Kinesiology undergraduate student Huff travels to Japan for international conference on measuring energy metabolism
10/29/14
Kinesiology undergraduate student Jeramy Huff travelled to Tokyo, Japan in early October to attend the third international RACMEM conference on Recent Advances and Controversies in Measuring Energy Metabolism.
Huff is a Human Movement Pre-Physician Assistant student in the College of Human Sciences & Education’s School of Kinesiology and is a metabolic chamber technician at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, where he has worked for the past two years. Huff says the School of Kinesiology has helped him professionally as well as increased his chances of being accepted into graduate school by offering opportunities such as working in the cadaver lab and internships.
“Classes like these provided me with experiences that gave me a glimpse of real world settings,” said Huff. “The School of Kinesiology also has faculty who are passionate about what they teach and care about conveying knowledge to students in order to help them succeed. Most of the time information I have learned at Pennington or through Kinesiology relate to each other and give me a better understanding of the situations I am presented with.”
Huff works in the Inpatient Unit at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, where he performs metabolic testing on participants in various research studies. He uses metabolic chambers and metabolic carts to examine energy expenditure in participants resting, performing exercise, or on certain diets depending on the study protocol. He is also involved in the construction and development of new metabolic chamber systems and data analysis programs. This type of energy expenditure testing is an important tool in the fight against the current obesity epidemic and to further understand energy metabolism in humans.
The RACMEM conference covered topics about energy expenditure with individuals from all over the world attending to inform others about their research. Topics ranged from “Why penguins do not fly” to “Biological determinants of brown adipose tissue activity and capacity,” with every topic relating back to energy expenditure. Huff attended this conference to further his knowledge in the field of metabolic testing.
“I learned a lot of information about how exercise, diet, and environment affect how animals and humans expend energy,” said Huff. “The classes l have taken in Kinesiology have also taught me a lot about the structure of the human body and how the body reacts to different methods of exercise. This knowledge allows me to understand studies taking place and predict expected outcomes based on prior experiences in Kinesiology classes and at Pennington.”
While in Tokyo, Huff networked with individuals running metabolic testing from all different parts of the world.
“My favorite part about my weekend in Tokyo was getting to connect with other individuals who have a similar job to mine,” said Huff. “I like hearing of the studies being conducted with different systems and the focus of research in separate areas of the world. Sharing ideas and learning how different labs operate and what kind of research they are partaking in was a very interesting experience and my main goal at the conference. I had never been out of the country prior to this so it was definitely an experience I will never forget!”
Huff is interested in pursuing a career in medicine and plans to apply to Physician Assistant school.
This international conference provided a forum for researchers in the academic, nutritional, and pharmaceutical sectors to discuss new developments in the assessment of energy expenditure and substrate utilization in relation to nutrient intake, in both humans and animals.
About SOK
The LSU School of Kinesiology advances the understanding of physical activity, sport, and health to optimize the quality of life for diverse populations through excellence in teaching, learning, discovery, and engagement.
Visit the School of Kinesiology at lsu.edu/kinesiology.
About CHSE
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. Formed in 2012, CHSE brings together programs and capitalizes on individual strengths to create a dynamic new college that addresses the socially significant issues we face as a state and nation. The College is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Leadership and Human Resource Development, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Library and Information Science, the School of Social Work, and the University Laboratory School. These combined schools offer 8 undergraduate degree programs and 18 graduate programs, enrolling more than 1,900 undergraduate and 977 graduate students. The College is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is continually working to improve its programs.
Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education at chse.lsu.edu.