WATERLOO, Ont. (Monday, Dec. 6, 2010) - More than 1,000 Ontario high school students will learn about health and movement at the University of Waterloo's Kinesiology Lab Days taking place weekdays from Dec. 7 to 16.
The program, hosted by Waterloo's department of kinesiology, was established 37 years ago to showcase the relatively new field of kinesiology at the time - the science of human movement. Since then, the University of Waterloo has established itself as an international leader in kinesiology research and education.
"Kinesiology Lab Days is an effective way to introduce a new generation to this exciting profession and to show teens how they can apply their interest in science and health to make a difference in people's lives," said Michelle Douglas-Mills, communications manager for the faculty of applied health sciences.
Kinesiology Lab Days serves as an educational resource to hundreds of exercise science and biology teachers across the province. In July 2007, the Ontario government passed Bill 171, a landmark decision that officially made kinesiology a regulated health profession in the province.
This year, Grade 12 students from 47 schools, including 12 local high schools, will learn about a wide range of human health and movement-related topics in mini-laboratory sessions.
Waterloo Region schools are scheduled to attend on the following days:
• Wednesday, Dec. 8 - Grand River Collegiate Institute
• Thursday, Dec. 9 - Waterloo Collegiate Institute
• Wednesday, Dec. 15 - Elmira District Secondary School
• Thursday, Dec. 16 - Forest Heights Collegiate Institute, St. Mary’s High School, Resurrection Catholic Secondary School, Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School
The student visits begin at 10:15 a.m. each day with an introductory presentation by Amanda Connolly, recruitment co-ordinator for the faculty of applied health sciences. Her presentation on the science of human movement takes place in the Sun Life Financial Auditorium (room 1621) in the Lyle S. Hallman Institute for Health Promotion. Afterward, students participate in lab experiences at the institute and neighbouring B. C. Matthews Hall.
This year's lab topics include:
• Injury Prevention Using Ergonomic Design
• Gait and Posture Analysis
• Cardiovascular Health
• Psyched-Up: Learning and Performing Movement Tasks
• Work Those Muscles
• Dietary Forensics
Students will learn about equipment and techniques used in many of the kinesiology department's state-of-the-art research and teaching labs. Lab experiences range from learning to use electromyography to measuring breath-by-breath oxygen uptake.
Participants can apply their new-found knowledge in such creative applications as propelling an electric car around the classroom using only electrical signals from their muscles.
About Waterloo
The University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada's Technology Triangle, is one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities. Waterloo is home to 30,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students who are dedicated to making the future better and brighter. Waterloo, known for the largest post- secondary co-operative education program in the world, supports enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. For more information about Waterloo, visit www.uwaterloo.ca.
Contacts:
Michelle Douglas-Mills, communications manager, faculty of applied health sciences, 519-888-4567 ext. 38345 or mdouglas@uwaterloo.ca
Amanda Connolly, recruitment co-ordinator, 519-888-4567 ext. 36220 or amanda@uwaterloo.ca
John Morris, Waterloo media relations, 519-888-4435 or john.morris@uwaterloo.ca
Waterloo news release no. 97
