Research Laboratories
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Contact Information:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 404-413-8360
Our Facilities
The Applied Physiology Laboratory is a 2,000-square-foot facility that serves the research, teaching and service needs of our department. Constructed as part of the renovation of the Physical Education Building, it served as the badminton venue for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
The laboratory maintains a Georgia clinical laboratory license through the Department of Human Resources.
The Applied Physiology Laboratory has 2 two major areas – the main laboratory area equipment and body composition area equipment.
Dr. Andy Doyle is the director.
Main Laboratory Area Equipment (1500 square feet) | |
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Metabolic Carts:
ECG:
Treadmills:
Cycle Ergometers:
Wingate Anaerobic Test Interface:
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Impedance Cardiography:
Spirometer:
Heart Rate Monitors:
Thermometers:
Emergency:
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Body Composition Area Equipment (80 square feet) | |
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Bioelectrical Impendence:
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Skinfold Calipers:
Circumference:
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The Georgia State University Biomechanics Laboratory is a typical motion analysis lab residing in a 2,800-square-foot research complex in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The lab is the home to several active and well-funded programs focused on rehabilitation research across the lifespan. The lab also serves as an instructional laboratory space for undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Kinesiology and Health.
Dr. Feng Yang is the director of the lab, which is shared by Dr. Yang and Dr. Jianhua “Jerry” Wu as their primary research space along with more than 10 Ph.D. and M.S. students in biomechanics. Lab personnel also actively collaborate with units at GSU and beyond.
Established in its present location in 1996 to support biomechanics research during the Centennial Olympic Games, the lab has a 2,200-square-foot research area and 600-square-foot office space. The data collection space is flexible, with a 40-foot ceiling height and a catwalk/observation area 15 feet above the floor around half the perimeter. An eight-foot by ten-foot floor-level modular force platform pit allows for various placements of the lab’s force platforms.
The Biomechanics Laboratory houses the following state-of-the-art equipment for research and teaching:
- Vicon motion capture system consisting of 9 Valkyrie VK8 cameras synchronized to a GigaNet with Vicon Nexus, Polygon, and BodyBuilder software all in most recent versions, complete with Plug-In-Gait model.
- Two AMTI force platforms mounted flush with the floor in an isolated concrete pit.
- Simbex ActiveStep treadmill.
- Zebris instrumented treadmill.
- Biodex System 4 dynamometer.
- Portable Delsys Trigno wireless electromyography (EMG) and accelerometer system.
- Galileo MED-L vibration platform.
- AOS X-PRI 5.2 GB high-speed (1000 Hz) video camera.
- Customized overground perturbation device.
The Body Composition Laboratory enhances our ability to understand the total and segmental composition of the body.
The equipment contained in the lab allows for completing a three-component assessment of the body (tissue, bone and water).
The goals associated with this lab help us understand:
- obesity and the impact of cardiometabolic conditions on chronic diseases and health
- the influence of compositional changes in total and segmental aspects of the body on physical performance
- how changes in bone mineral content and density impact health and performance as the body matures and ages
The equipment contained in the Body Composition Lab
Body Composition/Fat Assessment
- Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanner -Lunar Prodigy (GE Medical Systems)
- Bioelectric Impedance Analyzer – Xitron Technologies 4200 with the ability to estimate body fluid components
- Electronic counterbalance scales
Skinfold Calipers
- Lange
- Harpenden
Circumferences
- Gulick measuring tapes
Breath Assessments
- Anthropometers
The Cardiovascular and Thermal Physiology Laboratory is approximately 500 sq. ft. and is equipped with state-of-the-art techniques, including laser-Doppler flowmetry to measure skin blood flow; microdialysis for the local delivery of pharmacological agents to the skin; local skin heaters; water-perfused suits to regulate and change body temperature; and wireless telemetry pills to measure core body temperature.
Research
Research in the Cardiovascular & Thermal Physiology Laboratory is broadly centered on understanding the physiological mechanisms that allow for large increases in skin blood flow (cutaneous vasodilation) in humans. The specific aims of the laboratory are threefold: (1) understanding the cutaneous vasodilation in response to heat stress, (2) understanding the cutaneous vasodilation in response to locally applied heat to an area of skin about the size of a dime, and (3) using the cutaneous vasculature to assess vascular health and function in health and disease.
Techniques and equipment used in the laboratory include:
- Laser-Doppler flowmetry
- Local skin heaters
- Intradermal microdialysis
- Water-perfused suits for whole-body heat stress
If you are interested in being a participant in a current research project, please contact Dr. Brett Wong via email at [email protected] or via phone at 404-413-8133.
If you are an undergraduate student or potential graduate student and would like more information about the lab, please contact Dr. Brett Wong via email at [email protected] or via phone at 404-413-8133.
Current Research Projects
The Cardiovascular & Thermal Physiology Laboratory is always seeking potential participants to take part in research studies. Current research projects include:
The Effect of a High Fat Meal on Human Microvascular Function (Georgia State IRB Approval #H14261)
Purpose: We are trying to better understand how a high-fat meal affects the health and function of the blood vessels (microvasculature). Impaired microvascular health and function may lead to diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. We also want to determine if mild heat stress can reduce the harmful effects of a high-fat meal on microvascular function. Lastly, we want to understand how race/ethnicity affects microvascular health and function following a high-fat meal. Hispanic Americans and African Americans tend to have higher rates of diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, so we want to determine if there are differences in how Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Caucasian Americans react to a high-fat meal.
If you are interested in being a participant in this project, please contact Dr. Brett Wong ([email protected] or 404-413-8133) or Ms. Jennifer Harvey ([email protected]) for more information.
Research Goals
The focus of the research program in the Muscle Biology Laboratory is to understand the mechanisms of muscle dysfunction associated with injury in normal and myopathic populations.
Specific goals include the following:
- elucidate the mechanisms of skeletal muscle strength loss and recovery associated with an exercise-induced muscle injury in normal and myopathic populations
- seek to understand the molecular mechanisms of peri-infarct strength loss and cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction
- develop novel therapeutic interventions that prevent long-term muscle dysfunction and/or facilitate recovery of muscle function associated with these types of injury
Laboratory Resources
The Muscle Biology Laboratory at Georgia State University occupies approximately 400 square feet in the Department of Kinesiology and Health in the Sports Arena Building. The laboratory is equipped to study skeletal muscle physiology, electrophysiology, biochemistry, histochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology.
Specific Equipment
In vivo muscle testing setup. The functions of this setup are to evaluate mouse anterior crural muscle function (torque-velocity and torque-frequency relationships) and to induce injury to the anterior crural muscle via the performance of eccentric contractions. Primary equipment includes an Aurora Scientific300B servomotor, Grass S11 stimulator, Grass SIU5 stimulus isolation unit, and P3 450MHz computer.
In vitro muscle testing setup. The functions of this setup are to evaluate mouse soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscle function (force-frequency, V max, Vo) and to induce injury to the muscles via the performance of eccentric contractions. Primary equipment includes an Aurora Scientific 300B servomotor, Grass S11 stimulator, Grass SIU5 stimulus isolation unit and P3 450MHz computer.
- Microscopes/photometry system
- Cryostat
- Ultra-cold freezer
- Electrophoresis equipment (i.e., SDS-PAGE)
- Western blotting equipment
- Northern blotting equipment
- Receptor binding assay equipment
- Electrophysiological equipment
- UV/VIS spectrophotometer
- Fluorometer
- Ca2+ mini-electrode (SR Ca2+ uptake and release rates)*
- Analytical balances, centrifuges, autoclave, dishwasher, temperature-controlled circulating water baths
The Health and Physical Education Pedagogy Laboratory provides resources for faculty and students interested in teacher education and assessment. The facility currently houses the Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Assessment project. This project is one of the longest-running teacher education assessment projects in the country in physical education.
The facility includes video and computer-based equipment for the recording and analysis of teaching effectiveness.
The PREPP lab is co-directed by Drs. Rebecca Ellis and Kathryn Wilson. With specializations in exercise psychology, physical activity promotion, and intervention implementation, our research is broadly focused on the psychological antecedents and outcomes of physical activity behavior change. Specifically, Dr. Ellis focuses on promoting physical activity participation among inactive and high-risk populations by assessing barriers to and potential mediators of behavior change. Over the past 10 years, she has led the implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of Desire2Move (D2M), a behavioral physical activity intervention that targets improvements in physical activity among university employees. Dr. Wilson’s research is directed at explaining individual differences in physical activity and exercise behavior from meta-theoretical perspectives of the personality system. She aims to advance the field by leveraging personality-informed adaptations to evidence-based practice for physical activity promotion.
The PREPP lab is approximately 700 sq. ft. and is equipped with a StarTrac treadmill, 48 assorted soft grip hand-weights ranging from 1lb to 5 lbs each, two Wii game stations with five Wii Fit Balance Boards, one Xbox 360 with Kinect motion capture, and two Regenerative Technologies JUVENT Health Micro-Impact Platforms. In addition, we also house an Epson projector, three desktop computers with i3 processors and 8 GB of RAM, an HP LaserJet Pro printer, 20 stackable and five rolling chairs, eight 2’ X 6’ folding tables, two four-drawer locking file cabinets, 1 lockable storage cabinet, an inkjet photo printer, and an Earthlite foldable exam table.
The Rankin Cooter Bureau for Sport Business Research is the hub for sport management research. The lab is exclusively for Sport Administration graduate students and the state-of-the-art facility contains 12 computer workstations (MACs and PCs) with sport-specific software, such as StatCrew, SPSS and the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite. There are also extensive resources including journals, databases, and other publications available.