Kinesiology students present at conference

Presenting in a thematic poster session were:

• Alexander Wright, "Sweat profiling amongst Ranger Challenge teams: assessing the needs (Spartan)."
• Madilynn Zoumberis, "Astaxanthin supplementation improves cognitive performance following mental fatigue in recreationally active females."

Presenting in a regular poster session were:

• Jake Frantz and Angella Sampogna, "Comparing the effectiveness of GLP-1 injections and patches on body composition changes in women with obesity."
• Taylor Hunter, "Is FMS screening effective at identifying acute/chronic joint pain in otherwise healthy people?"
• Brooke Karmilovich, "Female exercise, mood and menstrual effects via accelerometry and cycle training (FEMME-ACT)."
• Jordan Lovelace, "Astaxanthin supplementation reduces subjective markers of muscle soreness following eccentric exercise in recreationally active females."
• Daisy Oliver, "The effects of single leg cycling on early-stage diabetic peripheral neuropathy."

Faculty members presenting in a symposium were:

Students Brett Miller and Zoumberis worked in data collection on the sweat profiling research Wright presented. Wright is a senior from Rome, Georgia, pursuing a degree in kinesiology with a health and fitness concentration.

"The best compliment I received was that my presentation was above-undergrad level," Wright said. "People asked me a lot of questions, and I was most proud of being able to answer the questions they asked."

Barker, an assistant professor of kinesiology, is grateful to know the faculty and students' work with the Ranger Challenge cadets is paying off. The UNG Ranger Challenge team in January earned a spot in the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition for the first time in four years, and the research is providing a model for others nationally.

"No one else is doing research in this space in the way that we are, taking the warfighters and profiling them as athletes," Barker said. "The level of investment in our cadets allows them to also invest in themselves. It increases their motivation."

Everyone involved benefits from the partnership.

"Our student researchers are getting to learn at an incredibly fast pace in an in-depth manner," Hyde, an associate professor of kinesiology, said. "And our cadets are seeing what it's like to be part of an elite high-performance team."

In addition to work on data collection for the Ranger Challenge sweat profiling, Zoumberis wrote the abstract and presented on the mental fatigue research. Those projects served as the first two research experiences for the senior from Perry, Georgia, who is pursuing a degree in kinesiology with an exercise science concentration.

"I jumped into the deep end of research," Zoumberis said.

She plans to attend occupational therapy school in St. Augustine, Florida, starting in January. Zoumberis is grateful for the foundation she has at UNG.

"I have no doubt I will be prepared no matter where I end up," Zoumberis said.

Oliver, a senior from McCaysville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in kinesiology with an exercise science concentration, attended SEACSM in 2025 to see what the conference was all about. This was her first year presenting at SEACSM.

"That made me want to participate in research," Oliver said.

She will pursue a master's degree in exercise physiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill starting in the fall. SEACSM was also helpful in that regard.

"The conference was a good opportunity that helped me grow my contacts at other schools and build connections I would need for grad school," Oliver said.

Frantz, a junior from Woodstock, Georgia, pursuing a degree in kinesiology with an exercise science concentration, appreciates the way his professors have served as mentors. SEACSM reinforced the importance of their investment in him.

"I was able to see how well they prepare us and challenge us as students," Frantz said.

He plans to pursue a master's degree in kinesiology and then a Ph.D. in exercise physiology with the goal of teaching at a university.

"I really love the idea of how complex all the mechanisms are in our body and how everything plays a role," Frantz said. "I would enjoy doing the research and finding other students who are as interested as me and helping them find a new understanding like I did."

UNG also had its SEACSM student quiz bowl team of Oliver, Wright, Hunter, and Penelope Hobgood finish 12th out of 42 teams.