HES Department Introduces Movement Lab
After a successful three-year fundraising campaign, the University will showcase the new Fontaine C. Piper Movement Analysis Laboratory with a dedication ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 8 in Truman’s new Health Sciences Building Room 1212.
Dr. Piper retired in 2005 after 34 years of service to Truman. As health and exercise sciences (HES) program director, he was responsible for shifting the mission of the program from health and physical education preparation to health science and exercise science.
“The faculty and staff of the health and exercise sciences department decided that I had done enough in the field to name it after me,” Piper said. “It is a very humbling experience.”
The lab allows students to analyze movement in clinical or research settings to prepare themselves for careers in physical therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, orthopedic medicine, podiatry, personal training, athletic training and occupational therapy.
“This lab will provide the most comprehensive and complete picture of human movement using the most sophisticated technology on the market today. It allows us to analyze every form of human movement in 3-dimensional space; from the balance of an autistic child to post ACL reconstructive surgical gait,” Christopher Lantz, professor and chair of the department of health and exercise sciences said.
The level of technology used in the lab will maintain Truman’s HES department’s highly respected reputation amongst employers and graduate schools.
“Other schools usually do not offer this type of lab experience even at the graduate level,” Piper said. “Having access to three-dimensional motion analysis equipmentas an undergraduate is really exceptional.”
This equipment will be used for course instruction, for undergraduate student research, and for faculty research. “The updated equipment will expand research opportunities and make students more marketable to employers. HES students will now have the same experience as most Master’s Degree graduates and many doctoral students, which will allow undergraduates to compete for the most competitive research assistantships” Piper said.
Much of the funding for the current equipment was a result of a successful three-year campaign led by Lantz and Charles Hunsaker of the University Advancement Office. To date, the effort has yielded $110,938.35 in gifts toward the campaign’s original goal of $100,000.
“The reason why this campaign was so successful is because Fontaine Piper made such a lasting impact on the lives of so many people,” Lantz said.
While the formal campaign is complete, additional gifts are welcome to help replace and upgrade equipment over time and, as such, donors are encouraged to continue providing gift support to the Fontaine C. Piper Movement Analysis Laboratory fund.
For more information about the lab visit hes.truman.edu/PiperLab.asp or contact Lantz at 660.785.4456.
Dr. Piper retired in 2005 after 34 years of service to Truman. As health and exercise sciences (HES) program director, he was responsible for shifting the mission of the program from health and physical education preparation to health science and exercise science.
“The faculty and staff of the health and exercise sciences department decided that I had done enough in the field to name it after me,” Piper said. “It is a very humbling experience.”
The lab allows students to analyze movement in clinical or research settings to prepare themselves for careers in physical therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, orthopedic medicine, podiatry, personal training, athletic training and occupational therapy.
“This lab will provide the most comprehensive and complete picture of human movement using the most sophisticated technology on the market today. It allows us to analyze every form of human movement in 3-dimensional space; from the balance of an autistic child to post ACL reconstructive surgical gait,” Christopher Lantz, professor and chair of the department of health and exercise sciences said.
The level of technology used in the lab will maintain Truman’s HES department’s highly respected reputation amongst employers and graduate schools.
“Other schools usually do not offer this type of lab experience even at the graduate level,” Piper said. “Having access to three-dimensional motion analysis equipmentas an undergraduate is really exceptional.”
This equipment will be used for course instruction, for undergraduate student research, and for faculty research. “The updated equipment will expand research opportunities and make students more marketable to employers. HES students will now have the same experience as most Master’s Degree graduates and many doctoral students, which will allow undergraduates to compete for the most competitive research assistantships” Piper said.
Much of the funding for the current equipment was a result of a successful three-year campaign led by Lantz and Charles Hunsaker of the University Advancement Office. To date, the effort has yielded $110,938.35 in gifts toward the campaign’s original goal of $100,000.
“The reason why this campaign was so successful is because Fontaine Piper made such a lasting impact on the lives of so many people,” Lantz said.
While the formal campaign is complete, additional gifts are welcome to help replace and upgrade equipment over time and, as such, donors are encouraged to continue providing gift support to the Fontaine C. Piper Movement Analysis Laboratory fund.
For more information about the lab visit hes.truman.edu/PiperLab.asp or contact Lantz at 660.785.4456.
