager to get involved with research in the Human Performance Lab and learn more about geriatrics and ageism.

Orsak helped last spring with a research project in which participants wore an "aging suit," which included vision-altering goggles, a weighted vest and ankle weights, various braces to decrease join range of motion and a tens unit. The tens unit uses mild, safe electrical signals to stimulate nerves under the skin. The pieces of equipment simulated conditions associated with aging such as fading eyesight, hand tremors and weakness and impaired mobility.

"The purpose is to show someone what it's like to 'walk' in an older person's shoes for a day," Orsak said. "This is as close as we can get to help you feel it."

The student researchers gave the participants two surveys, one before the experience with the aging suit and one afterward, to look at differences in perception of aging.

"Our original hypothesis was that wearing the aging suit would alter perception but we didn't find that to be true," Orsak said. "Instead, a group of individuals that participated in a service-learning project with older adults showed a significant, positive change in perception from before and after performing hands-on work with older adults."

The student researchers are doing another round of testing in which the participants undergo a senior fitness test designed for people over 65, without the suit and then again while wearing it. They hypothesize that the experience will positively change people's perceptions about older adults and emphasize the importance of remaining healthy and active as they continue to age, she said. Participants are being sought between the ages of 18 and 59, a wide range to allow students to compare results across decades.

Orsak, Gray and Ashley Binns, a doctoral student who works with Gray on the ageism research, received first place in a research competition at the conference for the project titled "Reducing Ageism Through Education, Simulation, and Service-Learning."

Conferences give students the opportunity to learn things not covered in the classroom or laboratory, Gray said.

"For example, they learn how to network with other students as well as faculty and professionals in the community," she said. "I find that can really get students excited about doing their own projects when they see an undergraduate student presenting their data in a non-threatening environment. Additionally, they learn cutting-edge research. Most presentations were over data that had not yet been presented or published elsewhere."

Orsak attended all the sessions both days of the conference.

"I found it very helpful, especially the ones pertaining to therapy and exercise," she said. "I also interacted with other professors who I see every day, but I was not sure what they're researching."

She understands better now how to collaborate and build on a section of another student or faculty member's research.

"We were able to ask questions after the presentations, and we had really great discussions," Orsak said. "We asked why certain techniques and machines were used, and often they would describe how they tried something and explained why their approach did or did not work. That was educational."

In addition to the benefits for students, hosting a conference such as the American College of Sports Medicine brings attention to the university, the College of Education and Health Professions and the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation that it would not otherwise receive. Gray said she was approached by a prospective doctoral student interested in working with her and believed she was not the only faculty member to have that experience.

U of A students participated in nearly a dozen research presentations during the conference. Their topics included hydration and exercise performance, concussion management, effect of heat stress and exercise on arterial stiffness, and genes' effects on muscle atrophy and regeneration.

Student teams competed in a quiz bowl, and several faculty members were featured speakers, presenting their own research. A member of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute gave the luncheon talk on the Friday of the conference, focusing on trends in fueling athletes.