Department of Kinesiology

News and Events

Ron Pfeiffer is taking over as chair of the Department of Kinesiology as of August 1st, 2008

After four years of service, Dr. Lynda Ransdell is stepping down as Chair of the Dept. of Kinesiology. She will remain on the faculty at Boise State University and she will teach in the Health Promotion and Exercise Science programs. Dr. Ron Pfeiffer will take over as chair starting August 1, 2008.

New Advisor Assignments

Exercise Science

New advisor assignments for Exercise Science Majors (Biomechanics, Fitness Evaluation and Programming and Exercise Physiology). Effective August 20, 2008. In the fall of 2008, when Dr. Gibson is on sabbatical, please see the following advisors, based on the first letter of your last name:

Dr. Lynda Ransdell will advise students whose last name begins with the letters A - L
426-1798 or LyndaRansdell@boisestate.edu
Dr. Shawn Simonson will advise students whose last name begins with the letters M - Z
426-3973 or ShawnSimonson@boisestate.edu

In the Spring of 2009, when Dr. Gibson returns, please see the following advisors, based on the first letter of your last name:

Dr. Lynda Ransdell will advise students whose last name begins with the letters A - I
426-1798 or LyndaRansdell@boisestate.edu
Dr. Shawn Simonson will advise students whose last name begins with the letters J - R
426-3973 or ShawnSimonson@boisestate.edu
Dr. Terry-Ann Gibson will advise students whose last name begins with the letters S - Z
426-1509 or tgibson@boisestate.edu

NOTE: When seeking advising, please go to the main Kinesiology office FIRST to get your advising folder. Your advisors do not have your folders.

(K-12) Physical Education

New advisor assignments for K-12 Physical Education Teacher Education Program

Effective August 20, 2008 (Since Steve Wallace is retired), please see the following advisors based on the first letter of your last name:

Dr. Laura Jones will advise students whose last name begins with A - F

426-4366 or LauraJones2@boisestate.edu

Dr. Ken Bell will advise students whose last name begins with G - L

426-1228 or kbell@boisestate.edu

Dr. Jane Shimon will advise students whose last name begins with M - S

426-1531 or jshimon@boisestate.edu

Dr. Tyler Johnson will advise students whose last name begins with T - Z

426-5870 or tylerjohnson@boisestate.edu

NOTE: When seeking advising, please go to the main Kinesiology office FIRST to get your advising folder. Your advisors do not have your folders.

Health Promotion Internship Luncheon

The 3rd Annual Health Promotion Internship luncheon was held May 16, 2008. The interns and their supervisors come together to celebrate and showcase the impact our students make in the community. This semester, 11 interns worked over 1350 hours planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion programs. Alli Tuschida won the College of Education Dean's Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award for her multi-media presentation on her internship research project with Central District Health Department's Fit and Fall Proof program.

After 36 years of hard work and dedication to his students, the Kinesiology Department and Boise State University, it's time to take a permanent vacation on the farm. Please join us as we wish Steve Wallace all the best in his retirement. Refreshments will be served in the Cooper Conference Room (K210) in the Kinesiology Building, on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 from 11:00-2:00 p.m.

On March 12, 2008, Boise State held a majors fair to help students decide what major might fit them best. The Department of Kinesiology participated because it was a great opportunity to highlight our department and let people know we have many relevant and useful majors in Kinesiology. During the fair, our faculty spoke with over 50 students. We had positive comments about the advising sheets listing possible jobs. Students like to see what they can do with their major. Below, please see a photo of the bulletin board that was used to highlight our various majors during the majors fair.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) testing service and Boise State University (Dept. of Kinesiology) are pleased to announce that we are offering two opportunities for certification: December 15, 2007 and May 17, 2008. You can register to take these exams at their website (www.nsca-cc.org).

Candidates may register for these exams online or by submitting a registration form by fax or mail. The early registration deadline for the December exam is October 15, 2007, and the registration cutoff is October 19, 2007. The early registration deadline for the May exam is March 7, 2008, and the registration cutoff is March 21, 2008.

Dr. Ken Bell is on sabbatical during the Fall semester of 2007. He is writing a book and ancillary video training materials on Elementary Physical Education with John Bale from Riverside Elementary School.

Dr. Terry Ann Gibson helped create a peer educator training video for “Fit and Fall Proof” program and she revised the “Fit and Fall Proof” training manual. She is also completing a research project testing the efficacy of the Fit and Fall Proof program for improving physical function and balance in older adults throughout Idaho.

Dr. Werner Hoeger was invited to write an article on “Training for a Walkathon” that was published in Diabetes Self-Management in its July/August 2007 issue. The journal has more than 480,000 subscribers in the U.S. His research “One Mile (1609 m) Step Count at Walking and Running Speeds,” conducted with Lynda Ransdell, Jane Shimon, Laura Bond, and graduate student Sunitha Merugu, was presented at the annual American College of Sports Medicine meeting in New Orleans in June of this year. Because of its relevance to national physical activity goals, the research was highlighted by the ACSM Communications and Public Information Office in a special news release to the national news media. For a third consecutive term, Dr. Hoeger has been reappointed to the editorial board of the prestigious ACSM Health & Fitness Journal. Dr. Hoeger has also completed the 10th edition of his textbook Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness which will be published in February 2008 by Wadsworth/Thomson Publishers.

Dr. Shelley Lucas received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor last Spring and she assumed the role of Graduate Program Coordinator in the department at the end of Spring semester. In June, she did archival research on women's cycling history at the Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Dr. John McChesney finished the 800+ page self-study for NATA accreditation and he is looking forward to the site visit this Spring.

Dr. Ron Pfeiffer gave two presentations at the 31st annual meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics in Palo Alto, California in August. One presentation was related to the effects of gender on lower extremity muscle activation in children performing a single-leg unanticipated landing task and the second presentation was related to evaluating SLAP lesions in shoulder injuries.

Dr. Jane Shimon was in charge of planning the 2007 Idaho AAHPERD convention held at Les Bois Jr. High School from October 4-5.

Dr. Lynda Ransdell is doing an invited presentation on “Women in Sport Leadership in the U.S.” at the 2007 Asian Sport Sciences convention in Hiroshima, Japan from December 6-8. From December 1-5, she is visiting Hong Kong as a “Visiting Scholar” at Hong Kong Baptist University. Dr. Ransdell is also working on a book titled “Physical Activity Interventions,” which should be published by Human Kinetics sometime in the next year.

Dr. Caile Spear is starting her second year as the Service-Learning Faculty Liaison. Her role is to promote the academic integrity of service-learning classes and the effectiveness of SL faculty development programs. Caile and her husband Glen Walker are in their first year as Faculty-In-Residence for the Health Professions Residential College and are living in Morrison Hall with 18 health professions students. Dr. Spear has accepted responsibilities as Assistant Department Head responsible for scheduling KINES courses and helping out with summer advising. She is also looking forward to hosting the 11th annual health fair on Wed. Nov. 14th from 10-4 in the Student Recreation Center.

Steve Wallace participated in the 20th anniversary of the Idaho Youth Wheelchair Sports Camp, June 13 & 14, 2007. He is presenting on “Goal Setting” at the Idaho State AAHPERD convention in Boise on October 4th, 2007.

The department is sad to announce that Dr. Chad Harris and Dr. Mark DeBeliso have left BSU. Chad Harris accepted a position in Health Science at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, NM. Mark DeBeliso accepted a position as Chair at California State University in Monterey Bay, CA. We wish them both the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Dr. Shawn Simonson has joined the faculty this year as a “Visiting Assistant Professor” to help teach some of the courses formerly taught by Drs. DeBeliso and Harris. Dr. Simonson received his doctoral degree from the University of Northern Colorado and he taught for 3 years at Western New Mexico University. His research interests include space physiology, exercise and immunology, and resistance training.

Dr. Hilary Flint-Wagner has joined the faculty part-time as a “Visiting Associate Professor.” Dr. Flint-Wagner received her doctoral degree from the University of Arizona and she recently served as the Director of the Masters of Public Health Program at Idaho State University. Her research interests include exercise and arthritis, body composition, and the relationship between exercise and health.

New graduate assistants in the department include Josh Adams, Ben Cooper, David Gonzalez, Carol Pack, Trevor Shelton, and Jake Stout. Returning graduate assistants include Courtney Taul, Nilesh Pawar, and Mikaela Boham. Mikaela is the first student registered for the doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction program with a cognate area in Kinesiology.

COBR researchers Ron Pfeiffer and Michelle Sabick received word recently from the National Football League that their grant application titled, "A Biomechanical Study of Shoe-Turf Interactions on NFL Playing Surfaces" for approximately $115,000 has been funded. This study will involve development of a novel testing apparatus that will be taken to several NFL stadiums and test the traction characteristics of various shoes worn by players. The long-term goal of the research is to make recommendations regarding how to reduce the chances of athletes sustaining debilitating injuries such as "turf-toe" and high ankle sprains. Local physicians Michael Coughlin, MD, Kevin Shea, MD, and BSU Team Physician, George Wade are involved with this project as well.

Ford, P., & McChesney, J.W. (2007) Duration of hamstring flexibility gains following termination of three separate stretching protocols. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. 16, 18-27.

Hoeger, W.K. (2007). Training for a walkathon. Diabetes Self-Management, 24(4), 56-65.

Hoeger, W., Bond, L., Ransdell, L., Shimon, J.M., and Merugu, S. (2008). One mile step count at walking and running speeds. ACSM Fitness Journal, 12(1), 14-19.

Keating, M., Boham, M., & Ransdell, L. (2007). Consulting in health education/promotion: Everything you’ve always wanted to know but were afraid to ask. California Journal of Health Promotion, 5(3), 92-99.

Lau, P.W.C., Cheung, M.L.W., & Ransdell, L.B. (2007). A structural equation model of the relationship between body perception and self-esteem: Global physical self-concept as the mediator. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2007.07.005.

Lau, P.W.C., Lee, A., & Ransdell, L.B. (2007). Parenting style and cultural influences on overweight children’s attraction to physical activity. Obesity, 15(9), 2293-2302.

Lau, P.W.C., Lee, A., & Ransdell, L.B. (2007). Sport identity and sport participation: A cultural comparison between collective and individualistic societies. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 5(1), 66-81.

Ornes, L., & Ransdell, L.B. (2007). Web-based physical activity intervention for college women. International Electronic Journal of Health Education, 10, 126-137. Retrieved on September 10, 2007 from http://www.aahperd.org/iejhe/2007/webBasedPhysicalActivity.pdf.

Pfeiffer, R. P., Thygerson, A., Palmieri, N.F. (in press). Sports First Aid. Boston: Jones & Bartlett.

Ransdell, L.B., Rice, K., & Snelson, C., & DeCola, J. (2008). Online health related fitness courses: A wolf in sheep’s clothing or a solution to some common problems? Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 79(1), 45-52.

Ransdell, L.B., Hildebrand, K., Spear, C., & Lucas, S. (2007, invited paper). Higher, stronger, faster, drunker? The need to develop effective strategies for preventing alcohol-related problems among female athletes. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 78(3), 5-7, 11.