91AV Exercise and Sport Performance students stand out at regional conference

91AV Exercise and Sport Performance students stand out at regional conference

On October 13 – 14, 2016, 28 students from the 91AV Department of Exercise and Sport Performance (ESP) in the Westbrook College of Health Professions traveled to Providence, Rhode Island to attend the New England American College of Sports Medicine meeting (NEACSM). 

Six students had their research accepted for presentation at the meeting. Dan White presented “The relationship between CAD risk factors and carotid intima media thickness in children.” Katie Wallingford presented “An assessment of cardiovascular health in southern Maine children and comparisons to national normative values.” Renee Brandano presented “Physiological adaptations to acute exposure to altitude (3,417m) in low land natives.” Mallory Morin presented “Effects of intermittent core stability exercise during high intensity intervals on time to exhaustion.” Stephanie Ostrowski presented “Effect of an unstable load on stabilizing muscles and bar motion during the bench press.” Christian Merritt presented “Head impacts in men’s lacrosse: incidence and force application.”

Stephanie Ostrowski received two awards, the NEACSM Undergraduate Research Experience grant and the Robert S. Axtell Undergraduate Scholarship. In addition, the 91AV Quiz Bowl team, made up of Applied Exercise Science students Haley Gray, Stephanie Ostrowski and Daniel Nguyen, competed against approximately 22 universities in New England and finished in second place.

Faculty members who supported 91AV students at the conference included Director of Applied Exercise Science Heath Pierce, M.Ed.; Assistant Clinical Professor and Internship Coordinator Casey Boucher, M.S., CES, CSCS; Associate Clinical Professor John Rosene, D.P.E., A.T.C., CSCS, ACSM EP-C; Associate Lecturer and Student Research Coordinator Shireen Rahman, Ed.D., ATC, CISSN; and ESP Chair Paul Visich, Ph.D., MPH, ACSM C-CEP. “This was a wonderful experience for our students, who represented 91AV with their thorough research and positive attitudes. We received numerous compliments throughout our time in Rhode Island and I couldn’t be more proud.”

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