WSU connects with New Zealand through symposium

PULLMAN — WSU kinesiology students will present their research to peers across the globe in the fourth annual Inter Pacific Student Research Symposium. The symposium will take place from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, in room T101 of the Food Science and Human Nutrition building at WSU, as well as at Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand. The symposium will be broadcasted between WSU and Massey University via videoconferencing.

Approximately 10 students from WSU and 10 students from Massey University and Rosmini College in New Zealand will present their research projects. There will also be students from Eastern Washington University and the University of Idaho presenting.

Some presentation topics include confidence in football, positive self-imagery and distance runners, and fitness in marines and sailors.

A joint student project was completed by both New Zealand students and WSU students with elementary schools in their respective countries. In Pullman, a WSU College of Education partner, the Pullman School District, and Dan Peterson, physical education specialist at Sunnyside School, asked WSU students to help in the regular school assessment program. The New Zealand and WSU students studied the fitness and nutrition in fourth graders. Students from both locations will present their findings and compare the respective results between countries.

Student presenters will be followed by keynote speaker Ajmol Ali from Massey University. Ali’s presentation is titled “To Exercise or Not to Exercise; that is the Question”.

Geoff Wood, head of the department of health at Rosmini College and former WSU instructor, and Larry Bruya, professor in the department of kinesiology at WSU, worked together in the past and four years ago came up with the idea of a conference as a way for students to share work projects completed as part of their coursework.

In Pullman, the research symposium is being coordinated by WSU’s North West Student Professional Network/Phi Epsilon Kappa, a kinesiology professional organization. The research projects being presented are scheduled as coursework in the major.

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