Human Performance Lab debuts technology in new location

The Department of Kinesiology's Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Louisiana at Monroe is now located in a newly renovated facility in Brown Hall, Room 137.

ULM President Dr. Nick J. Bruno commended the kinesiology administration, faculty, and students during a special event Friday, Feb. 24. 

"This is a beautiful facility, and it contributes to the quality of the experience for our students and faculty," he said.

More than 100,000 health fitness screenings have been conducted in the lab since it opened in the 1980s.

Open to ULM faculty, staff, students, and the external community, the lab is also the exclusive testing facility for firefighters from Monroe, West Monroe and Ouachita Parish, said lab director Dr. Lisa Colvin.

The lab is filled with equipment to gauge such health-related issues as aerobic fitness, muscular fitness and flexibility, along with total body composition.

Under the guidance of a graduate student, clients may participate in a computer-guided treadmill stress test to determine how "heart healthy" they really are.

The lab already contracts with area businesses to perform health assessments of its employees, but is able to extend its services to the general public at reduced rates.

The primary purpose of the laboratory is to advance the science of exercise through teaching, research, and public service.

ULM offers the only exercise science undergraduate and exercise physiology graduate programs in Louisiana.

The graduate degree is one of only six accredited master programs in the United States and the only American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) endorsed program in Louisiana.

For more information about the program or the lab, visit
ulm.edu/kinesiology.