Summertime in Seattle

By: Jason Miller

At the end of May, the Graduate Students Interested in Exercise Physiology (GSIEP) traveled to Seattle for the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) annual meeting. During our visit to Seattle the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny as temperatures approached 80° F. The warm weather made for some very enjoyable evenings down on the Seattle waterfront. At the conference I presented our group research poster on bilateral deficit in aerobic and neuromuscular function while each GSIEP member showed off his/her hard work with a poster presentation of their own. Specifically, Stephen Ives and Melissa Hayman presented on vascular function, Steve Elmer on eccentric muscle damage, Tim VanHaitsma on pulmonary function and caffeine, and Nate Thomas on the biomechanics of single-leg cycling. The ACSM conference was like a who’s who of exercise science as there were several outstanding presentations by George Brooks, Bill Kraemer, Avery Faigenbaum, Hugh Herr, Frank Booth, Dan Lieberman, and so many more. The combination of the warm weather and the energy of a national conference made for a wonderful experience. I know I certainly got my fill of fresh fish over the course of the conference. I encourage any students interested in exercise and sport science to come and be a part of the next GSIEP research and conference experience. We are already planning for the 2010 ACSM conference in Baltimore. All in all, good friends, many professional opportunities, and a lot of fun, you can’t be that!