News

Human Kinetics Graduate Marc LeVangie Secures Prestigious NSERC Graduate Scholarship

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:07:33

Marc graduated from the Human Kinetics Department with an honours degree in 2010. His NSERC proposal was based on his honours thesis study entitled: Three Dimensional Analysis of the Erratic Movement of a Float Serve in Volleyball. Marc has chosen to use the NSERC PGS-M Scholarship, valued at $17,300 a year, to fund a Masters in Biomechanics at McGill University starting this fall. The Biomechanics lab at McGill conducts research on hockey equipment which is supported by Nike Bauer.

First Year HK Student Suzie Lajoie Named AUS Track & Field MVP

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:28:02

Susie Lajoie of the StFX X-Women track and field team is the Atlantic University Sport Subway Female Athlete of the Week for the week ending February 27th, 2011. Lajoie, a first-year student-athlete from Middleton, N.S., won four medals for the X-Women and was named the most valuable female athlete of the 2011 Subway AUS women’s track and field championship this past weekend in Moncton. Susie won gold in the 60m hurdles in a time of 9.59 seconds, silver in the triple jump with a distance of 10.81 meters, bronze in the shot put with a distance of 10.58 meters, bronze in 20lb weight throw with a distance of 12.09 meters and added a fifth place showing in the long jump with a distance of 4.81 meters.

StFX houses first MiPNet Reference Laboratory in Atlantic Canada

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:17:29

StFX researcher and human kinetics professor Dr. Daniel Kane received welcome news recently when he learned his lab has become the first Mitochondrial Physiology Network MiPNet Reference Laboratory in Atlantic Canada. “Geographically, this designation is important for anyone in Atlantic Canada who might want to exchange ideas, observe a demonstration experiment or collaborate on projects,” he says. “This is an exciting time to be a part of the MiP Network of Laboratories,” says Dr. Kane on the network that fosters exchange and collaboration in over 160 laboratories in 30 countries worldwide. Particularly exciting is that the network combines the expertise of these labs toward joint development into mitochondrial function, which has been linked to human health and disease, and the aging process. The designation also contributes to the uniqueness of StFX with regards to the growing list of techniques and expertise supported here, and constitutes another important step towards fostering worldwide collaboration and cooperation in research, he says. “It’s a win-win situation where we can reduce the cost of scientific infrastructure and associated distribution, with direct feedback into scientific progress.”

Human Kinetics to Host International Conference June 22 to 25 - Sport and the Environment: Philosophical Dimensions

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:40:22

Environmental forces in sport and physical activity have revolutionized our sporting participation. These events invite philosophical discussion and analysis of the ethical dimensions of environment and sport and, also, of their broader implications for the conception of sport itself. Some questions that should be asked include: What role does environment play in sport, and what role ought it to play? Which responsibilities do sport governing bodies have over the impact of sport on the environment? Ought we be concerned about our environmental footprint in sport and physical activity? To what degree--if at all--ought the IOC to regulate the impact of Olympic sports on the environment? Should sports which negatively impact the environment be changed or even eliminated? Who ought to determine appropriate impacts of sport on the environment? How ought "the environment” to be defined in terms of sport and physical activity? What is the morally appropriate role played by animals in the context of sport and the environment? The conference aims to open philosophical dialogue on these and other topics related to environment and sport and physical activity.