Bridget A. Duoos Endowed Research Fund
Dr. Bridget Duoos was a PhD in Sports Biomechanics and a highly productive scholar at St. Thomas and a true advocate to students' academic success. This grant is awarded annually in her honor.
Department of Health & Exercise Science
Research Opportunities
Indulge your intellectual curiosity through research
Health and Exercise Science faculty are dedicated to outstanding teaching, mentorship, intellectual inquiry, research and service to the community and the profession. Faculty research broadly ranges from the impact of exercise on metabolic function, fall prevention in older adults, and academic performance to the interrelationships between body composition and bone health, and muscle activation patterns during movement. Public health faculty research focuses on the social determinants of cancer outcomes and mental health literacy and help-seeking.
You will have the opportunity to pursue research in your areas of interest under the guidance of a faculty member as part of your coursework, as well as numerous other faculty-student collaborative research opportunities.
Pursue Research to Gain New Insight
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
Provides grants to undergraduate students, such as:
Undergraduate Research (Current Students)
- Collaborative Inquiry Grants: Faculty/student research opportunities
- Excel! Research Scholars: Prepares undergraduates for graduate school admission for summer research
Research Project Examples
Fit For Ministry
Exercise science and St. Paul Seminary students provided tailored exercise programming, and the project results were presented at the 2021 national American College of Sports Medicine meeting.
The Mindful Movement Study
Exercise Science and Public Health faculty and students tested older adults with land or aquatic resistance training and found increases in strength, balance and confidence.
Glute and Hamstring Activation in Resistance Trained Women
Muscle activation in the gluteus maximus and hamstrings were analyzed in trained women during common hamstring resistance training movements.
Scholarship and Presentations
Exercise Supports Recovery from Medical Illnesses
This health promotion research project was accepted for an oral presentation at the spring 2020 Medical Fitness Association conference.
Public Health and Social Justice
Second year student, Ander Vue, shares his definitions of public health and social justice through a visual essay he created for PUBH 220: Introduction to Social Justice and Social Justice.