News & Events
School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences

School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences Launches Leisure and Recreation Management Program

Imagine leading an expedition on a backpacking trek through the Andes Mountains,  guiding a kayaking group through forgotten Florida waters, or directing a team across the Everglades in search of exotic animal life.  These are just a few of the activities that your education at Barry University can now prepare you for through our new Leisure and Recreation Management program (LRM) offered through the school of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences (HPLS).

By combining our distinctive South Florida ecology, a diverse student body, and experienced faculty, the LRM program offers students a truly unique educational experience.  From ecotourism to wilderness training to recreational leadership, classes dive into a rich Florida environment ripe for discovery, growth, and opportunity.  Students can expect a hands-on learning adventure in this classroom without walls.

Barry University professor and program founder, Dr. Gayle Workman, states:

“Students will engage in a variety of experiences, from studying and practicing outdoor leadership skills and group dynamics to learning how to manage recreational facilities and programs.  They will also learn about the world around us and its application to this major through the integration of the Environmental Studies minor within their Leisure and Recreation Management program”.

The B.S. in Leisure and Recreational Management requires 124-semester hours of study, which can be completed in four years.  The program is developed around a total of 64-semester hours with 22-semester hours in the Sport and Exercise Science (SES) core, 42-semester hours specific to the LRM major, 23- credits towards a minor in Environmental studies (13 credits in Environmental Studies count toward both a minor and the university distribution requirement) , and one 3-credit elective.

A minor in Environmental Studies is required to support a major in LRM. The Environmental Studies minor allows students to complete 20 credits in designated courses and 3 credits in an elective course to strengthen and deepen students’ knowledge and sensitivity regarding human impact on the environment and the critical role this plays within the broad field of outdoor leisure and recreation. This intention also supports Barry’s mission, which asks us to care for one another and assume responsibility in environmental affairs.

Majors in Leisure and Recreation Management can pursue careers in within the billion-dollar tourism and recreation industry. New career opportunities include:

leisure management and marketing,
leisure and recreational facility management,
the adventure business,
parks and recreation management,
resort management, event planning,
promotions and special events,
and many more!

The demand for Leisure and Recreation professionals is growing, and has been noted by many Leisure and Recreation managers and recruiters.  Here is what some South Florida Leisure and Recreation professionals have had to say about the start of Barry’s new LRM program.

Throughout the years, many potential employees and college students have contacted our office in search of a job at one of our many parks.  A basic requirement to apply for any of our 65 park manager positions is to have a Bachelors degree in the field of Parks and Recreation or Leisure Management.  Congratulations on your decision to help further the park and recreation profession.

Sarah A. Perkins
Superintendent, Parks and Recreation
Broward County, Florida

Our program is in its fourteenth year and is growing stronger everyday.  Some of my Outdoor Center students have gone on to secure careers as guides, forest rangers, outdoor educators and camp professionals.  We would be happy to work with Barry University on setting up opportunities for internships and co-curricular activities.

Carolyn Woods, Coordinator
Outdoor Education Center
Florida Community College
Jacksonville, Florida

The implementation of a Bachelor of Science Degree in Leisure and Recreation Management would be a great benefit to both Barry University and to the huge leisure services and recreation profession in the state of Florida.  The continued growth in both the private and public sector has created a continuous need for the recreation professional.

Jerry A. Estep
Recreation Director
Miami Shores Village Recreation Department
Miami Shores, Florida

I am excited to hear that Barry University is considering a degree in Leisure and Recreation Management.  With the increased interests in the health and wellness of individuals, the leisure field is becoming a much more sought after profession and will continue to grow.  The ability for students in South Florida to attend Barry University and earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Leisure and Recreation Management will be a great option.

Phil Thornburg
Director
Parks and Recreation Department
City of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

With a Bachelors degree in this field, graduates work in a career that often positively impacts the life of children and adults alike.  This type of work builds self-esteem and provides lasting life skills for all that participate.

Brian K. Pagliaro
Assistant Parks and Recreation Director
City of Oakland Park
Oakland Park, Florida

It has recently come to my attention that Barry University is offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Leisure and Recreation Management.  As a recreation professional in the parks and recreation field for the past 34 years, the opportunity to provide parks and recreation studies at another South Florida university is exciting.  As you are aware, South Florida is a tourist state and the need for professional recreators is growing.

James S. Romano
Parks and Recreation Director
City of Plantation
Plantation, Florida

If you are ready to begin your own journey, you can read more about the LRM program, Dr. Workman, and HPLS or apply online at www.barry.edu/leisurerecreation.

Your adventure awaits!

Dr. Artur Poczwardowski Recognized as Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year

In a year that has seen the School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences (HPLS) reach new heights, including the university’s first national championship in a men’s sport (golf), another first has been achieved.  For the first time, the Barry University Faculty Member of the Year has been selected from HPLS.  Dr. Artur Poczwardowski, Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology, was recognized as Barry University’s   outstanding faculty member, for the 2006-07 academic year.  At a Spring ceremony attended by faculty and administration, Dr. Poczwardowski accepted the award on behalf of HPLS.  The award recognizes outstanding achievement in three areas: teaching, research, and service. 

Although the award distinguishes Dr. Poczwardowski for his individual achievements, he views the award as the culmination of continued outstanding performance among HPLS faculty.  He recognizes the legacy of faculty members who have paved the way for his successes and views his recognition as the end of that long process.

”A reward like this one is always a product of collective efforts and vision. The School of Human Performance and Leisure Science is a very well functioning system. The administrative support from Dean Jean Cerra and Dr. Gayle Workman (former Chair of the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences) as well as the ongoing help from all my colleagues from within the school have created the environment, in which my service to the students, university, and the field of sport psychology has been recognized by the Barry community. In the past, two other HPLS faculty members, Drs. Carl Cramer and Ann Gibson were the very top nominees for this award. My job was easy. You can see it as ‘standing on giants’ shoulders’, so to speak.”

Dr. Poczwardowski’s successes span an array of academic and professional significance.  An expert in applied Sport Psychology, some of his achievements have received international acclaim, as he has published articles in such academic journals as the International Journal of Sport Psychology, The Sport Psychologist, Journal of Health Education, American Journal of Health Behavior, and Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.  In particular, his work on the effectiveness of sport psychology professional practice has received much attention.  This work has been cited by numerous established professionals in the field and has entered course content and curricula of graduate programs in applied sport psychology.

In addition, his model and approach to the delivery of Sport Psychology master’s programs has added to the ongoing attempts to develop new, higher standards for American institutions.  He and Dr. Gualberto Cremades (the founder of the master’s program in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Barry University) intend to present their model of supervision at a conference in Louisville, Kentucky on October 27. This model may shape supervision practice in Sport Psychology education. Last year, the two professors from Barry presented their innovative approach to meet the requirements of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) for the title of Certified Consultant during the AASP national convention in Miami, Florida.

Dr. Poczwardowski’s other achievements are not so visible.  Dr. Poczwardowski serves many long hours as a consultant for other researchers in the capacity of the blind reviewer of their research manuscripts that are submitted to The Sport Psychologist.  Of course, through all of this, he manages to keep his students a priority through his dynamic classroom teaching, student-focused advising, and compassionate mentoring.

Teaching the Disabled to SCUBA Dive – Another SMDI Class Experience

The International Association for Handicapped Divers (IAHD) held their sixth annual Try Scuba event on Saturday, December 2nd and Sunday, December 3rd in Key Largo, Florida. This event allows people with varying degrees of physical disabilities to dive in a controlled setting under the supervision of IAHD certified instructors. Barry professor Sharon Kegeles, an IAHD instructor, took six SMDI student-majors to work with these new divers in the pool. Most of these Barry students are certified IAHD Dive Partners, which means that they have received training in the care and guidance of handicapped divers. The responsibilities of the students included assisting divers in and out of the water, helping with scuba gear, and accompanying them underwater to make sure they were safe, comfortable and having a fun experience. The turnout for the event was excellent, with five divers showing up for both days for pool training. All of the dive operations went smoothly, and the Barry divers were able to get valuable hands-on experience. Because the event has been so successful, it will now be occurring bi-annually, with the next event planned for sometime in April, 2008. For more information on the International Association for Handicapped Divers, visit their website: www.iahd.org

M.S. in Biomechanics Students Participate Internationally at Sports Research Conference

This past summer, two students specializing in biomechanics in Barry's Master of Science in Movement Science program earned the privilege of presenting their research at the International Symposium of Biomechanics in Sport in Salzburg, Austria. In addition, former Barry graduate of the same program Dave Fortenbaugh, who is now at the University of Miami continuing his education in Engineering (PhD), also presented along with their major professor Dr. Monique Mokha. They were able to present their work in front of an audience from around the globe, attend lectures and keynote speaker's presentations of experts in their field and absorb the cultural diversity of South Eastern Europe.

Nicole Jacobs presented a work in progress entitled, Do Ankle Stabilizers Influence Dynamic Stability in Persons with Functional Ankle Instability? Nicole delivered an oral presentation to any audience of the most well-renown sport biomechanists in the world. She was also co-author of another presentation given at the conference by Dr. Mokha. While Nicole's interest does not lye specifically in ankle research she enjoyed the experience of being able to quantify those with impairments and to see which intervention modality helped the participants of the study the most. Nicole is in her last year here at Barry coming from UNLV, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with a bachelors in Kinesiology and a minor in Nutrition. Her thesis will be on skateboarders. She hopes to be among the first in this sport to actually quantify the movements and further enhance the ability of those who participate reach the top levels of the sport. Currently Nicole also teaches a section of our Kinesiology lab on campus.

Kimitake (Kimi) Sato CSCS PES also gave an oral presentation entitled, Comparison in Force Generation and Time of Foot Contact in Four Different Cutting Angles Between Athletes and Non-Athletes. Kimi is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a certified performance enhancement specialist. Kimi has a wealth of practical and real life experiences in the fitness and sport world. His personal interests focus mainly on running, Kimi participates in marathons regularly. Kimi teaches strength and conditioning classes on campus as well. He is also one of two research associates at Barry University 's Runner's Clinic where he assists in running biomechanics and prescribes appropriate exercises for each runner. Kimi is in his last semester here at Barry and his thesis will focus on the highly popular area of core training.

David Fortenbaugh presented work from his MS thesis at Barry on Differences in Angular Velocity among Selected Kinematics during a Left-Handed Pitcher's Pick-off Move. Left-handed pitchers have a natural advantage to concealing their decision to either pitch to a batter or throw a runner out at first base. David's findings of subtle body mechanic differences may aid baserunners in focusing on what the differences are so they know when to make their move. David is currently working on his PhD at the University of Miami in the Department of Industrial Engineering where he continues to focus on sport biomechanics.

Dr. Monique Mokha presented her paper entitled, Pre-season Time to Stabilization Measures in Five Collegiate Teams. Dynamic stability is an important component to safe and effective athletic performance. Having these measures during pre-season can aid in objectively identifying those at risk for injury as well as serve as baseline data should someone sustain an injury in the future. She found that male basketball players had longer stabilization times while female volleyball players had the shortest stabilization times. Dr. Mokha directs the Biomechanics Laboratory here at Barry while teaching in the Athletic Training and Biomechanics programs.

What is Sports Biomechanics anyways?

A "sport biomechanist" uses the tools of mechanics (physics) to study the anatomical and functional aspects of people in motion. He/She typically does this with two purposes: to improve performance, and/or reduce the risk of injury. Equipment that is usually used includes high speed cameras, a force plate, and computer programs that allow them to translate information gathered in order for them to interpret information about the performer they are analyzing. Our equipment is housed in the Health and Sports Center by the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

For more information about Barry's MS program in Biomechanics, please
visit www.barry.edu/hpls/MS/biomechanics/Default.asp

Miami Shores, Fla. – The 21st Annual National Association for Sports Psychology Conference, the largest conference of its kind, will take place Sept. 27-30 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Miami. Psychologists from Australia, South America, and South Africa will be attending this year’s conference, with Barry University sponsoring the opening session.

“On a scale of one to 10 this conference is a 10. It is the event for sports psychologists,” said Dr. Gualberto Cremades, associate professor and coordinator of Barry’s master’s program in Sport and Exercise Psychology. “The profession’s ultimate goal is for the sport psychologist or mental conditioning coach to become as much a part of any sports team as are athletic trainers.”

This is the first year the conference has ever been held in Miami. Up to 750 participants descend on one state each year to share the latest research and developments in their fields. In previous years, the event was held in Vancouver, Minnesota and Philadelphia. At present, sports psychologists are used in a multiplicity of sports as consultants. They help athletes and coaches develop their leadership skills, cope with an injury before and after, and provide mental conditioning for the world of sports in general. Barry’s master’s program in Sport and Exercise Psychology prepares students to take on these roles.

According to Bryan Anderson, director of marketing and admissions for Barry’s School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences, the Sports and Exercise Psychology program at Barry has gained popularity and has experienced a phenomenal increase in enrollment since its inception in 2001. The program is unique in that it blends applied experiences with varsity athletes into the curriculum. On Barry’s campus, students have access to one of the premier Sport and Exercise Psychology instructional facilities in the nation, with video recall suites, a fully equipped performance behavior lab and state of the art classrooms and teaching resources.

For more information, call Dr. Cremades at (305) 899-4846. You can also visit www.barry.edu/sportexercisepsychology.

Biomechanics graduate student lands prestigious internship at the USOC

Kimitake (Kimi) Sato, graduate student in the MS program in Biomechanics has been selected for an internship at the Sports Science division of United States Olympic Committee (USOC) in Colorado Springs this summer. Kimi was fortunate enough to meet with one of the USOC’s biomechanists, Dr. Sara Smith, while presenting with his faculty advisor, Dr. Monique Mokha, in Beijing, China last summer at the International Society of Biomechanics in Sport’s (ISBS) annual conference. Dr. Smith was impressed with Kimi’s research and practical experiences and encouraged him to apply. After an extensive review process, Kimi was given notice in March that he had earned an internship spot. He will be working with America’s elite athletes from the Olympic teams, conducting movement analysis tests to enhance their performance. Because the USOC Sport Science Laboratory uses the same brand and make of movement analysis equipment (cameras, software, and force devices) that Barry’s Biomechanics Laboratory does, Kimi is sure to make an immediate impact. Selection of an intern for this position is extremely selective. Kimi’s experience in Sport Biomechanics coupled with his National Strength and Conditioning (CSCS) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) certifications made him the right choice for this internship. Kimi is also one of two Research Associates in Barry’s University’s Runner’s Clinic, a fee-based service that provides comprehensive biomechanical analyses to South Florida runners. He will also be presenting again at this summer’s ISBS in Salzburg, Austria along with fellow biomechanics graduate student, Nicole Jacobs, and faculty advisor, Dr. Mokha.

Exercise Science student lands prestigious internship with the NSCA

Through a highly competitive application and selection process, Juan Carlos Siegel, an Exercise Science student in the School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences at Barry was selected to complete an internship at the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He will be working in the NSCA's Human Performance Center, focusing on training with United States Olympic hockey team. From over 1500 undergraduate students that applied for this internship, only 5 were selected. Juan Carlos was one of them. Selection was based on the applicant's educational background, experiences, personal statement, recommendations, and phone interview. Those selected must also have earned or be pursuing a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification. Juan Carlos passed his CSCS certification exam in January 2006.

Juan Carlos is a full-time student here at Barry University and is enrolled in the 5-year seamless BS to MS program in Exercise Science. He is scheduled to begin his graduate courses this fall. Juan Carlos also co-owns a fitness/training center here in Miami Shores where he works as a personal trainer.

Congratulations to Sharon Kegeles for her selection into the 2006 Women Divers Hall of Fame. She was inducted on March 26 in New Jersey.  She joins a select group of only 143 women in the world who have been selected for this prestigious recognition based on their significant contributions "to the exploration, greater understanding, safety, and enjoyment of the underwater world."  This elite group includes the most notable women leaders and innovators in the diving community.  They come from a "wide variety of fields of specialization, including:  the Arts, Sciences, Sports, Exploration, Archeology, Media, Safety, Education, Service, Business, Environment, and Conservation." 

A diving industry specialist and entrepreneur, Kegeles has served as educational and risk management consultant to several community organizations and diving businesses in the retail sector. She has developed niche markets in the diving business world and has fostered leadership programs integrating education, safety, and lifetime environmental interaction for divers of all physical ability levels. Kegeles currently acts as the director of Undergraduate Programs and the coordinator of the Sport Management – Diving Industry Program (the only program of its kind in the world) in the School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences. She received her undergraduate degree from Barry University's distinctive program and her M.S. in Higher Education Administration from Barry's Graduate School of Education. She is currently working on her PhD in Educational Leadership.

Women Divers Hall of Fame: www.wdhof.org

To learn more about the Barry University Sport Management - Diving Industry program, please visit their website at  http://www.barry.edu/diving

M.S. in Biomechanics Students Have Impact Internationally at Sports Research Conference

This past summer two students specializing in biomechanics in Barry’s Master of Science in Movement Science program earned the privilege of presenting their research at the International Society of Biomechanics in Sport Symposium in Beijing, China. In addition to presenting, the students and their major professor, Dr. Monique Butcher Mokha ATC/L, reaped the cultural as well as scientific benefits of being at such a conference. Organizers of the conference scheduled tours of the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, Tai’anmen Square, and the Beijing Opera.

Tobin S. Silver MS CSCS presented work from his thesis entitled, Effects of 6 wks of yoga on selected measures of dynamic balance. Tobin delivered an oral presentation to an audience of the most well-renown sport biomechanists in the world. Interestingly, while yoga is not categorized as a sport per se, his topic was overwhelmingly welcomed in China where they study the eastern practices of Tai Chi. Tobin is a certified strength and conditioning specialist as well as a certified yoga instructor. He taught yoga in the Instructional Sports and Recreation program here at Barry while completing his MS degree. His major professor, Dr. Monique Butcher Mokha ATC/L says, “Tobin came to us with a deep passion to quantify the effects of yoga on the body. He knew the ‘art’ of yoga very well; his experiences in the laboratory here have helped him know the ‘science’ of yoga.” Tobin graduated in May, 2005, and is currently a research and teaching assistant at Texas Woman’s University where he is pursuing a doctorate in biomechanics. He continues to teach and focus his research questions on yoga.

Kimitake (Kimi) Sato CSCS PES presented work he began in his very first semester in the biomechanics program. Kimi’s presentation was delivered during a poster session, and was entitled, A relationship between ground reaction force and the stability level of the lower extremity in young active adults. The participants performed a running activity in the lab as well as had their stability tested. Kimi is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, and a certified performance enhancement specialist. He also competes as a runner and in other various fitness-related competitions. Dr. Butcher Mokha ATC/L says, “Kimi has a wealth of practical, real-life experience in the fitness and sport world. He has and continues to work with elite performance athletes. He has a keen eye for movement analysis, is an incredible networker, and I admire his determination to dig into the research behind the claims made in the fitness and sport industry about performance enhancement.” Kimi teaches strength and conditioning courses in the Instructional Sports and Recreation program and the kinesiology laboratories in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences. He is also one of two research associates at Barry University’s Runner’s Clinic where he assists in analyzing running biomechanics and prescribing exercises appropriate for each runner.

What is Sport Biomechanics?

A “sport biomechanist” uses the tools of mechanics (physics) to study the anatomical and functional aspects of people in motion. He/She typically does this with two purposes: to improve performance, and/or to reduce the risk of injury. Typically, equipment such as high speed cameras or a force plate (device set flush with the ground that when stepped or jumped upon can measure an athlete’s impact) are used to produce precise numerical results. For example, in Barry’s Biomechanics Laboratory (housed in the Health and Sport Center by the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences), Tobin used the force plate to measure how the body’s center of pressure moved around before and after the yoga program. He found that the movement of the center of pressure decreased, which indicated that the participants had improved their balance. Kimi used the force plate to measure how much impact was produced at foot strike while his participants ran across the plate. He then correlated the impacts with scores from a stability test commonly used in athletic training rooms and sports medicine clinics. He found that participants who produced higher impacts, which could contribute to injury, had lower stability scores. He is currently in the process of developing a training program that might improve stability and reduce the risk of injury to runners by minimizing the impacts.

Dr. Ann L. Gibson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport and Exercise Science, received a grant award in the amount of $147,355 from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF grant has funded the purchase of state-of-the-art technology that will guide student and faculty scientific inquiry through the application of various engineering principles and mathematical models to the investigation of body composition assessment. The human body is traditionally described in terms of a two-component model that divides the total body mass into its fat mass and fat-free mass components. With the equipment purchased through this NSF grant, faculty and students will be able to more thoroughly investigate the various aspects of the fat-free mass (water, mineral, protein) and how physical activity, hydration, aging, and ethnicity influences them.

The major pieces of equipment that have been purchased include a bone densitometer, an air-displacement plethysmograph, and a multi-frequency whole-body bioelectrical impedance analyzer. The bone densitometer (DXA) provides a rapid, x-ray based assessment of bone mineral content, bone density, and body fat levels; this will be instrumental in investigations of body composition, racial differences in body mineral and fat deposition patterns as well as the effects of physical activity and aging. The air-displacement plethysmograph (BodPod Ô ) provides an alternative to underwater determination of body density through displacement of air within a closed chamber. Historically underwater weighing has been used as the preferred reference method for estimating body density (which is inversely related to body fat levels) through the displacement of water; however, underwater weighing requires a degree of participant compliance and effort that makes it impractical for many people - especially for those who are uncomfortable being totally submerged underwater. The major constituent of the fat-free body is water; transmitting low levels of electrical current through the body while measuring the degree of resistance of the body's tissues to that current can reasonably estimate total body water. In addition to being able to estimate total body water, the multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer purchased with this NSF grant is capable of differentiating the intracellular and extracellular water compartments.

Dr. Gibson, other HPLS faculty and students are extremely excited about the teaching and research opportunities this grant makes possible.

HPLS celebrates 10-year anniversary.

On Feb. 18, 2005, the Barry University Department of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences hosted a luncheon in celebration of its 10-year anniversary. Professor Neill Miller was honored for her 38 years of dedicated service and unlimited contributions to the University. In addition, HPLS celebrated those physical education graduates with 30 years or more as alumnae.

Dr. Annie Clement receives Leadership Award from SRLA

Dr. Annie Clement, Esquire, Professor, Sport Management, School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences presented her paper, “A new ’twist’ in the evolving debate between the Right of Publicity and the First Amendment,” at the Annual Meeting of the Sport and Recreation Law Association (SRLA) in Virginia Beach, VA, on March 4, 2005.  Dr. Clement received the Leadership Award, one of two of their major awards, from SLRA at their banquet. 

The Sport and Recreation Law Association is a nonprofit corporation, incorporated in the State of Indiana. SRLA has members employed as lawyers, teachers, and professors. Its purpose is to further the study and dissemination of information regarding legal aspects of sport and recreation. The Association addresses legal aspects of sport and recreation within both the public and private sectors.

http://www.ithaca.edu/srla/about.htm

The objectives of the Association are:

• To serve as a medium for academic growth and development through professional exchange;
• To provide service functions for SRLA members through conference presentations and research publications;
• To assist in the development of appropriate curricula content;
• To cooperate closely with allied national and international organizations in areas such as athletics, education, exercise, law, medicine, recreation, and sport; and
• To network and provide a forum for discussion about the law.

Barry students dive into studies
by Susan Cocking, Miami Herald

Read full story .

Jay Haran, Barry Biomechanics Alumnus, a NASA Intern

F.J. “Jay” Haran earned his M.S. in Barry’s Biomechanics--Movement Science program. He has completed one year in the doctoral program in kinesiology at the University of Houston. This summer, he went to NASA as part of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute’s Summer Internship Program.

Supervised by NASA scientists and physicians, interns “are assigned to projects addressing bone and mineral loss, behavioral health, cardiovascular regulation, balance and mobility after spaceflight, and exercise techniques and devices for use in space.” For more information on this exciting internship, see “Thirteen students selected for space research internship,” News Release from the National Space Biomedical Research Institute.”

For information Barry’s highly respected Biomechanics program, call 305-899-3494 (local and international) or 1-800-756-6000, ext. 3494 (toll-free) or review our Biomechanics web pages and find out what you can do with the degree!

Professor Receives Grant to Study Biomechanics

Dr. Monique Mokha, Assistant Professor of Biomechanics, has just received a $40,000 grant funded by the Barry University Research Scholarship Fund. The award will provide her the opportunity to study the "Effects of Six Weeks of Custom Molded Orthotic Use on Lower Leg Biomechanics and Pain Scale Measurements." 

Orthotics have typically been prescribed to manage lower extremity pain by redistributing pressure and/or correcting excessive foot motion. While many patients report pain relief with their initial use, the efficacy of the orthotic over time has been minimally investigated. The purpose of this study will be to investigate the effects of custom molded orthotics on lower leg biomechanics and pain scale measurements. Specifically, kinematic (joint position), kinetic (force), and subjective pain measurements will be used to quantify the effects. Participants will be symptomatic, physically active volunteers from a local podiatrist's patient pool for whom custom molded orthotics have been prescribed. Subjects will be evaluated at four instances over a six week time period. Results will be beneficial in guiding clinical practice, especially in the treatment of lower extremity injuries in the physically active. 

The funding from this one year grant will go primarily toward a force plate and associated software for the Biomechanics Laboratory in the Health and Sports Complex in order to collect the kinetic data. However, some of the award will be used to fund a research assistant for the spring and summer semesters.

HPLS Welcomes New Members to the Barry Family

Additional Photos

From Friday, July 12 through Wednesday, July 17, 2002, the School of Human Performance and Leisure Sciences (HPLS), along with other University offices and programs, gave a warm welcome to more than 40 of its first-year students and their families.

In-coming students from California to New York traveled to Miami Shores to participate in Barry's Student Advanced Registration and Transitions (StART) Program. StART is an early advising and registration program specifically designed to introduce first-year students and their families to the Barry campus, community and university life.

Dr. G. Jean Cerra, Dean of HPLS, spoke with students and parents about the school's outstanding academic programs, faculty, and University support services. Advisors were on hand to discuss with each student the curriculum in the major and answer questions about courses and program requirements. Parents were able to listen in on the advising session and learn a little about the philosophy that underlies academic study at Barry University. 

Students were not only able to meet with their academic advisors, but they were able to complete placement testing, obtain student ID cards, order course books, have a short stay in the residence halls, meet many of their classmates. Last and certainly not least, they were able to complete the registration process for fall semester courses.

Alumna Presents Case Report at 53rd Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposia of the National Athletic Trainers' Association

Ty Texidor, BS, 2001, will present her case report "Unique Head Injury in a Collegiate Basketball Player" at the 53rd Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposia of the National Athletic Trainers' Association held in Dallas Texas on June 14-18, 2002. Ty was the student athletic trainer assigned to the women's basketball team in fall, 1999, when a Barry player rebounding a shot was elbowed in the forehead by an opponent. Jessica Mora, Associate Athletic Trainer at the time incident occurred, assisted in the development of the case report.

Spring 2002 4.0 Student-Athletes

How does a student-athlete juggle team practices, competitive events, travel, academic classes, volunteer work, and try to have just a little social life all at the same time? Just ask these stellar student-athletes who did all that and posted a 4.0 GPA for the Spring, 2002 term. 

Aneta Wisniewska, International Relations; Joanna Ball, Athletic Training; Rachel Theisen, Psychology Wes Lindberg, Sport Management; Nicole Ruiz, Amy Tewis, Undeclared/Undecided; Melissa Behrle, Theology; Victoria Courmes, Political Science.

Congratulations to these very outstanding student-athletes !

Homecoming 2002, February 8-10

HPLS will support Barry University's February Homecoming events by offering a program entitled, "Orientation for a Healthy Lifestyle." The hour and half seminar includes tips for staying healthy through the aging process.

Complete schedule of Homecoming 2002 activities .