Schedule at a Glance Speaker Index Room 1 Room 2 Room 3 Room 4 Room 5 Room 6 Room 7 Room 8 Room 9 Room 10 Room 11 Room 12 CAS Posters ASP Posters Special Events
This is a Wednesday and Thursday event.
WEDNESDAY ZOOM link for off-campus community members
THURSDAY ZOOM link for off-campus community members
The incidence of diabetes-induced End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) requiring hemodialysis has significantly increased over the past 20 years. Hemodialysis patients tend to be sedentary and have significantly impaired physical health. Regardless of the benefits of regular exercise for this population, numerous barriers are commonly reported as the cause for inactivity; in particular lack of knowledge. This lack of knowledge may stem from confusing exercise guidelines. The purpose of this project is to explore and identify the most effective and clear guidelines so that hemodialysis patients can become more active and benefit from the positive effects of exercise.
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Lockard
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
This paper examines the likelihood of skeletal muscle fiber type transitions and skeletal muscle hyperplasia in humans due to intentional training, and examines what is currently known. Plausible biochemical mechanisms and pathways to achieve these adaptations to exercise stimuli will be discussed, in addition to the ability of these changes to occur due to non-training means. Training studies using animal and human models will each be investigated while exploring the current research base, and shortcomings of the evidence concerning skeletal muscle fiber type transitions and hyperplasia will be considered in order to give a broad grasp of the issues.
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Lockard
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
Did you know 80% of women suffer from hormone imbalances? Women with hormone imbalances are at greater risk of developing life-altering health conditions such as diabetes, depression, infertility, and cancer. This project discusses the different methods women have for correcting their hormone imbalances. While western medicine often resorts to prescribing the combined oral contraceptive pill there are serious adverse side effects. Although there is limited literature discussing natural solutions for correcting hormonal imbalances, such as exercise and diet modifications, anecdotal stories provide hopeful evidence for using natural solutions to ameliorate hormone imbalances.
Faculty Sponsor: Stasinos Stavrianeas
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
This analysis investigates how increasing meal frequency better enables student-athletes to maintain sustainable levels of stamina throughout their demanding agenda. Consuming three meals a day creates long durations of time between each meal and may pose the risk of disruptions to one’s academic and performance level due to the body not adequately receiving a steady supply of nutrients. By increasing meal frequency and portioning each meal into smaller quantities, these individuals are able to perform without experiencing feelings of hunger or needing to rest after a meal. This and other factors that are involved with appetite will be discussed.
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Lockard
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
This analytical paper examines the factors associated with acetabular labral tears, including risk factors, anatomy and biomechanics, and diagnostic methods. The prevalence of labral tears and their connection to multiple etiologies are explored, along with the various types of tears and their classifications. Additionally, the paper discusses the implications of treatment and rehabilitation of labral tears and prevention of future tears. The information gathered from this analysis is used to create a prevention protocols for individuals at risk of labral tears.
Faculty Sponsor: Michael Lockard
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
The ideal athlete exhibits mental toughness and resilience during adversity, and this is a heightened expectation for collegiate athletes. Mental health struggles are perceived to be a weakness. The NCAA and its associated institutions do not have adequate resources or training to change the current culture of athletics, and such, mental health communication is stigmatized in the athletic community. This presentation will review the literature to analyze mental health stressors and specific components of the athlete identity, as well as the need for intervention strategies and staff developments to improve the overall wellness of collegiate athletes.
Faculty Sponsor: Lucas Ettinger
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
More than 670,000 hypertension deaths in the United States occurred in 2020 (CDC, 2023). Only 24% of adults with hypertension have their hypertension under control. Blood pressure control is higher among non-Hispanic white adults (32%) than in non-Hispanic black adults (25%), non-Hispanic Asian adults (19%), or Hispanic adults (25%) (CDC, 2023). The African American, Latino, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities have lower awareness and control rates of hypertension and its treatments than White Americans. The investigation of the difference in minority groups' views on hypertension treatments and how healthcare workers can help increase hypertension treatment compliance will be discussed.
Faculty Sponsor: Lucas Ettinger
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
Sleep is an essential component of life, as it allows our bodies to rest and recharge physically and mentally. This is particularly important for collegiate athletes who must balance responsibilities in academics and athletics in addition to social and personal priorities. Time demands and busy schedules make it difficult to achieve a good night's rest. This presentation will review available literature regarding guidelines and resources available to collegiate athletes so they obtain the proper knowledge and skills to establish healthy sleeping patterns.
Faculty Sponsor: Stasinos Stavrianeas
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
Physical therapists are specifically at an increased risk for work-related upper limb disorders due to the constant hands-on practice and physically intensive demands of their profession. Therapies such as soft tissue and joint mobilization which require repetitive motion of the fingers and wrist, along with awkward biomechanical positioning attribute to the commonality of these injuries. It is necessary to integrate prevention strategies into physical therapists’ regimen before laxity and deformity occur. A physical therapist’s ability to remediate health problems due to injury with bone and soft tissue pathology contributes largely to the effectiveness of the PT clinics and
programs.
Faculty Sponsor: Lucas Ettinger
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
This project aims to improve the operation of Willamette University’s pantry to better serve students. A thorough investigation of strategies at other college campuses can inform decisions and help lower the prevalence of food insecurity. Studies reveal that a fraction of students are food insecure at some point in their college career. The Bearcat Pantry currently serves a very small percentage of the student population; this may be due to several barriers in accessibility. This presentation will identify potential problems in pantry structure and explore solutions appropriate for Willamette.
Faculty Sponsor: Stasinos Stavrianeas
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
Throwing velocity is an important determinant of performance in baseball, and it is measured with radar technology. However, smaller colleges and high schools may lack radar technology due to its high cost. Alternative tests such as lateral to medial jumps and medicine ball throws have been considered to associate with throwing velocity. This hypothesis was tested through correlation analysis between rotational medicine scoop toss (RMST) and medicine ball scoop toss (MST); I conclude that RMST and MST are similarly correlated with throwing velocity. This is the first study to look at both position players and pitchers with throwing velocity.
Faculty Sponsor: Stasinos Stavrianeas
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
The rise of women’s lacrosse in the United States has brought along an unfortunate increase in the risk of head, face, and eye injuries caused by contact with the stick or ball. Women’s lacrosse is among the highest ranked collegiate sports for concussion rates, with women experiencing worse symptoms and for a prolonged amount of time. This paper will examine how technological advancements from the sporting world can be implemented in women’s lacrosse to enhance the safety, and better protect women's lacrosse players from head injuries.
Faculty Sponsor: Stasinos Stavrianeas
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
Despite attempts to diversify STEM workplaces and education, marginalized communities remain underrepresented in STEM fields. This study investigates how a single exposure, hands-on laboratory visit influences STEM interests in high school students. 188 students from the Salem/Keizer, OR school district participated in human anatomy laboratory activities at Willamette University. Using a modified STEM-CIS questionnaire, STEM interest was calculated before and after the visits. The results of this study are ongoing and will be discussed using the statistical analysis warranted.
Faculty Sponsor: Lucas Ettinger
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
Fentanyl has become a growing concern across the United States, and college campuses are not immune to this problem. “FentaPills” Can Kill was a community outreach project that aimed to raise awareness of Fentanyl and provided resources to prevent overdoses among college students at Willamette University and beyond. The campaign targeted a diverse sample of students, with focused efforts directed towards on-campus sites and student events. This outreach project emphasized educating students on the risks of Fentanyl while promoting harm reduction measures, with a resolute goal of empowering students to make informed decisions and contribute to a healthier community.
Faculty Sponsor: Stasinos Stavrianeas
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
In this project, I adapted the educational foundations of TeamsOfMen to be presented to coaches and administrators at the National Association of Basketball Coaches Convention at the 2023 NCAA Men’s Final Four. The TeamsOfMen approach is designed to improve adolescent males’ social-emotional and behavioral skills. The ultimate goal of this project is to provide coaches and administrators with evidence-based strategies to support the need for healthy masculinity training in their program. This project involves a comprehensive literature review leading to the development of a presentation to be made available to college athletic departments.
Faculty Sponsor: Stasinos Stavrianeas
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
Firefighters are expected to perform at a high intensity level in order to provide necessary response during emergency situations. They must meet certain physical requirements to keep up with the rigorous job demands, with firefighter-specific tasks. These include equipment carries, door breaches, hose drags, and victim extractions known to lead to high risk for injury. During my internship I observed the specific physical demands of the job, and identified the lack of flexibility and mobility training as a risk factor. This project aims to provide firefighters with a complement to their strength and power training program.
Faculty Sponsor: Stasinos Stavrianeas
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
This project compares recent literature explaining and analyzing the differences between the two forms of treatment for chronic soft tissue injuries. The project will also evaluate the effectiveness of each in an attempt to illuminate which treatment method can be most effective for such injuries. This analysis will include injuries in all regions of the body and discuss patient advantages and disadvantages of each therapy method in a multitude of scales relating to a persons return to daily functioning. The conclusions drawn from this literature review will be discussed and analyzed.
Faculty Sponsor: Lucas Ettinger
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science
The onset of anthropogenic climate change poses a sudden and generational threat towards global population food security. It is important to explicate factors that influence food security, which further threaten major climate change issues and propose negative impacts on public health. Factors affecting food security can be narrowed down to three major problems in the food industry: nutrient deficiency, crop production and rising food prices. Through growing research it can be analyzed that when one aspect is influenced more by climate change it can greatly threaten public health.
Faculty Sponsor: Lucas Ettinger
Discipline: Exercise & Health Science