In a recent study, MSU Kinesiology doctoral student Veronica Son and department chair Deborah Feltz have found that individuals are more motivated if they are working as part of a team, as opposed to focusing solely on themselves. Specifically, the researchers saw increased performance when the word “I” was replaced with “we” in self-talk motivational statements. “I believe in the power of ‘we,’” Son...
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Aaron Scheidies, a 2004 graduate of Kinesiology from the Michigan State University College of Education, is one of two recipients of the 2011 Distinguished Young Alumni Award – and it’s no wonder why. Scheidies is a physical therapist, model, public speaker and triathlete who has only 10% of the vision of a fully sighted person. Despite being born with  Stargardt disease - a condition that...
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Cognitive scientist Sian Beilock has devoted her career to the study of high-pressure situations, and how people – mainly students and athletes - respond to them. As a student and lacrosse player herself, Beilock was immediately drawn to the topic, and has since discovered ways to keep from choking under pressure. In one study, Beilock found that if athletes sing...
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Brian Tass, a 2001 kinesiology graduate from the MSU College of Education, has recently been selected as the new varsity head coach of the Novi High School boys’ basketball team. With six years of success as head coach at Waterford Kettering High School, Tass says he hopes to keep the Novi program running strong. “I think Novi basketball will...
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Researchers at Michigan State University have recently been awarded a $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to expand a pilot program that promotes fitness among middle school girls. The five-year program, called “Girls on the Move,” is lead by Lorraine Robbins of the MSU College of Nursing. Robbins is assisted by a team of MSU collaborative researchers, including Karin Pfeiffer, assistant professor...
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After 23 years of diligence and leadership as department chair of Kinesiology at the Michigan State University College of Education, Deborah Feltz has recently announced that she will step down from her position in August, and return to the college’s faculty. Feltz says she has considered leaving her post for the past year, and thinks about the decision in terms of her life goals. During...
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