Join Dr. Ballard for a tour of Miami's state-of-the-art laboratories, which complement the classroom instruction and foster critical thinking, reasoning, and other basic principles of liberal education instrumental in careers both in and outside Kinesiology.
Anatomy Lab
The Anatomy Lab houses the Anatomage Virtual Cadaver table, skeletal and muscular models, and is equipped with Smartboard technology.
Athletic Training Lab
The Athletic Training lab is home to both the Athletic Training classes and hands-on laboratory classes. The Meti-Man computerized patient simulator resides in the Athletic Training lab.
State-of-the-art modalities include:
cold laser
decompression traction table
ultrasound
electrical stimulation
whirlpool
cold and hot pacs
Allow this Athletic Training lab room to rival most high caliber college athletic training rooms.
Biomechanics and Neuromuscular Lab
Current research includes a variety of projects investigating muscle strength, muscle endurance and caloric expenditure following different modes of exercise, injury prevention during jumping, nerve and muscle activities before, during and after an explosive exercise, and motion analyses of sport performance. Additional research on the impact of postural adjustments on maintaining balance, jumping/landing mechanics in females, and ways to help the elderly avoid falls is also conducted. The equipment allows for analysis of movement, force production, reaction time, and electrical activity in muscle.
Equipment includes:
Bertec force platform
Noraxon EMG system
Senix motion analysis system
Isokinetic dynamometer
Devices for measuring reaction and movement time
Magnum Resistance Training Equipment
Various Cardiovascular Exercise Equipment
Body Composition Lab
Body composition is assessed with several different methodologies in the Body Composition Lab.
Equipment includes:
Air Displacement Plethysmography System (Bod Pod)
InBody 770 Body Composition analyzer
Tanita Body Composition Analyzer
Lange skinfold calipers
Norland Elite DEXA
Health Psychology Research Lab
Current research examines college student health, with a focus on both addictive/harmful behaviors (alcohol use, disordered eating, unsafe and unwanted sexual behavior) and prosocial activities (women’s leadership, life satisfaction, and scholastic achievement).
Most recently, our research explored the impact of Thursday drinking on academic consequences. In addition, several of our studies assessed the relationship between Drunkoexia and other variables.
Breathalyzers are utilized in the field work and advanced statistical methods (e.g., structural equation modeling, latent class analysis, social network analysis) in examinations.
Human Performance Lab
Research and service projects include biometric screening for all athletes, the impact of exercise on hearing, physical activity in children, and the potential impact of treadmill workstations on health and function.
Equipment includes:
Four ParvoMedics Metabolic Measurement Systems
Three Electrocardiograph Systems
Blood Chemistry Equipment
-80°C Freezer
Portable Oxygen Analyzer
Various Treadmills and Exercise Bikes
Heartrate Monitors, Pedometers, Accelerometer
Muscle Physiology Wet Lab
Current research is focused on the relationships among age, physical activity level, and skeletal muscle inflammation. Elevated skeletal muscle inflammation has been linked to the development of type II diabetes and age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia).
BioRad ChemiDoc MP Imaging System
BioTek Synergy HT Micro-Plate Reader
Tuttnauer-Brinkmann Analytic Scale
Thermo-Scientific Revco ExF Ultra-Low Freezer
Refrigerated centrifuge and micro-centrifuge
BioRad Power Pac HC
Applied Biosystems StepOne™ Real-time PCR System
Thermo Fisher HM525 NX Cryostat
Vascular Physiology Lab
Current research focuses on investigating the impact of exercise and/or dietary interventions on vascular function and cardiometabolic risk in healthy and clinical populations.
Equipment includes:
Terason uSmart 3300 Ultrasound System for measurement of arterial flow-mediated dilation and carotid intima-media thickness
SphygmoCor XCEL for measurement of central arterial pressure waveform, pulse wave velocity, and arterial stiffness
Hokanson Rapid Cuff Inflation System
Dietetics Lab
Students prepare and analyze food using 16 cooking stations with equipment designed to test food texture, macro and micro nutrient content, vitamin analyses, etc.
This laboratory has state-of-the-art technology including IPads for every station, overhead cameras for a demonstration unit, and an adjacent room that can be used for classroom instruction or dining.
Sensory Lab
The Food Sensory Lab in the Nutrition and Dietetics program involves interdisciplinary research using sensory technology in Sensory Analysis Booths.
Nutrition students gain a deep understanding for how specific ingredients, packaging, processes and environments influence the sensory properties of foods.
This technology includes individual testing booths equipped with access windows, controlled lighting, a customized exhaust system and use of industry technology for data collection and analysis.
