Are you interested in being a research assistant or research participant? Please contact specific Exercise and Sports Science faculty members to learn more about their current research projects and/or joining them for reserach.
Dr Hanaki is interested in the role of body movement and community-engaged education in the health of individuals. She has examined biomechanics of cycling, landing, endurance running and other exercises among recreational and competitive athletes and the effects of clinical modalities on musculoskeletal functions using 3D motion analysis, ground reaction force plates, electromyography, and a force transducer. Her recent interests and projects are related to athletic performance improvement and integration of community-engaged learning to promote active lifestyles. She strives to provide knowledge and clinical care to prevent sport-related injuries and to improve athletic performance as an educator and a certified athletic trainer.
Current Projects:
Physiological and Biomechanical Effects of Predominantly Downhill Marathon/Ogden Marathon (Data analysis & dissemination phase in December, 2024)
Dr. Dowdell is interested in a few areas relating to esports and video games. Particularly, he is interested in the physical activity and physical characteristic differences in these various growing populations of gamers as well as the stress response associated with competitive gaming. His background lies in exercise physiology with expertise in sports performance metrics, and he oversees projects in the newly renovated esports lab adjacent to the Human Performance Laboratory.
Current Projects
Dual Motor Task and other executive function characteristics in college student gamers and non-gamers.
Various HR and BP responses under different games.
Dr. Kodi's research area is the biomechanics of posture, balance, and gait. She focuses on fall prevention among occupational populations such as firefighters, military personnel, roofers, construction workers, and kitchen staff. In addition, she occasionally works with the athletic, geriatric, and clinical populations. For her research, she uses instruments such as the force platform, EMG, BalanceTutorTM treadmill, 3D Tutor TM station, BTrackSTM balance plate, virtual reality, etc.
For her projects, the data collection usually happens in the afternoons/evenings on weekdays (times depend on the participants’ convenience). Depending on the level of experience, the students who would like to get involved in her research projects would help with data collection, including preparing participants (e.g., obtaining informed consent, administering the relevant questionnaire, obtaining demographic and anthropometric data), preparing the test area, keeping track of project steps, timing, ensuring participant safety during data collection, data exportation, data analysis, etc. By engaging in the projects, if needed, the students can earn 1-3 upper-division (ESS 4800) credit hours, depending on the nature of the research project/s and the student workload.
Current Projects:
Cognitive Functions Following Physical Fatigue (in the data exportation phase as of 12.05.2024)
Effects of Perturbation-Based Training on Balance and Gait (in the data analysis phase as of 12.05.2024)
