Assistant Professor of Philosophy Zinhle ka’Nobuhlaluse, kinesiology major Jayden Dawson ’27, and anthropology major Raven Waugh ’26 published their co-written essay, “Reflections on Mapping an A–Z Philosophy BlackList,” on the Blog of the American Philosophical Association. In the essay, the authors reflect on their work on the A–Z Philosophy BlackList, an expanding archive of Black intellectuals curated by ka’Nobuhlaluse and shared every year during Black History Month since her appointment in the Philosophy Department at SU. The project has received funding from the Mellon Publicly Engaged Humanities grant. The essay can be read here.

A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial overseen by Garey Chair and Associate Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt was published in the International Journal of Exercise Science. Alumni Zachary Moon ’24, Rachel Chiella ’24, Erica Otto ’24, Iliana Hernandez ’26, Barrett Knapp ’24, and Matthew Bierwirth ’24 were integral in completing the trial and seeing it through to publication. Special thanks are given to all the members of the SU community who participated, and the students who assisted with exercise training supervision over the 1.5 years the trial took place. Along with external funding, Southwestern’s SCOPE summer research funds, Garey funds, and research assistantships were integral to this project’s success. The full paper can be downloaded here.

For the first time, Southwestern University was represented at the 2025 HSI Battle of the Brains, a premier national competition that brings together top student talent from across the country to solve real-world business and technology challenges. Southwestern’s inaugural team included eight exceptional students: Asin Allavudeen ’27, Santiago Cuevas ’26, Cassidie Gomez ’26, Julyssa Hernandez ’27, Yeva-Mariya Hayko ’26, Anna Hulett ’28, Alyanna Martinez ’27, and Juan Carlos Martinez Varela ’27. Selected through a competitive internal application process, the students participated in a 24-hour cross-disciplinary challenge integrating computer science, marketing, finance, and sustainable business strategy. They also engaged in professional development workshops led by industry leaders from Dell Technologies, eBay, Thrivent Financial, Capital One, and The Home Depot. Southwestern’s team earned first place in the Video Marketing Challenge, an interactive activity sponsored by Kickin It ATX that tested their creativity and collaboration under a time constraint. In addition, Juan Carlos Martinez Varela was awarded scholarships from both Dell Technologies and eBay in recognition of his outstanding academic and professional accomplishments and his ability to make a lasting impression on company representatives throughout the event. Special thanks to the faculty and staff who coordinated the team’s participation: Hispanic Academic Success Coordinator Amalia Merino, Director of the Center for Career & Professional Development Adrian D. Ramirez, Associate Professor of Spanish Abby Dings, and Professor of Business Debika Sihi. Gratitude is also extended to the blind judges who assisted with the internal selection process, Assistant Vice President of Admission Christine Bowman, Director of Admission Jaime Gonzalez, and Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean, as well as Visual Content Producer Todd White for photography and videography of the event.

Professor Emeritus of Kinesiology Jimmy Smith and Professor of Religion and Culture/Environmental Studies Laura Hobgood were invited by Lifelong Learning (formerly Senior University) to teach a six-week class called “Going to the Dogs.” The course is based on their 20-year FYS taught at SU.

Kinesiology major Raghav Sharma ’26 and Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Tatiana Zhuravleva presented their Summer 2025 SURF research project on the effects of attentional focus on rowing performance in experienced individuals at the NASPSPA Conference, held June 2–6 in Lake Tahoe, CA.

At the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society’s Annual Meeting, held in Pittsburg, PA from May 21–25, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes (in collaboration with colleagues from other institutions) presented a workshop on the “Social Determinants of Health” and how to integrate this important content into anatomy and physiology curriculum.

Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean was recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Kinesiology alumni Corban Ruiz’s ’23 “fun” COVID student research project turned independent study with Associate Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt, which morphed into a research assistantship data management role for biology major and kinesiology minor Iliana Hernandez ’27, was published in the International Journal of Exercise Science. The paper, “Age of Anaerobic, Aerobic, and Skill-Based Olympic Athletes 1988 – 2024” provides insight into the development of and, potentially, the onset of age-related declines in human metabolic systems. The good news for most of us is that there has been at least one 65-year old who has competed in the Olympics since 1988 in a non-equestrian event! The paper can be read here.

On April 23, as a member of the American Physiology Society, Associate Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt met with staff in the Washington, D.C. offices of Senator Ted Cruz, Senator John Cornyn, Representative Lizzie Fletcher, and Representative Vincente Gonzalez, to discuss the importance of science research and education funding, highlighting the negative impact proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) will have on Texas’, and the country’s, health and education outcomes.

Biology major and kinesiology minor Iliana Hernandez ’27 presented research findings from the recently completed clinical trial “Exercise Training Adaptations in Middle-Aged Adults With and Without Post-Exercise Peanut Consumption” at the American Physiology Summit in Baltimore, MD on April 26. Co-authors on the study are kinesiology major Erica Otto ’25, Southwestern alumni Matthew Bierwirth ’24, Rachel Chiella ’24, Barrett Knapp ’24, and Zachary Moon ’24, and Associate Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt.

Garey Chair and Associate Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt was interviewed by BBC News for an article about fat-burning during exercise. His expertise was featured in several international editions published in various languages, including Pashto, Portuguese, Swahili, Thai, and Turkish.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes presented a workshop on “The Power of Collaborative Learning: Faculty and Student Reflections on the Implementation of Collaborative Critical Thinking Problem Set Sessions” at the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society’s Southern Regional Conference, which was held in Lakeland, FL on March 1.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes was featured in Episode 151 of the A&P Professor podcast titled, Muscling Through Barriers: The A&P Student Accommodations Handbook Unveiled. Serving as Chair of the Curriculum and Instruction-Accommodations Subcommittee, Stokes, in collaboration with 16 HAPS colleagues, researched, vetted, and produced this accommodations handbook, which was recently published by the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society. The podcast explores and promotes this handbook, which provides instructors with evidence-based suggestions and best practices for making A&P labs and classrooms more inclusive and accessible for all students. You can listen to the podcast and learn more about the handbook here.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Tatiana Zhuravleva, along with her colleagues from Southwestern University and New Mexico State University, published an article titled “A Holistic Focus of Attention Enhances Vertical Jump Performance Among Inexperienced Individuals” in the Journal of Motor Behavior.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Tatiana Zhuravleva, along with her colleagues, presented research on “A Holistic Focus of Attention Enhances Vertical Jump Performance Among Division 1 Football Players” at the annual North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes recently published the “Anatomy and Physiology Student Accommodations Handbook” through the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS). Serving as Chair of the Curriculum and Instruction-Accommodations Subcommittee, Stokes, in collaboration with 16 HAPS colleagues, researched, vetted, and produced a 64-page guide to assist instructors in meeting student accommodations by identifying meaningful alternatives to existing protocols in anatomy and physiology laboratories based on best practices supported by current research and the concepts of universal design. The goal is to make anatomy and physiology laboratories as inclusive and accessible as possible, allowing all learners to achieve their desired level of success. This new HAPS publication was also featured in a workshop, “Implementing Inclusive Teaching Practices in Anatomy and Physiology Labs,” led by Stokes, at the HAPS Annual Conference in St. Louis from May 25-29.

Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean and students Kevan Kennedy ’24 and Emma Williams ’24 presented a poster entitled “Comparison of Overground, Motorized Treadmill and Non-Motorized Treadmill Gait” at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting in Boston, MA.

At the American Physiological Society’s Annual Meeting in Long Beach, CA from April 3-7, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes presented her work, entitled “Collaborative Critical Thinking Problem Sets Enhance Student Perceived Learning and Promote Student Practice Outside of the Classroom.” This pedagogical research focuses on student collaborative learning and engagement in the Anatomy and Physiology classroom.

Chair & Associate Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt presented a talk, “Simple Strategies to Incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Existing Kinesiology Lessons and Curriculum,” at the American Kinesiology Association Leadership Workshop on January 25 in Albuquerque, NM.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes and current SU student Mila Fisher ’24 published an article entitled A Single 10-Minute E-cigarette Vapor Exposure Reduces Tidal Volume and Minute Ventilation in Normoxia and Normobaric Hypoxia in Adult Rats in Cureus, an open-access journal for medical sciences.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes, current SU student Mila Fisher ’24, and alumni Alicia Peters ’23 published an article entitled Fourteen-day E-Cigarette Exposure Disrupts Ventilation Patterns and Serum IL-1B Levels in Adolescent Rats in the Journal of Student Research.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Tatiana Zhuravleva, along with her colleagues from New Mexico State University, the University of Texas-Austin, and the University of Nebraska-Kearney, published an article titled ‘The Effects of PETTLEP Imagery and Action Observation on Strength Performance of a Leg Extension and Flexion Task’ in the Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical Activity (JIRSPA).

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt presented “Unexpected Results in Muscle Hypertrophy and Regeneration Research” at the University of Wisconsin, Department of Kinesiology Lecture Series. The talk discussed the importance of inclusive practices in science research and education.

Associate Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt was invited to speak at the American Physiology Summit in Long Beach, CA, on April 21. His talk, “Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy and Satellite Cells: A Southern White Male’s Subterfuge to Champion Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Physiology,” was part of an inclusive pedagogy session and round table discussion aimed at improving physiology education in undergraduate, graduate, and medical schools.

Associate Professor of Mathematics Therese Shelton, with co-authors Bonnie Henderson ’18 and Michael Gebhardt ’16, published a chapter, “Acrobatics in a Parametric Arena,” in Mathematics Research for the Beginning Student. The volume is part of the book series, Foundation for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (FURM), which is devoted to increasing access to undergraduate research opportunities. Parts of Gebhardt’s and Henderson’s Mathematics capstone projects supervised by Shelton were included in this chapter. Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean aided in data collection from video capture software generated by Henderson’s juggling of flower sticks in the fall of 2017. Research Assistants for this project included E. Wilson Cook ’22, Audrey Schumacher ’23, and Emily Thompson ’22

Associate Professor of Mathematics Therese Shelton, with co-authors Bonnie Henderson ’18 and Michael Gebhardt ’16, published a chapter, “Acrobatics in a Parametric Arena,” in Mathematics Research for the Beginning Student. The volume is part of the book series, Foundation for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (FURM), which is devoted to increasing access to undergraduate research opportunities. Parts of Gebhardt’s and Henderson’s Mathematics capstone projects supervised by Shelton were included in this chapter. Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean aided in data collection from video capture software generated by Henderson’s juggling of flower sticks in the fall of 2017. Research Assistants for this project included E. Wilson Cook ’22, Audrey Schumacher ’23, and Emily Thompson ’22.

Associate Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt and collaborators published a paper titled “Prolonged Cycling Lowers Subsequent Running Mechanical Efficiency in Collegiate Triathletes” in the journal  BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation.  The paper details a study that explored the physiologic and biomechanical changes that occur in running after cycling.

Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean presented as a poster research titled “Effect of Block Design on Rotational Characteristics of a Swim Start” at the 2022 International Society of Biomechanics in Sports Annual Conference, held July 19–23 in Liverpool, England. He conducted the research with his SCOPE students, Sam Anderson ’23, Riley Barlage ’23, and C. P. Shaulis ’22.

Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean and his SCOPE research students—C. P. Shaulis ’22, Sam Anderson ’23, and Riley Barlage ’23—presented their research titled “Lower Extremity Muscle Activity When Walking on a Non-Motorized Treadmill” at the 2022 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting and World Congress, held May 31–June 4 in San Diego, California.

At the 2022 Experimental Biology conference, held April 1–5 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes presented two research abstracts at the poster sessions hosted by the American Physiological Society (APS). The first project abstract, titled “Daily E-cigarette Vapor Exposure Does Not Modify Response to 10% Normobaric Hypoxia in Long-Evans Rats,” presented data from the StokesLab summer 2021 faculty-student project conducted by kinesiology student Alicia Peters ’23. The second abstract presented additional data from an ongoing pedagogical project titled “Using Google Tools to Increase Student Learning, Engagement, and Collaboration in Remote, Hybrid, and In-person Courses.” Stokes was also awarded the 2022 Early Career Award in Education Research at the APS Teaching Section Banquet.

The following kinesiology students presented their research at the Texas Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (TACSM) Annual Meeting held February 24–25 in Waco, Texas:

• Alicia Peters ’23 presented her faculty-student project research (mentor: Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes). 
• Sam Anderson ’23, Riley Barlage ’23, and C. P. Shaulis ’22 presented their SCOPE research (mentor: Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean), winning third place (of 66 posters) in the undergraduate research competition. 
• Lukas Karrett ’22 and Corban Ruiz ’22 presented their SCOPE research (mentor: Associate Professor of Kinesiology Edward Merritt). Karrett also presented his capstone research project, and Ruiz entered his independent research study write-up in the manuscript competition.
• Taylor Baccus ’22, Chase Hinojosa ’22, Sara Le ’22, Tessa Lewis ’22, Kathryn Rorer ’22, Ella Ruehr ’22, Wren Seabolt ’22, Mimi Shethia ’22, Kathryn Smith ’21, and Bri Urukal ’22 presented their capstone research projects (mentors: McLean, Merritt, Assistant Professor of Instruction in Kinesiology Vanessa Mikan). 
• McLean received the TACSM Service Award, one of the meeting’s top awards, which recognizes a TACSM member who has distinguished himself or herself through significant service to the chapter. His image was placed on a giant poster at the entrance to the main hall of the convention center for all to see.

At the 2021 Lt Brain Trust held virtually November 2–3, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes presented “Using Google Tools to Enhance Student Engagement and Collaboration in Remote, Hybrid, or In-person Courses.” Stokes discussed how Google tools (e.g., Docs, Slides, Forms, and Jamboard) can be used in remote, hybrid, and in-person classes to engage students both during and outside of scheduled class time. She shared examples of how these tools were formatted for use as formative and summative assessments as well as interactive, collaborative activities, in addition to student feedback and data on learning and retention. The Lt Brain Trust is an annual international conference for science educators, who are invited to showcase innovative educational practices.

Associate Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt’s recent manuscript “Why Is It So Hard to Lose Fat? Because It Has to Get out through Your Nose! An Exercise Physiology Laboratory on Oxygen Consumption, Metabolism, and Weight Loss” will be published in the September issue of the journal Advances in Physiology Education.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes presented a pedagogical research poster titled “Case-Based Critical-Thinking Exercises to Improve Student Learning and Engagement in a Hybrid A&P Course” at the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society’s annual conference on May 23–26, 2021 (virtual). This presentation shared data collected during the spring 2021 semester on student learning, course interaction and engagement, and collaborative learning through the use of case-based critical-thinking activities and assessments. Overall, the addition of these activities and assessments increased both in-person and remote student engagement in and out of the classroom, increased instances of peer-to-peer teaching, and increased the students’ ability to apply course material to a medical case study.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes  is the first author on a publication in Advances in Physiology Education  titled “ Updating Anatomy and Physiology Lab Delivery: Shifting from a Paper-Based to an Online Lab Instruction Platform, Just in Time for a Global Pandemic .” Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a yearlong Anatomy and Physiology course was transitioning from paper-based lab activities to an online learning platform that included more small-group collaborative activities and peer teaching. The paper presents data on student perception, learning, and assessment performance during the transition.

At the 2020 Virtual Lt Brain Trust Conference, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jennifer Stokes presented “Using Lt to Create an Interactive, Data-Driven Endocrinology Activity.” The Lt Brain Trust is an annual international conference for science educators who are selected to showcase new and innovative educational practices that use Lt, an online learning platform for anatomy content, physiological recording, and data analysis.

Kinesiology majors Brielle Adolph ’20, Chelsea Banawis ’20, Kendall Barton ’20, Morgan Gilpin ’20, Jazmin Howard ’20, Haley Hurt ’20, Brianna Lombardi ’20, Leilani McDaniel ’20, and Nadia Netek ’20 presented their capstone research projects at the Texas chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, February 20–21, 2020, in Waco, TX.  McDaniel was selected as a finalist in the undergraduate research competition.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Edward Merritt followed an ultraendurance cyclist across the country collecting blood and urine samples from him twice a day for the 10 days it took him to finish the 3,000-mile Race across America. This feat of scientific endurance, “Proteomic Markers of Nonfunctional Overreaching during the Race across America,” was recently published in Frontiers in Physiology. The results provide a better understanding of the changes the human body experiences during extreme physical stress.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Ed Merritt and Erin Hobbs ’19 presented their coauthored work “Making a Case for Using Simple, Non-Technical Language and Analogies When Using Technology to Teach Physiologic Concepts” at the PanAm Physiologic Society meeting, in Havana, Cuba, on May 29.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Edward Merritt received the Macknight Innovative Educator Award from the American Physiological Society and will be recognized at the 2019 Experimental Biology Annual Meeting. The award also includes an institutional grant for an education-related laboratory equipment.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Edward Merritt gave an invited talk titled “Traumatic Injury to Skeletal Muscle and Subsequent Regeneration” at the University of Florida Myology Institute, Nov. 15, 2018.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Edward Merritt attended the Education Committee meeting of the American Physiological Society and was appointed chair of the Medical Physiology Refresher Course for the 2019 Experimental Biology meeting.

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Edward Merritt coauthored a publication titled “Human Neuromuscular Aging: Sex Differences Revealed at the Myocellular Level” in the journal Experimental Gerontology.

Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean presented a keynote address titled “Effectively Performing Competitive Swim Starts: Managing Body Rotation (and Some Other Things)” at the International Swim Coaches Association’s 9th Annual Hall of Fame Coaches Summit in Clearwater, Fla. This talk focused on recent SCOPE work completed with kinesiology major Peter Robinson, class of 2019, who attended the meeting, and kinesiology majors Alek Argueta and Dylan Neumann, both class of 2021.

Eight faculty members in the natural sciences published a letter to the editor in the Williamson County Sunin the July 29th edition. “SU Scientists Refute ‘Hoax’ Climate Claim” was in reference to the Sun’s July 22 account of a community forum on the science of climate change. The letter was written by Professor of Biology Max Taub and co-signed by Professor of Chemistry Kerry Bruns, Professor of Biology Romi Burks, Professor of Biology Maria Cuevas, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Mike Gesinski, Associate Professor of Biology Martín Gonzalez, Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean, and Professor of Biology Ben Pierce.

Alumni Nathan Townsend ‘17 and Shelby Hall ‘17 have had their capstone research project “How Changes in Block Design Affect Swimming Relay Start Performance” based on their research with Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean and Professor of Kinesiology Jimmy Smith accepted for presentation at the 23rd Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science in July of 2018.  This is the largest sports science conference in Europe.

Virginia Stofer ’15 had a peer-reviewed paper on her capstone research titled “Do wrist orthoses cause compensatory elbow and shoulder movements when performing drinking and hammering tasks?” published in the Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy. Professor of Kinesiology Jimmy Smith and Professor of Kinesiology Scott McLean were co-authors on the paper.