Kinesiology students present at annual meeting in exercise science

Five McDaniel students presented research at the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting. Their collaborative Kinesiology research projects in exercise science were conducted with mentorship from Professor Jennifer McKenzie ’01 and Associate Professor Richard Laird.

five students and two professors standing by posters at a conference wearing business causal clothes. — McDaniel students presented at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine Conference in November 2024. From left to right: Chase Hood, Samantha Fadel, Todd Calhoun, Elaina Kluttz ’24, Professor Jennifer McKenzie ’01, Associate Professor Richard Laird, and Jessica Millard.

Kinesiology students presented research at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (MARC-ACSM) Annual Meeting in November 2024 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Conferences and research presentations are a valuable part of many McDaniel students’ time on the Hill.

“Valuable communication experience and networking and professional development opportunities are gained when presenting data as part of poster sessions or oral presentations at local and regional conferences,” says Jennifer McKenzie ’01, professor of Kinesiology.

In attendance were Todd Calhoun of Woodbine, Maryland; Samantha Fadel of Brooklyn, New York; Chase Hood of Frederick, Maryland; Jessica Millard of Edgewater, Maryland; and current graduate student Elaina Kluttz ’24 of Frederick, Maryland. These students presented research conducted on campus with mentorship from McKenzie and Associate Professor of Kinesiology Richard Laird.

“Hands-on research enables students to better understand concepts from their classes, applying their knowledge to investigate real-world problems."

Jennifer McKenzie

“The scientific method is put into action, with everyone learning and employing laboratory and data analysis techniques, thinking critically, and working collaboratively — skills that will greatly benefit the students in their future careers,” McKenzie says.

Junior Kinesiology major Chase Hood presented a poster on “Standardizing Intra-Set Rest Does Not Impact Accuracy of Repetitions in Reserve in Resistance Trained College Females.” The research was conducted by Hood, junior Kinesiology major Todd Calhoun, junior Kinesiology major Samantha Fadel, and senior Kinesiology and Health Sciences major Jessica Millard.

Millard presented on “Comparison of Repetitions in Reserve Accuracy Between Collegiate Power and Endurance Athletes.” Research for this poster was conducted by Millard and fellow researchers Fadel, Calhoun, Hood, and Kluttz, who is a graduate student in the M.S. in Kinesiology program.

McDaniel College has a long tradition of supporting students in their research endeavors and professional development opportunities. In fact, Professor McKenzie conducted research when she was a student at McDaniel (formerly Western Maryland) College and seeks to foster that in her Kinesiology and Health Sciences students today.

“One of the most meaningful experiences during my undergraduate days was a student-faculty research project that I worked on with my advisor, Dr. Sam Case ’63, M.Ed. ’66,” McKenzie says. “I hope that my students find their student-faculty research projects to be just as rewarding.”

The MARC-ACSM is a professional organization that supports the advancement of sports medicine and exercise science. Chapter members form a community to discuss research, professional growth, and the communication of scientific information.

A Commitment to Student Research

Learn more about undergraduate research at McDaniel