UNews - Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education

Researchers call for study participants to come and play games

caroline.zentner — Tue, 27 May 2025 15:49:45 +0000

In the Brain in Action lab at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, researchers like Dr. Claudia Gonzalez study how the brain processes and integrates sensory and motor information. Now, they want people like you to join them and take part in a fun and engaging study.

Daniela Aguilar Ramirez, at left, and Dr. Claudia Gonzalez are investigating sex-related patterns in spatial cognition.

Daniela Aguilar Ramirez, a PhD student studying under Gonzalez, is researching sex differences in spatial cognition, or how we navigate the environment and locate objects. Males generally outperform females in spatial tasks, like those requiring mental object rotation. However, females are generally better at some tasks, such as object location.

“Our goal is to understand the functional correlates of cognitive processes,” says Aguilar Ramirez. “We’re particularly interested in how spatial information is processed in the brain and whether these processes differ between females and males. By investigating these sex-related patterns in spatial cognition, we aim to inform targeted interventions that could enhance cognitive performance or mitigate age-related cognitive decline.”

Typically, the tasks that measure these responses are paper-based — a format that isn’t engaging for some participants. Aguilar Ramirez and Gonzalez want to change that. They have designed a research study where participants challenge their spatial abilities while having fun playing board games.

“We are trying to bring tasks that are real-world scenarios into the lab to measure these cognitive functions in a way that’s more engaging than traditional lab tests,” says Gonzalez. “One way to have interest from the public is to make it as real and as fun as we can. We’ve been examining how these cognitive functions develop and decline over time, and whether these patterns differ between females and males.”

Using games like Spot It and Q-bitz, the researchers can obtain important information while participants play fun games. The researchers want to validate the use of these games in a lab setting this summer, so they are inviting anyone interested to come to the lab and play games for an hour.

Participants of any age and background are welcome. The sessions, which take about an hour, will be available all summer. Send an email to thebraininaction@gmail.com to schedule a time.

U of L researchers awarded more than $1.8 million in NSERC funding

caroline.zentner — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 16:47:48 +0000

Eleven ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers have been awarded Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grants worth approximately $1.8 million, payable in instalments of anywhere from one to five years.

“��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers were very successful this year, with 11 out of 14 applications being awarded funding,” says Dr. Erasmus Okine, U of L vice-president (Research). “This funding of almost $2 million demonstrates the calibre of research our scientists are engaged in and I congratulate each one of them.”

Dr. Gerlinde Metz, a neuroscience professor, received the U of L’s largest grant worth a total of $510,000. She and her research team will continue exploring early life stress and its effects on brain plasticity. They’ll examine how early life stress alters brain development, connections between neurons, and behaviour. They’ll also look at whether factors such as age and sex determine the response to early life stress and whether early life stress affects subsequent generations.

Dr. Theresa Burg, a biology professor, studies how the evolution of high-latitude species is linked to historical and present-day environmental changes. Examining how landscape features and past climate changes have shaped today’s populations can further the understanding of population dynamics and help predict how these species might respond to future climate change.

Dr. Dmytro Yevtushenko, a professor in the Department of Biology and Research Chair in Potato Science, was awarded an early career researcher supplement in addition to a Discovery Grant. Yevtushenko will conduct research into the natural defense mechanisms of potato plants. His work could lead to higher crop yields, less crop loss, increased food safety and could help point the way to improving disease resistance in other crops.

Dr. Borries Demeler, Canada 150 Research Chair and a professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is a leading biophysics scientist with expertise in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). AUC is used to analyze molecules in solution. He has established the Canadian Center for Hydrodynamics, which is equipped with three unique AUC instruments to accelerate biophysical research in Canada. He hopes to develop new analysis protocols and software tools that will benefit basic research in biochemistry, physics and material science.

Other U of L researchers who received grants include Dr. Jon Doan (kinesiology and physical education), Dr. Stewart Rood (biology), Dr. Lawrence Flanagan (biology), Dr. Anthony Russell (biology), Dr. Hadi Kharaghani (mathematics and computer science), Dr. Matthew Tata (neuroscience) and Dr. Saurya Das (physics and astronomy).

Alumnus Linder carving out niche as Olympic host team coach

trevor.kenney — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 17:12:01 +0000

Alumnus Florian Linder (BSc ’00) has carved out quite a reputation in the international bobsleigh community. For the third consecutive Olympics he will serve as a technical coach for the host nation’s bobsleigh programs – this time the South Korean contingent. One might even call him a sled whisperer.

“This will be my third host nation, which is a fairly unique experience,” he laughs. “We’ve been successful as host nation coaches so far and I have high expectations for this team as well.”

Florian Linder works with the Korean team on start technique.

How a Lethbridge College instructor, and former kinesiology student and sprinter on the Horns track and field team, assumed the role of technical guru for Canadian, Russian and now South Korean bobsleigh programs is a tale of seizing opportunity. At no point during his U of L educational journey did Linder foresee such a future, and it wasn’t until years after graduation that he specifically applied his acquired kinesiology knowledge. Nonetheless, his time at the U of L set the foundation for everything that would follow.

“I really enjoyed my time here and my time with the track team. Larry (Steinke) and George (Gemer) gave me the base through which I was able to go into bobsleigh, so it all started here and gave me quite an experience,” he says.

Upon graduation, Linder still had hopes of running track at the highest level, so he moved to Calgary to continue training. He took jobs as a personal trainer and worked on his dream. A year later, he got his break, but rather than it being on the track, it came from a bobsled coach who spotted him at a shared indoor training facility. They talked off and on for the next year before Linder agreed to take part in a bobsled testing camp in the summer of 2002.

“I did fairly well, I guess, because I got picked up by the national team and competed for Canada for the next four years,” says Linder.

Racing in both two- and four-man events, Linder travelled the world as a bobsled athlete, culminating with his inclusion on Canada’s 2006 Turin Olympic Team. Following Turin, he retired from competing, but a year later he was back, this time as an intern technical coach with Bobsleigh Canada.

He coached for the next four years, taking Canada through the 2010 Vancouver Olympics before again leaving the sport. His sojourn was brief though as he was summoned out of retirement by a good friend, Canadian bobsleigh legend Pierre Leuders. The most decorated driver in Canadian bobsleigh history, Leuders had been approached by the Russian Olympic Federation to coach their bobsleigh team in preparation for the Sochi Olympics. Linder signed on and then repeated the cycle with Leuders for 2018 and Pyeongchang, joining the Korean contingent in May 2017.

Linder’s expertise comes from his sprinting background and his responsibility is the explosive start of each race.

Linder, pictured here far left, represented Canada at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

“I’m a technical starts coach and performance analyst, so I’m responsible for the first 60 metres, the actual push,” he says, adding he was enthused to apply his kinesiology education when he got into coaching. “I work with them on push technique, how they get into the sled and how they sit. I also do some sprint training with them and then analyze the data of the group going down the track, their acceleration and deceleration, and where we can find time for them throughout the run.”

Over the years, Linder also worked with Swiss luxury watch giant Omega, which operates virtually all the timing mechanisms in high-level sport. He helped develop data boxes, currently implanted on every bobsled, that track a litany of measurements that allow coaches to analyze how a sled moves down a track.

He readily admits that bobsleigh is not for everyone and he didn’t exactly fall in love with the sport his first few times in a sled.

“I remember getting out at the bottom of my first run and I didn’t know what happened,” says Linder. “I still have a hard time describing to someone what it’s like because there really isn’t anything to compare it to.”

He says the fear factor is real and something that motivates athletes to stay focused.

“The danger is always in the back of your mind. You never know when you might crash, accidents do happen and you have to have respect for the sport,” he says. “All the athletes respect what they are doing. It’s when you think it’s easy and it gets routine, that things can go wrong, and it’s not pleasant.”

Still, the sport has shaped virtually every aspect of his life. He met his wife Jill, the 2002 Salt Lake City two-woman Olympic bobsleigh gold medalist, through the sport and together they have two children, Bergen (six) and Anelise (five). They moved to Lethbridge in 2014 following Linder’s second retirement. He’s been an instructor in exercise science and physical education at Lethbridge College since.

Having just turned 40, Linder says he’s always open for future coaching appointments should they arise. He’s excited about Korea’s chances, despite the country being relatively new to bobsleigh.

“They’ve been fairly strong the last couple years and I have high expectations for them,” he says. “To be honest, I wouldn’t have taken the position if they weren’t going to do well. For me, the Olympics aren’t about just going to compete, it’s about doing well on the biggest stage.”

He’ll then return home with more Olympic memories tucked away, all the result of seizing an opportunity and making the most of an experience.

5 Questions with Dr. Carly Adams

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:38:04 +0000

Dr. Carly Adams joined the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education in July 2007. Adams is a social and cultural historian working at the intersections of sport history and sport sociology. Her research interests lie in the study of 20th century Canadian sport, gender, regional and local history, oral history and women's sport governance. She is particularly drawn to research methods that allow her to talk to people about their sport and leisure experiences of the past and ask them how they make sense of and remember their experiences within the context of their lives and the world around them.

Most recently, Adams has received funding (with Dr. Hart Cantelon) through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Sport Participation Research Initiative to explore issues of community revitalization and rural survival in southern Alberta through a case study of the Warner Hockey School in Warner, Alta. This project looks at the social determinants that led to the establishment of the school, its purposes, both imagined and actual, and the underlying role that high performance sport might play in rural community survival. She will present her findings at a Women Scholars Speaker Series event on Mar. 25, 12 to 2 p.m. in Andy's Place (AH100).

Adams received her PhD in Sport History at The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Ontario in 2007. A paper from her dissertation won the North American Society for Sport History Graduate Student Essay Award.

Dr. Carly Adams delves into the history of sport and has done a great deal of work on the history of women's hockey.

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

I have always loved history and learning about the past. During my undergraduate studies in human kinetics and sport management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor, several influential professors piqued my interest in social history, oral history and the relevance of sport, leisure and recreation to our understanding of the past. However, I was also surprised by how few sport historians researched and wrote about gender and women's sport/recreation experiences. In 2000, I was chosen to participate in a one-semester exchange to Deakin ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Melbourne, Australia. While in Melbourne I interned with the Melbourne Football Club. The Aussie club had a full time sport historian on staff dedicated to the team – and from there I was hooked! I attended my first North American Society for Sport History conference in 2001 and discovered that there was a group of scholars dedicated to this type of research and I knew that this is what I wanted to do. My PhD dissertation project was largely based on oral histories with women who played industrial, recreational and playground sports in London, Ont. during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. As soon as I completed my first oral history interview, I knew how important memory and voice were going to be to how I wanted to "do" history.

How is your research applicable in "the real world"?

A historical understanding is relevant to all of us – past practices in any situation are valuable and important. It doesn't matter what career one is in, understanding experiences and happenings of the past will guide, shape and challenge how we think about the present and make decisions about the future. I have been fortunate to collaborate with various public institutions such as sports halls of fame and I have also recently published a book, aimed at ages 12 and up, about the Preston Rivulettes, a women's hockey team that competed in the 1930s. I am committed to disseminating my research beyond the borders of academia.

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

Every time I have an article accepted for publication, or I am asked to consult with a public institution (for example the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and The National Commemoration Board of Parks Canada), or receive a research grant – it is an honour.

How important are students to your research endeavours?

Students are central to my research. I have had many student research assistants work closely with me on various projects. I also believe it is very important that we bring our research to the classroom. My greatest challenge as an educator is to encourage students to think critically about the world around them, to ask questions and express different perspectives. I use many examples from my research in class and encourage students to discuss and critically engage with the projects I am working on. Some of my favourite teaching moments have been listening to students discuss and challenge something I've written or offer a different perspective that challenges me to rethink the direction of a project.

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

If I had unlimited funds, I would invest in ALL areas of research! Related to my own field, I would invest in regional, local and oral history in rural communities. These histories tend not to get much academic attention, and we risk forgetting these important ties to our past.

Each month, the Legend will present 5 Questions With . . . one of our researchers. For a look at the entire catalog of 5 Questions With . . . features, check out the Office of Research and Innovation Services website at www.uleth.ca/research_profiles. If you'd like to be profiled, contact Penny Pickles at pickpj@uleth.ca

This story first appeared in the March 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

5 Questions with Dr. Claudia Gonzalez

trevor.kenney — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:36:24 +0000

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez (MSc '00, PhD '04) is a Canada Research Chair in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Born and raised in Mexico, she earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from the National Autonomous ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Mexico before continuing her education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge where she earned both her master's and PhD degrees in neuroscience. She has taught and researched at the U of L since August 2009, and is funded by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

Ever since I can remember, I was interested in science. I was, and still am, fascinated by animal behaviour, particularly human. In middle school, I remember spending hours simply watching people. Later on it became a habit to observe people's actions and to wonder what led those people to act in a certain way. I decided to take psychology in university and it became clear that if I wanted to understand behaviour I had to first understand the brain. I pursued a career in neuroscience and I continue to be baffled by how the brain – a mere three pounds of mush – determines the complexity of our thoughts and actions. My research looks at multi-sensory integration like eye-hand coordination and sensory and cognitive interactions such as visuospatial abilities.

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez looks to unlock the mysteries of how the brain controls movement.

How is your research applicable in "the real world"?

I often tell my students that I do science for the love of science. My research is motivated by the big question of how the brain works to produce behaviour. In the lab we ask questions such as how does the brain compute the location, size and orientation of an object so that every morning you can pick up your cup of coffee with remarkable ease. We use cutting-edge technology that allows us to break down a hand or an eye movement into hundreds of components so that we can take a really good look at how it is executed. In addition, we look at how these visuomotor interactions are modulated or affected by cognitive functions such as attention and spatial abilities. We are starting to conduct research in neurological populations (i.e.: stroke patients) hoping to gain some further insight into the neural mechanisms underlying visuomotor and visuospatial functions. At the end of the day we hope to understand how the brain integrates sensory, motor and cognitive information. With this knowledge we can begin to develop strategies that translate into better outcomes for patients suffering from neurological conditions.

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

I guess that was when I overheard one of my supervisors say: "she will do fine" when discussing my future in science. Really, as a scientist I am very proud when my work is published, cited or funded. Also, it is always a pleasure and an honour to receive inquires from students who want to know about the work that I do and whether they can volunteer or work in my lab.

How important are students to your research endeavours?

Students are the heart and soul of my research program. Students' curiosity and excitement about learning and discovery is the best motivating force in the lab. Students don't only carry out the experiments but they help in the design and interpretation of them. It is often in the latter that students' contributions are invaluable; they bring a fresh and unbiased perspective to science and research.

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

Two: Early education and translation. "Scientia potentia est" which commonly translates from the Latin as "knowledge is power". So I would invest in teaching children from an early age about their brain and how to take care of it. I think that if children learned some general principles of brain function early in their life, they would be less likely to engage in activities that would endanger their brains such as drug use, or checking from behind in a hockey game.

With respect to translation, I recently spoke to a medical doctor from a different country who told me that she goes to international conferences and brings back with her what she has learned to apply it directly into her patient population. Her story got me thinking that perhaps we don't do enough of that. As a basic scientist I would like to see that more of our findings could be put into practice, which is ultimately where it matters most.

Each month, the Legend will present 5 Questions With . . . one of our researchers. For a look at the entire catalog of 5 Questions With . . . features, check out the Office of Research and Innovation Services website at www.uleth.ca/research/research_profiles. If you'd like to be profiled, contact Penny Pickles at pickpj@uleth.ca

This story first appeared in the November 2012 issue of the Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Adams bringing the past to life

trevor.kenney — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:35:34 +0000

Dr. Carly Adams (Kinesiology) is a professor and historian who researches a variety of topics, including the history of women's sport. Her work has led her to creating books aimed at a non-academic audience and it is through these works where she connects the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with the broader community. She also works very closely with her students, many of which have assisted her on research projects.

Adams joined the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education in July 2007. Adams' research interests include 20th century Canadian sport, gender, regional and local history, oral history, and women's sport goverance. She is particularly drawn to research methods that allow her to talk to people about their sport and leisure experiences of the past and ask them how they make sense of and remember their experiences within the context of their lives and the world around them.

Adams' current research projects explore Lethbridge's Sporting Heritage from 1860-present (with Dr. Robert Kossuth) and the history of women's hockey in Alberta during the 1920s and 1930s.

Most recently, Adams has received funding through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Sport Participation Research Initiative to explore issues of community revistalization and rural survival in Southern Alberta through a case study of the Warner Hockey School in Warner, Alta. This project will look at the social determinants that led to the establishment of the school, its purposes, both imagined and actual, and the underlying role that high performance sport might play in rural community survival.

"I have always loved history and learning about the past," says Adams. "During my undergraduate degree in human kinetics and sport management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor in Ontario, several influential professors piqued my interest in social history, oral history and the relevance of sport, leisure and recreation to our understanding of the past. However, I was also surprised by how few sport historians wrote about and researched gender and more specifically women's sport/recreation experiences."

"As soon as I completed my first oral history interview, I knew how important memory and voice were going to be to how I wanted to "do" history."

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to host round table conference on activity and sport

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:31:41 +0000

Over the past decade, scholars from across Alberta have been meeting annually at the Alberta Round Table for the Socio-Cultural Study of Physical Activity & Sport. This year, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is hosting the event for a second time, Saturday, Apr. 30, with
Dr. Brian Wilson of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia as the keynote speaker.

This one-day meeting brings together faculty, graduate and undergraduate students from institutions across Alberta (including the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, Mount Royal ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Grant MacEwan ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ) to facilitate and foster interdisciplinary work across the socio-cultural areas (cultural studies, history, management, philosophy, and sociology) of kinesiology/physical education.

Having Wilson aboard as the keynote speaker for the conference is a coup for organizers. Considered a leading scholar in the field of sport sociology, Wilson authored, Fight, Flight or Chill: Subcultures, Youth and Rave into the Twenty-First Century, as well as numerous articles on topics related to youth culture, sport, media, social inequality, social movements and environmental issues.

In his talk, Wilson will examine the often complex and unintended results of attempts to incite positive social change in and around sport. In doing so, he reflects on recent research he has conducted on sport for youth development groups and sport-related corporate environmentalism. Wilson's research will draw interest from scholars, not only in kinesiology and sociology, but also from the Department of Philosophy and the Faculty of Management.

His address is featured in the morning, followed by a group discussion. The afternoon session then features graduate student presentations, with discussion among the presenters, the keynote speaker and other participants.

The event provides a valuable forum for intellectual discussion and it is an important opportunity for graduate students to present and receive feedback on their work in a formal setting. Alberta scholars in this broad area of research have benefited from the efforts over the past decade.

The genesis of the meeting actually came about here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge with Dr. Doug Brown.

Organizers of the event include Drs. Michelle Helstein, Carly Adams, Robert Kossuth and Sean Brayton from the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education and Dr. Jason Laurendeau from sociology.

Registration is free and everyone is welcome to attend. For more information and to RSVP your attendance, contact Carly Adams via email: carly.adams@uleth.ca.

For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Ethnicity focus of event

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:57:49 +0000

The interdisciplinary conference on Ethnicity: Theory and Practice in the 21st Century took place at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge September 26-28.

Organized by Maria Ng, Department of English, and Michelle Helstein, Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, paper proposals at the conference came from countries as far away as Nigeria and Australia.

Ethnicity proved to be an important topic, based on the wide response, as participants in the conference included scholars from Slovenia, India and throughout Canada.

Nasrin Rahimieh, professor of Comparative Literature and the Maseeh Chair and director of Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of California, Irvine was the keynote speaker as she presented The Question of Ethnicity in Modern Iranian Cultural History.

Panels at the conference included, Indigenous Cultures – Global Values, Ethnicity in Canada/North America and Gender and Ethnicity. Individual papers ranged from discussion of teaching modern Jewish literature to the ways Latina/o stereotypes are constructed in Hollywood comedies.

The sessions were all extremely well attended, energized by enthusiastic question periods following all 20 presented papers.

The conference was funded by the President's Office's Women Scholars Speaker Series, the Faculty of Arts & Science, Faculty of Education, the School of Health Sciences, the Departments of English, History, Kinesiology and Physical Education, and was ably assisted by Briana Struss and Brittany Thompson.

UNews - Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education

Researchers call for study participants to come and play games

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