Cal Poly Kinesiology Dept Newsletter June 2009 Greetings from San Luis Obispo! There have been a lot of changes at Cal Poly and in our department since we last published a newsletter. The faculty, staff and students have been engaged in a variety of creative and scholarly activities on campus, in the local community and in professional organizations! I’ll share a few of the highlights in this column, but I also encourage you to read some of the special columns in this newsletter that highlight the activities of the emerging Center for Obesity Prevention and Education, news from the faculty and projects in the adapted paddling program. Since we last published a newsletter we have had some changes in department faculty and staff. It is with a great deal of sadness that I share news of the untimely death of Dr. Susan Puhl. She passed away suddenly in August, 2007. She taught exercise physiology and provided logistical and professional leadership and advising for PolyFit. She and I started our tenure at Cal Poly in September 1999, so it still seems a bit strange to walk through the Kinesiology Tower and not bump into her. Her family came to San Luis Obispo and donated her books to our department. The Kinesiology Department provided some matching bookshelves and Dr. Davis helped to set up a reference library in the second floor laboratory classroom. It is really nice to see students studying in that room between labs and having access to books and journals from various faculty members’ libraries. The Kinesiology Department also received a very generous gift to establish a scholarship in Dr. Puhl’s memory. A few faculty members have retired since 2007. Dr. “G” (Sonja Glassmeyer) finished her FERP (Faculty Early Retirement Program) but still comes to campus a few times a year to serve as marshal for university commencement. Dr. Jerry DeMers retired in August 2008 and remains very active consulting on aquatic injury cases and writing manuals for training people in aquatic safety and management. Drs. Proctor and Nakamura retired a few years ago and are going to complete their last years as “FERPing” instructors during academic year 2009 - 2010. As faculty members have left, we have been very fortunate to hire new faculty to join our Kinesiology family. Dr. Ann McDermott joined us in the spring of 2007. She is serving as the director of the emerging Center for Obesity Prevention and Education, providing amazing leadership and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students in a wide variety of translational research projects and building an interdisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners committed to educating people about obesity and helping them develop strategies to live physically active and healthy lifestyles. Dr. David Hey joined our faculty in September 2008. He is an assistant professor whose area of expertise is health education. In his short time in the department, Dr. Hey has situated himself as an excellent teacher and talented researcher - especially for conducting focus group research. Dr. Suzanne Phelan also joined our faculty in September 2008 She is a licensed clinical psychologist who is working on a large NIH (National Institutes for Health) grant related to the prevention of gestational diabetes through sustained weight loss in post partum women. This coming fall Dr. Todd Hagobian will join our faculty as an applied exercise physiologist. He will provide leadership to and advise the PolyFit Club. The staff members in the department are working really hard to help us all maintain our sanity and keep up with the dynamic nature of changes in computer systems and software, scheduling issues and logistical changes related to campus construction projects. Melody Pietsch rejoined our department as an administrative support assistant. She spends a great deal of her time providing administrative support for COPE as well as keeping up with her administrative support for other departmental tasks related to curriculum and programs. Shirley Huston, Mary Ann Millington and Jack Collins are also still with us providing administrative support, equipment assistance and technical support respectively. You can learn more about our faculty and staff by visiting our newly designed website at www.kinesiology.calpoly.edu! Earlier this year, the faculty and staff worked with a consultant, Jesse Sostrin, to revisit our department mission, vision and develop strategic goals that could guide us for the next three to five year. Our vision is a world where all people engage in physical activity and other healthful behaviors across their lifespan. Based on that vision, our mission is to prepare students to be leading professionals through education, research and practical experience. Our students make an impact in the fields of physical activity, health, disease prevention and treatment. The faculty will continue to work on our strategic goals in a manner which will help us meet our vision and mission and prepare for our upcoming five year program review and are on-going yearly program assessment. We still are very fortunate to attract some very talented students to our department. We had over 1200 applicants for fall 2009 and admitted about 200 in order to reach a target of 64 first time freshmen. The most recent report from admissions indicated that 80 students had declared their intent to come to the Kinesiology Department in fall 2009. We also intend to redesign the curriculum. The department continues to have about 425 undergraduate students and approximately 15 active graduate students. I never imagined that I would be writing this column as the department chair, but feel very fortunate to work with so many talented students and colleagues in the department. My own professional activity has continued to move along at a rapid pace. I am currently vice president for Girls and Women in Sport for CAHPERD, president of the Western Society for the Physical Education of College Women, on numerous university committees, and will start a one year term as Vice Chair of the Academic Senate in about four weeks. My research and teaching interests in the psychological and sociological aspects of physical activity also keep me busy in that I am currently collaborating with some colleagues on a chapter in an edited book in which we are attempting to address the complex intersection of race/ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation for people entering sport leadership roles. I also collaborated with Ketra Armstrong at CSU Long Beach to write a chapter on women of color in sport leadership positions that appeared in Women as Leaders in Sport: Impact and Influence (2007). There’s never a dull moment around here! As many of you know, the state of California is facing some very difficult economic times. The CSU is no stranger to past budget shortfalls, but the uncertainty of the current state budget is creating uncertainty that few people on this campus have ever experienced before. Perhaps one of the biggest changes we are dealing with in our college is the reorganization of the College of Education and the Department of Liberal Studies into the College of Science and Mathematics - effective July 1, 2009. The College of Education will enter the College of Science and Mathematics as a School of Education. The Department of Liberal Studies will as a “department”. So in just a few weeks, there will be seven departments and one school in the College of Science and Mathematics. There are no other major reorganizations happening in any other colleges...at least not at this very moment. The actual extent of budget cuts on our campus are still unknown at this time, but we may face anywhere from 5 - 10% budget cuts in department operating and expense accounts and all college based fee allocations will go toward instruction or access to classes. This means that will not be able to purchase any equipment, materials or provide funding for projects (e.g. student travel, faculty travel, etc.) in the manner we have been able to do since the college based fee came into existence in 2002. Needless to day, academic year 2009 - 2010 is going to be rather challenging. One thing that really does help our department is the gifts that our alums make on an annual basis. Whether you are able to send $5.00 or $5,000.00, each gift really does help have access to discretionary money that helps us recruit new faculty and provide special events for our students. We had many alums send their news, so I hope you all enjoy reading their updates as much as I did! Please enjoy this newsletter and feel free to stop in and see us the next time you are in the San Luis Obispo area. Dr. Suzanne Phelan We would like to recognize a new addition to the Kinesiology department and the emerging Center for Obesity Prevention and Education (COPE), Dr. Suzanne Phelan. As one of the few solely research based professors in the department, Dr. Phelan has contributed immensely to the developing COPE through her research about gestational weight loss. Before coming to Cal Poly in August of 2008, Dr. Phelan earned her undergraduate degree at Colorado University at Boulder and her MA and PhD at MCP Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. Three main research topics encompass weight loss before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after pregnancy, and considering the effects of each on both the mother and the child’s health and obesity. Projects currently in progress assess various aspects of gestational weight loss and gain, gestational diabetes, and how each is affected by nutrition, exercise, and close monitoring of many other factors. Dr. Phelan’s research influences not only central coast community mothers, but to national moms as well, through internet-based research programs. She works with community members and national institutions including the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a nutrition program for low income moms. Dr. Phelan’s work also provides extraordinary opportunities for Cal Poly students to get involved in research through senior project courses. PolyFit Like many of the Kinesiology department’s exciting programs, PolyFit is growing in size, momentum, and notoriety. PolyFit is Cal Poly’s center for body composition testing and fitness level analysis of community members and students. Under new management, PolyFit is now student led by Katie Stoddard and Katy Vaughan and advised by our own Dr. Steve Davis and Don Clegg. According to Stoddard, the new leadership is ready to take over and expand with more equipment and new tests. Over 50 student volunteers work to increase PolyFit’s ability to improve the fitness and overall physical health of students and community members alike by expanding its services beyond just fitness testing. The club hopes to add nutrition advising and client specific exercise routines to their fitness exams. PolyFit typically sees 20-30 clients each week for testing of body composition and fitness levels and has three different accurate methods of testing body composition. First is the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) which determines percent body fat by measuring resistance using electrodes attached to the client’s hands and feet. Second, is a skin fold test. Using skin calipers, the PolyFit volunteers take measurements at various points of the client’s body assessing their amount of body fat. The third is a hydrostatic dunk tank and is easily the most exciting. Located within the PolyFit offices, the hydrostatic dunk tank is used to measure displacement in a large tank of water, allowing them to determine overall body composition. Fitness testing is composed of three areas: strength, determined by the dynamometry and push-up tests; endurance, analyzed by the stationary bikes, treadmills, and a step test; and flexibility, measured by the joint range of motion and sit and reach tests. PolyFit volunteers are friendly, trained, and fully qualified to administer the tests and review each test’s purpose and results with the client. PolyFit’s new leadership is ready to build on the club’s principles to increase quality affordable body testing to Cal Poly and the surrounding community. In April, PolyFit hosted Poly Heart, a community wide effort to spread awareness throughout Cal Poly and the community about the 7 signs of heart disease. PolyFit hopes to continue to reach more of the community in the future and wants to spread awareness about nutrition, fitness, and overall body health. Dr. Kevin Taylor Dr. Kevin Taylor’s passion for physical health and commitment to the Kinesiology department is astounding. Before coming to Cal Poly in 1999, Dr. Taylor received his bachelor’s degree at Northumberland University Newcastle, England and his Postgraduate Certificate in Education at De Monfort University, England before receiving his master’s degree at Central Washington University and his Doctorate at the University of South Carolina. After graduating, Dr. Taylor became a professor at Northern Colorado teaching future high school PE teachers. Currently Dr. Taylor teaches the Adaptive Physical Education classes exceeding his role as professor by expanding student projects to community-wide activities. Dr. Taylor helps increase levels of physical activity for people with disabilities including quadriplegia, blindness, and paraplegia with his work with kinesiology and engineering students. Recent accomplishments include the solo quad conversion project and the universal play frame. The solo quad conversion project outfitted a kayak with a puff and sip system enabling a quadriplegic to control a kayak using only his mouth. The universal play frame allows disabled community members to get active by using different attachments for wheelchairs to enable wheelchair-bound individuals to participate in different sports. These projects change the lives of the participants by giving them a quality of life that they did not have before. Works in progress include a hand and foot powered bike, outfitting a Nintendo Wii to enable quadriplegics to play, and Foam Wars. Foam Wars attempts to create a game that both people in and out of wheelchairs can equally enjoy and compete in. Currently, the game involves participants with Nerf guns inside cages. Participants then try to shoot targets that are above the competitor. This innovative game gives each competitor an equal advantage, wheelchair or not. All of the adaptive PE course projects directly benefit the disabled community members who help test the contraptions. This program impacts the community in a dynamic, life altering manner. Dr. Taylor’s enthusiasm about Adapted Physical Education is enough to keep any program thriving, and his teaching skills illustrate his excitement about health. Ultimately, Dr. Taylor hopes his work will inspire people to actively help fight obesity and get people excited about a healthy lifestyle. Alumni Updates Graduated in 1960’s and 1970’s... 1965- Edward Downey Edward has been enjoying life as a retiree for the part eight years in Oceanside, CA. 1967- Jerry Pyle Jerry is a landscape architect working for Naturescape Environmental Design. 1972- Fred Mahoney Fred retired after 29 years of coaching and instructing. He splits his time between Redinger Lake and Shaver Lake. 1973- Ann Wilber After graduating, Ann went to teach Adaptive PE at Charter Oak High, and has been doing so for the last 28 years. Ann has also coached swimming and water polo for 25 years and helped start the Chris Jesperson swimming program at Cal Poly. 1974- Michael Fitzsimmons Michael is the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Ann Arbor YMCA in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Robert Del Sesto Robert continues his 13 year teaching career with the Conejo Unified School District teaching Earth Science, Biology, and Social Studies. W. Scott Jackson Since retiring from the Nevada Union School District, Scott has owned a person training center in Nevada City, CA for the past 14 years. 1977- Ron Thomson Ron has spent the last ten years of his 35-year strength and conditioning career at Purdue University. He works with the Purdue football, baseball, track & field, and women’s basketball teams. Traci Tompkins Traci owns ABC Sedans & Limousines in Soquel, CA. She also works as a practitioner at Bowen Therapy. 1978- David Bishop David has been the CEO of Brown Dog & Betty Corp, which trains and evaluates dogs, for the past 9 years. 1979- Doug Morrow Doug has been working for the Laguna Middle School as a Physical Education teacher for 22 years and currently resides in Grover Beach. Sherry (Fertitta) Ardito Sherry and her husband, Steve, started their own company called Shadowcasts, LLC. They develop and manufacture lifelike tabletop dog and cat sculptures that also function as cremation urns. For more information, please visit their website at www.shadowcasts.com Alumni Updates Graduated in 1980’s... 1983- Kelly Kerrigan-Beall Currently a teacher in Sunnyvale, CA, Kelly graduated in 1983 and is the proud parent of a 25 year-old and twin 11 year-olds. Pat Hosegood Martin Pat has been the Associate Human Resources Director for the Cal Poly Corporation for the past 26 years. 1984- Tony Caviglia Tony received his masters from USC and has been at Fresno City College as a PE teacher and head coach of the football team for 10 years. 1985- Amanda M. Crouch Since graduating, Amanda has continued her work in Special Education for the San Diego City Schools. Amanda and her partner, Angelina Short, recently adopted a 12 year-old son from Los Angeles County. Gina Jacobson Bailey Gina recently started Health Connection which works in conjunction with doctors and their patients getting people metabolically healthy through hormone balance, nutrition, and exercise to lead healthier lives. Steve Hebert Steve has been teaching and coaching at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, CA for the past eight years. 1986- Becky Heidesch Becky is now the founder and CEO of WSS Executive Search, a sports recruiting firm. She also adopted a baby girl 2 1/2 years ago and couldn’t be happier. Cheryl Hammar Brunk Cheryl lives in Oakdale, CA with her husband and two kids in high school. She has been the Community Services Director of the American Cancer Society for the last 14 years. Curt Apsey Curt is the Senior Associate Athletic Director at Boise State University. He lives in Boise with his wife of 20 years and two teenage daughters. Roger Worsley Roger has been coaching volleyball at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY for the past eight years. 1987- Lisa Johnson Lisa has been teaching at Cathedral City High School for 18 years. 1989- Ken Dyar In 2006, Ken was named CA Teacher of the Year and a Cal Poly Honored Alumnus by the College of Education and the College of Science & Mathematics. Ken teaches for the Delano Union School District, named Middle School of the Year by the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 2008. Their prize was a $100,000 interactive fitness lab. Mary Miscisin Mary just finished co-authoring a book called, “What’s your diet type?” Her speaking and internet business (www.positivelymary.com) based around health and wellness has grown exponentially. Graduated in 1990’s... 1990- Catherine Battin (Erhard) After teaching Physical Education and Adapted Physical Education for ten years, Catherine retired from the public schools to raise a family. With a 10 year-old son and 7 year-old daughter, she uses her Cal poly knowledge to help their elementary school with curriculum development and in-service training. She also teaches part-time at a local private preschool educating both parents and toddlers. David Kay David has been the Cal Fire San Luis Obispo Fire Captain for the last 8 years. Gregory J. DiLeo Gregory has been a teacher and coordinator at Lincoln High School in Santa Monica, CA for over 13 years. 1991- Jeanne “Bean” Murdock Jeanne has been working with BeanFit Health and Fitness Services for the last 17 years. Kristine Kent Kristine is currently the owner/therapist of Jasmine Therapies. After graduating, she received her national license in acupuncture and has been a massage therapist since 1992. Scott Schaeffer Currently residing in Salem, NY, Scott has been working for Westchester Total Health as a Chiropractor & Strength and Conditioning Specialist for the past 10 years. 1992- Carolyn Michelle (Hansen) Gardiner Carolyn became a new mom last year, and continues working as the head volleyball instructor at Volleyball Elite. Greg Ramsey Greg currently works for Ascent to Health as an Executive Coach where he teams with highly motivated executives and individuals toward a path to better health and wellness. Tracy Wait Tracy is currently a Neuro Science sales representative for Lilly USA. 1993- Christina Sullivan (Sciutto) Christina currently lives in Burlingame, CA and has managed the Aquatics and Healing store for the last 20 years. Katie Denneen Howard Since graduating, Katie has co-owned a Jamba Juice with her husband for 14 years. 1995- Jim Ramirez Jim was very active during his Cal Poly years as the CAHPERD Activities Officer. He currently works for Lawrence Middle School in Chatsworth, CA as the Dean of Students. Jim Sorensen Jim is currently teaching for the San Leandro United School District. 1997- Angela Neary (Orefice) After a recent move back to the Central Coast, Angela is teaching Recreation Admin & Health and Physical Education at Cuesta College. Carly Schleppenbach Carly is the Interim Aquatics Director for Kennedy Club Fitness in Atascadero. J. Boyd Dodder After working in Albuquerque, NM for the last four years, Mr. Dodder recently moved to Bakersfield to continue his work as a podiatrist. 1998- David Lague David has been a Physician’s Assistant for six years in San Leandro, CA. Currently working in Interventional Pain Management, David works out daily and is an avid mountain biker. Jill See Jill has been a physical therapist for five years for the University of California Irvine Medical Center where she also received her PT degree. Markel Quarles Markel has stayed local and been a career counselor and lecturer at Cal Poly for the past five years. 1999- Diane M. Wilson Diane has been teaching first grade in Morgan Hill for the last nine years. She also coaches the Gilroy Gators Swim Team. Michael Fisher Michael recently began a new position as the Athletic Director at Justin-Siena High School in Napa, CA. Graduated in 2000’s... 2000- Rhonda (Yops) Figone Rhonda is now a Doctor of Physical Therapy working with El Dorado Physical Therapy & Associates. Ryan Lazarus Currently, a doctor and owner of Lazarus Chiropractic and Rehabilitation in Napa, CA. Ryan Purkiss Ryan has been working with First Allied Securities as a financial consultant for the last eight years. 2001- Eric S. Alexander Eric has been working for Cal Poly ASI for the last two and a half years as a personal trainer, group exercise instructor, and fitness program coordinator. Maia Jost Maia is currently a Fitness Program Coordinator at California State University, Fresno. Stephanie Mudgett Stephanie is the director of staff development, a personal trainer, and pilates instructor at Almaden Valley Athletic Club in San Jose. She is expecting her first child in May. 2002- Anthony Janiak Anthony was married in 2006 and works at Proofpoint, Inc. as a manager in education vertical sales. Chrissy Belo Chrissy has been a dance teacher in Nipomo for the past five years. 2003- Ashley Kiersted Ashley is a physical therapist and has been working with Hallmark Health in Boston, MA for the past 1 1/2 years. Devon Anderson (Keane-Miller) Devon went on to Boston University to get her PT degree. For the past five years, she has been working for the California Pacific Medical Center as a Physical Therapist. Justin Robinson Justin is the Director of Strength & Conditioning at the Rehab United Sports Performance Center in San Diego. Justin’s job encompasses all aspects of health and fitness from individuals just out of surgery all the way up to professional athletes. Luz Lara Davis Luz teaches Special Education for the Madera Unified School District. 2004- Jacqueline (Siukola) Tompkins Jacqueline has been working for the California Department of Public Health-California Arthritis Partnership Program for the past 18 months. Katie Flanagan Katie is enjoying her job of the last four years as a physical education teacher at AC Stelle Middle School in Calabasas, CA. Lauren Kinsman Nelson After graduating, Lauren went on to receive her RN degree from Ohlone College. She is currently a Medical/Surgical Nurse for ValleyCare Health Systems in Pleasanton, CA. In 2008, Lauren got married and had a baby boy. 2005- Daniel Maldonado Daniel recently started his own private practice, Total Health Chiropractic in Oceano, CA. Joe Domitrovich Joe spent the last six months as a project leader with the Missoula Technology and Development Center. Julian Varela Co-Owner for six years of Equilibrium Fitness, Inc. and Equilibrium Fitness for Women here in SLO. Katie Allison Katie is currently working for the San Luis Obispo County YMCA. Ryan Broms Ryan lives in the Silicon Valley where he works as a physical therapist. He received a Master’s Degree and a Clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy from UCSF/SFSU. Currently, he works in acute care and mostly treats patients recovering from cardiovascular surgery. He is engaged and will be getting married on October 3, 2009. 2006- Kathy Richardson Kathy recently graduated from University of San Francisco in December 2008 with a Master of Science degree in Nursing. In February, she started her first job of her nursing career working in the prenatal services department which includes the labor and delivery, nursery, and postpartum units. Meggi Smith Meggi works as an elementary school PE teacher for the Claremont Unified School District and is getting married this Fall. 2007- Heather McManus Heather has worked with Whole Foods Markets as the Catering Supervisor for the last one and a half years. She recently applied for nursing school and is awaiting replies. Katie Danielle Evans Katie is currently an EMT with San Luis Ambulance and in the ERs of SVRMC and TCCH. This summer she is going back to school to get her Physicians Assistant degree. 2008- Cory Dawson Cory is now working at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Nevada as a cardiac exercise specialist. Michelle Zulim Michelle recently got married and is set to begin her teaching career at Cuesta College in Fall of 2009.