Faculty within Kinesiology have received numerous professional honors/awards for their teaching, research and service.
- Dr. Ro DiBrezzo is a past director of the Teaching and Faculty Support Center
- Dr. Dean Gorman is a past Teaching Academy President
Faculty have received five COEHP Outstanding Researcher Awards, two Southern Academy of Women in Physical Activity, Sport, and Health Research Awards, one National Outstanding Young Professional Award, and have been invited presenters at State, Regional, National and International Conferences, and are well published in the literature.
Faculty have been either keynote or invited speakers at international conferences in Italy, France, Korea, Greece, Australia, Canada, Israel, and the Soviet Union. Faculty have authored refereed articles in prestigious journals in their field including publications in the American College of Sports Medicine Journal, Research Quarterly in Exercise Sport, Clinical Kinesiology, Pediatric Research, the International Olympic Congress Proceedings, the Journal of Applied Psychology, the Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Physical Education, the Journal of Educational Psychology, and JOPERD.
Faculty serve on editorial review boards, are extremely active in professional organizations, and are highly involved in community service activities. Ten faculty within Kinesiology have graduate status I or II (Graduate I= 6, Graduate II = 4). Of the faculty, one is a University Professor, four are Professors, one is an Associate Professor, one is an Assistant Professor, three are Clinical Assistant Professors and two are instructors.
The Kinesiology faculty have committed themselves to the pursuit of knowledge about the health and well-being of people through research and to the subsequent dissemination of information through educational outreach, service programs, publications, and research presentations. The scholarly activities of the faculty during the past five years reflect that commitment.
The faculty have been active researchers conducting projects, presenting data and publishing manuscripts, and have received grant support for both teaching and research projects. In addition, they have provided leadership roles for state, regional, and national professional organizations and have served on numerous departmental, college, and university committees.
Kinesiology faculty have all been involved in major projects.
- Dr. Charles Riggs is investigating genetic disorders of fatty and carbohydrate metabolism. Specifically, the aim of his research is to study the effects of epinephrine on the methodology used to study cardiac function in exercise trained and untrained mice. The study is significant in that the methodology used to study cardiac function to date has only been used on rats. This project will develop a mouse model for metabolic deficiencies.
- Drs. DiBrezzo and Inza Fort continue to do research on women’s health issues, especially in the area of osteoporosis, eating disorders, menopausal symptoms, and aging.
- Dr. Gorman collaborates on a number of research projects and also studying intervention strategies to improve motor performance within specific populations of people with disabilities.
- Dr. Jeff Bonacci coordinates the athletic training area of concentration at the graduate level and is interested in researching electrical muscle stimulation as a method to decrease muscle soreness and damage.
- Drs. Cathy Lirgg, Jack Kern, and Angie Smith-Nix conduct research in the area of pedagogy. Specifically, these researchers are studying the effects of technology on teacher preparation programs, teacher efficacy, the student teacher experience and retention.
There has been a significant increase in scholarship among Kinesiology faculty during a recent five year period. Kinesiology faculty have published 2 chapters in books, 76 articles or proceedings, and have presented 99 scholarly papers. Faculty have an exemplary record of community service as witnessed by service on 31 commissions, boards, task forces, and committees in Arkansas and the nation. Kinesiology faculty have secured 36 internal grants and contracts from within the University of Arkansas system for a total of $128,568. Five external grants and contracts from various federal, state and local funding sources resulted in $48,261 in funding.
FACULTY
- Baghurst, Timothy Visiting Assistant Professor
- Bonacci, Jeff Program Director, Athletic Training Education Program and Clinical Assistant Professor
- Calleja, Paul Assistant Professor of Kinesiology
- DiBrezzo, Ro University Professor of Kinesiology and Director Human Performance Lab
- Forbess, Janet B. Instructor
- Fort, Inza Professor of Kinesiology
- Gorman, Dean Professor of Kinesiology
- Kern, Jack C. Clinical Associate Professor of Kinesiology
- Kluess, Heidi Assistant Professor of Kinesiology (Exercise Science)
- Lirgg, Cathy D. Associate Professor of Kinesiology
- Mayes, Susan Instructor & Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies
- Oliver, Gretchen D. Clinical Coordinator of the Graduate Athletic Training Education Program
- Riggs, Charles Professor of Kinesiology
- Smith-Nix, Angie Clinical Assistant Professor & PEAC Coordinator