Reviewing the relationship between computer-related neck and upper back pain and depression in secondary and post-secondary students, looking into how racialized athletes can be ambassadors of peace, investigating sleep disturbance following concussion – these were only some of the topics explored by kinesiology students gathered at the 20th annual Bertha Rosenstadt National Undergraduate Research Conference (NURC) at the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) on March 29.
The conference, hosted by KPE since 1999, provides undergraduate kinesiology students with a platform to present literature reviews, critiques, term papers, findings from research projects or works in-progress on a range of topics from exercise physiology, biomechanics, sports medicine, motor learning and control, exercise and sport psychology, philosophy, history and sociology of sport to peers and faculty.
“This research conference with peers from various disciplines can significantly shape the career of a young researcher,” says Associate Professor Luc Tremblay, associate dean of research at KPE.
“They need to distill months of tireless work and elegantly communicate the most relevant new knowledge acquired. This gives each student the opportunity to contemplate the arduous yet rewarding process of research. And, as with all research conferences, everyone has a wonderful opportunity to discuss new ideas, while expanding and consolidating what often become lifelong networks and friendships.”
Dean Ira Jacobs was in the audience to hear the student presentations
Zeana Hamdonah, a fourth year student at KPE, looked into the case Mohamed Salah, the Muslim forward for Liverpool F.C., and his impact on the global Muslim identity. Salah, also known as the Egyptian king to his legion of fans, was embraced by both media and global audiences at the peak of his career.
“Seeing that Mohamad Salah has become such a global phenomenon in spite of being openly religious, I wanted to see if people could change their understanding of Islam through sport,” says Hamdonah.
She discovered that while there has been some change in how fans perceive Islam, it is very contextual.
“When he was performing well, people liked him, but when his performance decreased, so did his likeability,” says Hamdonah.
While she questions whether racialized athletes will ever be fully accepted by society, she says that “if sport is a tool that changes people’s perception for just a bit, then something is better than nothing.”
Hamdonah was supervised by KPE Assistant Professor Simon Darnell, whose areas of interest include sport for development and peace.
“We need kinesiology students to do research on race and racism in sport because there is still so much racism in sport,” says Darnell. “Just last week, UEFA laid charges against Montenegro for racial abuse against English players in a European qualifying match. And the recent violence against Muslims in New Zealand and elsewhere should encourage all of us to examine ways in which to support antiracism, through sport or otherwise.”
Darnell says he is proud that this kind of work is going on in KPE and that it’s being led by students like Hamdonah, whose research reflects some of her own experiences and representations.
“I think anytime a student can find a personal connection to the research they are doing, it makes for better work,” says Darnell.
Joseph Carere and Brenaven Kugamoorthy, third and fourth from the left, listening intently to a presenter
Fourth year KPE student Joseph Carere focused his research on sleep disturbance after a concussion. He monitored the heart rate variability (HRV) of the study participants over 24 hours to get insight into their autonomic nervous system (ANS) function and sleep. ANS is part of the peripheral nervous system that is responsible for regulating involuntary body functions such as the heartbeat, blood flow, breathing and digestion. He found that immediately after concussion, individuals slept longer and healthier, but three months down the line they were sleeping worse than individuals who didn’t suffer a concussion.
“There seems to be a residual effect of concussive injuries on sleep that may result from autonomic nervous dysfunction,” says Carere.
In addition to the thrill of making a new discovery, Carere was equally excited about the research process.
“It was awesome. I learned so much. You’re almost a little bit naive before you get into research, but once you’re going through the methods and stats and then actually presenting your research, it’s an amazing process and it helps you grow as a person and as a researcher. It’s great to have this opportunity,” he says.
Carere’s supervisor, Assistant Professor and Director of the concussion program at the MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic Michael Hutchison, says it’s very fulfilling to go from having an interest in a research topic to presenting research on it at the end of the year.
“It gives students the opportunity to showcase their work, while teaching them to present confidently and be articulate while under pressure. That’s one of the great things about a research environment.”
Hutchison is also excited to see how far research in concussion has come. His students presented on issues that ranged from how the permeability of the gut may affect someone’s symptoms to heart rate variability and perceived stress.
“We’re starting to appreciate that concussion is not just the shaking of the brain that quickly resolves in two to three weeks. It’s a complex issue that is based on what people are made up of, so to speak, socially, psychologically, biologically, and the support they have around them.”
U of T kinesiology student Hibaq Mohamed researched barriers faced by immigrant seniors in pursuit of physical activity
Hibaq Mohamed’s presentation focused on the barriers faced by immigrant seniors in relation to pursuing physical activity. She zeroed in on four major components of programs that were able to address these barriers and increase physical activity in these populations: a recognition of their unique goals, culturally tailored health education, the provision of language resources, outreach and accessibility.
“It was great,” she says of her experience of conducting undergraduate research. “It actually influenced me to pursue a master’s degree in kinesiology.”
Mohamed will be joining the Physical Cultural Studies hub at KPE, studying community programming, marginalized groups and access to green space under the supervision of Associate Professor Caroline Fusco. Her undergraduate research supervisor, Assistant Professor Catherine Amara, says it’s been wonderful to see Hibaq mature into a researcher.
“She delved through an enormous amount of literature for her presentation and as a result I learned a lot from her. I look forward to seeing her continued research,” says Amara.
Fourth year student of kinesiology Téa Christopoulos investigated physical activity and sedentary behaviour levels of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder
Fourth year student of kinesiology Téa Christopoulos looked at physical activity and sedentary behaviour levels of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder across Canada. She discovered that this population is not meeting the Canadian 24 hour movement guidelines, despite research pointing to physical activity being an integral part of their health.
“I hope to bring awareness for more resources and programming for this population,” says Christopoulos, who has applied to a master’s degree in exercise sciences, where she would like to continue doing research on how physical activity can ameliorate conditions such as autism and pediatric multiple sclerosis.
Keynote speaker Professor Barekat Falk from Brock University presented on the increase in muscle strength with growth
The final presentation was delivered by the keynote speaker, Professor Barekat Falk from Brock University. A pediatric physiologist, Falk studies children’s responses to exercise and the physiological effects that physical training may have on healthy children, as well as on children with chronic diseases. She presented on the increase in muscle strength with growth.
Aran Singh Bains, standing next to Assistant Professor Catherine Amara, received an Award of Recognition for outstanding abstract and presentation
At the close of the full day conference, four students were presented with the Awards of Recognition for outstanding abstracts and presentations. They are:
Linda Archilla from the McMaster University for her presentation: Do brief bouts of body weight interval training affect cardiorespiratory fitness in inactive adults?
Danielle Corallo from the University of Toronto for her presentation: A comparison of heart rate variability responses between concussion and musculoskeletal injury
Ibrahim Mohammad from the McMaster University for his presentation: Phosphoproteomic analysis of human skeletal muscle following acute resistance and endurance exercise
Aran Singh Bains from the University of Toronto for his presentation: Is expertise an influencing factor on the transfer of motor skills amongst musicians?