MOVCENTR E-Newsletter | October 2023

The newsletter features stories from the Junior Investigators, the Pilot Project Awardees, the Research Cores, and COBRE collaborators.

published: 2023/11/01
contact: Nicholas Reynolds - Biomechanics
email: nrreynolds@unomaha.edu

Monthly updates from the Center for Research in Human Movement Variability (MOVCENTR) an NIH/NIGMS P20GM109090 Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)

GRANTS, GRANTS, GRANTS!

Dr. Nick Stergiou submitted Phase 3 of our COBRE titled "Harnessing Movement Variability to Treat and Prevent Motor Related Disorders."

If received, this grant would provide funding for the next 5 years. In the proposed Phase 3, the goal will be to build on our past successes to solidify the research base built in the previous two Phases through continued support of research and research infrastructure, and to implement strategies to sustain research beyond COBRE funding.

Grants Received by the Division of Biomechanics and Research Development

Dr. Anastasia Desyatova received a University of Nebraska Collaboration Initiative grant for her project titled "Myocardial cell death mechanisms due to TEVAR-induced aortic stiffening."

Dr. Yury Salkovskiy received a University of Nebraska Collaboration Initiative grant for his project titled "Enhancing thermal insulation with nanofibrous materials."

Dr. Farahnaz Fallah Tafti received a University of Nebraska Collaboration Initiative grant for her project titled "Improving walking in Peripheral Artery Disease using oxygen-guided supervised exercise therapy."

Dr. Alexey Kamenskiy received a University of Nebraska Collaboration Initiative grant for his project titled "Computational Modeling of Thrombosis in Calcified Peripheral Arteries."

Dr. Brian Knarr received a University of Nebraska Collaboration Initiative grant for her project titled "Development and efficacy of a feedback-driven treadmill."

The following students also received NASA Nebraska Space grants for 2023-2024: Alli Grunkemeyer, Kaitlin Fraser, and Christopher Copeland. You can read more about their funded projects here.

Two New Junior Investigators

Dr. Dobromir Dotov and Dr. Madhur Mangalam became Junior Investigators at the beginning of August.

Dr. Dotov's project is titled "The Role of Perturbed Auditory Information for Self-motion in Gait." More information on his project can be found here.
Dr. Mangalam's project is titled "Network Analysis of Bodywide Coordination Supporting Suprapostural Dexterity." More information on his project can be found here.

STORIES

Biomechanics Open House & 10th anniversary party!

On Friday, September 15^th, we held the annual Biomechanics Open House to help celebrate our 10th anniversary as a building! The Biomechanics Research Building was opened to the UNO community and the Omaha community. Our students, faculty, and staff provided hands-on experiences with our laboratories, equipment, and workspaces.

EVENTS, WORKSHOPS, & OUTREACH

Seminar Series

The Seminar Series promotes high quality research each Friday during the academic year. The focus of the seminar series is to call for experts related to academia and research in the areas related to biomechanics, variability, motor disorders, physical therapy, and related studies.

Coming up, we are very excited to host:

Dr. Antonia Zaferiou, Steven Institutes of Technology, Nov. 3rd
Dr. Siwei Zhao, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Nov. 10th
Dr. Brad Nindl, University of Pittsburgh, Nov. 17th

View More Upcoming Speakers Here!

Annual Conferences Date Announced!

Our 9th Human Movement Variability Conference & 5th Great Plains Biomechanics Conference have been scheduled for May 29th and May 30th, 2024! It will be held at the Scott Conference Center. Be on the look out for more information as we announce it!

TOUR THE MOVCENTR: A tour inside the walls of the MOVCENTR

New Equipment

Our building recently acquired some fun equipment to assist with our research. Below are some of our most recent additions:

Wearable Sensing Dry EEG
National Instruments Board
Enable Me E-Stim
Vive Pro 2 VR
Computers (3)
Micro-Epsilon Sensor
Electroskip
Digitimer
EAP Stack Actuators
Xsensor Gait and Motion Insoles
MAC Software Support
Cosmed K5 Service Plan
Novel Pilance

Graduate Visitation Program

The Department of Biomechanics will host a visitation program for prospective graduate students who are interested in earning a PhD in Biomechanics & Kinesiology or an MS degree in Biomechanics. The goal of the program is to recruit high-quality graduate students that are top candidates for graduate research assistantships. The visitation program allows students to see our research facilities and interact with faculty and students before making a final decision. The Department of Biomechanics will cover students’ travel, lodging, and food expenses.

Click here for more information!