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Department of Kinesiology

2019-2020 AWARDS
We congratulate our undergraduate and graduate students on their many successes!

25th Annual Kinesiology Awards Recognition

Welcome from the Chairperson

Professional Achievement Award – Sally Eaves Nogle

Sally Eaves Nogle completed her undergraduate and master’s degree at San Diego State University prior to obtaining her PhD from the MSU Department of Kinesiology in 2001. Her advisors were Paul Vogel and Gail Dummer.

Sally started working as an Assistant Athletic Trainer at MSU in 1983. She is currently the Head Athletic Trainer and works with the MSU football team. Sally was selected to work at the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul, South Korea in 1988. Sally has received numerous awards including induction into the Michigan Athletic Trainers and National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame. Sally also teaches courses in the kinesiology department.

Outstanding Doctoral Student Award – Amanda McGowan

Amanda McGowan is a doctoral candidate in the Cognitive and Motor Neuroscience concentration. Using behavioral and psychophysiological measures, her research program focuses on understanding the influence of health behaviors on attention, cognitive control, and mathematical reasoning. A key aim of this work is to inform the design of activity-promoting interventions that improve long-term outcomes related to brain health and academic performance. She has also conducted studies examining the acute and persistent effects of sports-related concussion on cognition. This research has resulted in 10 peer-reviewed journal articles, 1 book chapter, 10 published conference abstracts, and serving as the lead author on an invited commentary in Pediatric Exercise Science. She has received research funding from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, Graduate School, and College of Education. Amanda has taught a variety of courses, including Biomechanics of Physical Activity, Physical Growth and Motor Behavior, Measurement in Kinesiology, Foundations in Kinesiology, and Principles of Human Movement. Among her many service contributions is her work serving as an ad-hoc journal reviewer for a top-tier sport science journal, serving on department and college curriculum committees, and serving as an ad-hoc physical education policy consultant for an Ontario school district. Next year, she will be a postdoctoral researcher in the Addiction, Health, and Adolescence Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.

Amanda McGowan

Outstanding Master’s Student Award – Jonathan Hamil

Under the advisement of Dr. Jim Pivarnik, Jonathan Hamil is a second year master’s student finishing the Strength and Conditioning concentration. He is completing a study comparing off- and on-ice performance tests to game performance outcomes in collegiate ice hockey players. The research has provided opportunities to present at regional and national conferences such as the ACSM’s Annual Meeting and the NSCA’s National Conference in 2020. In addition to this work, he has assisted Dr. Katharine Currie with her work in the ECHO lab, including a study of the athlete’s heart within elite swimmers. He is looking forward to continued research involving wearable technology and collegiate athletes at Michigan State University, when he starts his PhD this fall.

Aside from working within the Kinesiology department as a Teaching Assistant, he spends a considerable amount of time with the MSU Strength and Conditioning department working with men’s and women’s golf and ice hockey under the direction of Mike Vorkapich. As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and TPI Fitness Specialist Level 2, Jonathan functions as a coach for all teams and programs the golf team workouts throughout the year.

Off-campus, you will typically find Jonathan at the nearest hipster coffee shop, applying new cooking techniques learned from Bon Appetit test kitchen videos, or making the pilgrimage back to his hometown, Chicago, to catch a baseball game at Wrigley Field.

Jonathan Hamil

Outstanding Senior Award – Logan Ben-Ezra

Logan Ben-Ezra is a senior in the Department of Kinesiology pursuing a career as a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Along with an impressive GPA, Logan has demonstrated an impressive amount of leadership through his work as a physical therapy technician, an undergraduate research assistant with the Sensorimotor Development Laboratory, a presenter at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum, a teaching assistant in the Department of Kinesiology, and as a volunteer for the MSU Adaptive Sports and Recreation Club. Due to his excellence as a student in the Department of Kinesiology, Logan will make a wonderful addition to a fortunate physical therapy school in the very near future. Congratulations Logan!

Logan Ben-Ezra

Outstanding Senior Award – Alyssa Guadagni

Alyssa Guadagni is a senior in the Department of Kinesiology pursuing a career as a certified specialist in strength and conditioning and a certified specialist in sport dietetics. Alyssa has maintained an impressive GPA, displayed leadership through the honors-based Phi Epsilon Kappa fraternity, and has participated in research on multiple levels. Alyssa is a Certified Personal Trainer, a student mentor for the ACTIVE Spartans Physical Activity Mentorship Program, a research assistant in the Human Energy Research Laboratory (HERL) and presented her research at the Midwest American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) annual conference, winning the Outstanding Student Poster Presentation award. Due to her excellence in academics and leadership, Alyssa will undoubtedly continue to impress throughout graduate school and her career. Congratulations Alyssa

Alyssa Guadagni

Community Service Award – Kadeeja Murrell

Kadeeja Murrell is a senior in the Department of Kinesiology pursuing a career in exercise physiology. As the treasurer and secretary for the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Kadeeja has not only maintained a high GPA, but has established herself around the community through her copious amounts of volunteer work with Advent House Ministries, with Haven House, through Flint Michigan water donations, and through fundraising for breast cancer research. Kadeeja has also volunteered with the Exercise and Cardiac Health Outcomes (ECHO) Laboratory in the Department of Kinesiology, where she collected data for multiple studies including the effects of exercise on brachial artery flow mediated dilation. In the near future, Kadeeja plans to earn her master’s degree in exercise physiology and then her PhD, leading to a bright future in academia. Congratulations Kadeeja!

Kadeeja Murrell

2019-2020 Award Recipients

Student Athlete Scholar Awards