Solena Martinez Aleman was named the recipient of the prestigious Wiley Lin Hurie Memorial Award on Wednesday at the ����vlog����’ 67th annual Honors Day ceremony.

The Hurie Award is presented to the outstanding senior in the graduating class as voted on by the faculty. It is named in honor of the long-time president of the University and is the highest honor given to an Ozarks student. (Aleman is pictured receiving the award from University President Richard Dunsworth).

Aleman, a health science and business administration major from Leon, Nicaragua, was also named the Outstanding Student in Health Science. She will graduate on May 11 with the highest of honors, Summa Cum Laude (3.85 grade point average or higher).

Aleman, a Walton International Scholar, said she remembers arriving at Ozarks in the fall of 2020.

“I came two weeks late to school because there were no flights available due to Covid-19,” Aleman said. “I was afraid, but also excited to start this new chapter in my life. I did not know what to expect, and I did not know anyone. However, soon I got to meet my friends and new family for the next four years at Ozarks.”

Aleman, who earned minors in economics and political science, said she chose her areas of study for various reasons.

“Since I was in ninth grade, I knew I wanted to study business administration because it includes numbers,” she said. “Later on, I figured business administration was not only about that, but it is the foundation to expand to other areas such as economics, management, finance, or data analytics. As a result, to complement my business degree I opted for a minor in economics. Furthermore, I believe in social justice and decided to learn more about society through political science. Health science is a different story. I grew up listening to my mother’s stories about helping people through medicine. I have always been curious about how the body functions, adapts and recovers. Yet, it was not until I came to the U.S. to pursue my business degree that I got immersed in the world of health sciences, specifically exercise science, and fell in love with it. Both degrees complement each other. Health Science is a broad area of study, and thus, I can implement some of the knowledge gained in business. I want to further my education in exercise physiology, and in the future, I want to use research to improve the quality of life in my community.”

Aleman said working with her health science professor and advisor, Dr. Piroska Boros, helped her hone in on her career ambitions.

“Research with Dr. Boros gave me a new perspective on what path I want to follow, a career in academia,” Aleman said. “Her classes and the research experience with her helped me to find my passion and purpose. Thanks to her, I have grown a lot as a student and a person. She helped me to transform dreams into reality. She has been so supportive during my four years at Ozarks. In the future, I would love to conduct my own research.”

While at Ozarks, Aleman decided to get outside of her comfort zone and join the women’s cross country and track teams, where she was a four-time academic all-conference selection.

“I had never run before coming to college,” she said. “It was a new experience for me, but I am grateful to the sport, my coaches, and my teammates who helped me be a better athlete and person. Moreover, by being exposed to sports, I was able to relate to what I was learning in the classroom for my health science major.”

Aleman said being awarded the Walton Scholarship is one of the best things that has happened to her.

“It reminds me that dreams can become a reality with dedication,” she said. “I always knew I wanted to study in the U.S. and when I found out about the Walton Scholarship, I was determined to get it. I applied and did not get it the first time. I was frustrated, but I prayed, trusted God, and did not give up. I applied a second time and got it. The Walton Scholarship and the ����vlog���� helped me to find my passion and purpose. I hope I use my passion to contribute to the development of my country.”

She hardly recognizes the frightened young lady that first arrived at Ozarks in the fall of 2020.

“I have become so much more independent and confident,” she said. “When I first came, I was afraid to participate in the classroom, but as time passed by it became natural for me to talk to my professors. My friends have shown me the meaning of true friendship. Sports and intramurals have been part of my every day and have taught me a lot that I can apply to my life — patience, perseverance, and gratitude. My coaches and professors always encourage me to follow my aspirations and not give up.  I will miss my friends, who have become my family away from home, and my professors, who helped me to grow during these four years.”

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Senior health science major Cesar Martinez recently gained invaluable real-world experience while also helping out his men’s wrestling teammates.

Martinez, from Berryville, Ark., completed an independent study project earlier this month under the direction of Dr. Piroska Boros, assistant professor of health science. The project entailed collaborating with the wrestling team to conduct body composition tests for the team’s seasonal weight certification using the BodPod.

The capsule-shaped BodPod is a research-grade body composition analyzer system that the health science program secured two years ago during the completion of the new Wilson Science Center. The Bodpod estimates how much of the body’s make up is composed of fat, and how much is composed of other tissues that are not fat, called lean body mass.

“Body composition is important when it comes to physical fitness as it determines how an individual should train while also remaining healthy,” Martinez said. “There are various methods to determine body composition, but in terms of receiving accurate results, the BodPod is probably the best. This machine uses air displacement to estimate the body volume of a person while they sit inside the chamber. While sitting still, the air pressure and volume changes within the BodPod and body volume, body density and finally, body fat percentage is determined. Information of each individual, such as age, height, weight and sex, are also key in figuring out body fat percentages.”

Boros said increased proportions of fat mass compared to total body mass is linked to several chronic conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, certain types of cancer.

“In turn, higher proportions of lean body mass is linked to better sport performance, as well as beneficial health outcomes,” Boros said. “This type of body composition model assumes that the density of the body is directly proportional to its volume and its mass. The BodPod resembles a capsule, with a known inside air volume. When someone sits in the closed capsule, they displace a volume of air that is equal to the volume of their body and that volume is what the BodPod measures along with the total body mass to compute body density. Then, using population-specific prediction formulas, it calculates body fat mass by knowing that body fat mass is inversely proportional to body density. That is, more fat equates to a less dense body.”   

Head Wresting Coach Vinny Barber said the results from the test will not only be used for official weight certifications, but also to help coaches and wrestlers throughout the year.

“When you have much more accurate body composition data to pull from, that helps us as coaches and our wrestlers manage and regulate their weight throughout the year,” Barber said. “It’s especially cool that we have one of our wrestlers administering the tests and working with and educating his teammates on body composition. He understands wrestling and he understands the health science part of it and that’s extremely beneficial to our program.”

Martinez said he’s always been intrigued by the “egg-shaped machine that was sitting in the corner.”

“Being among one of the first to utilize such a precise piece of equipment is such an incredible and honoring experience,” Martinez said. “The accuracy of these tests is incredible. Normally, when wrestlers do weight certifications, the method of measuring body fat percentage we utilize is the skinfold test. This test involves pinching the skin in three different areas of the upper body and using calipers to measure. With the BodPod, I’ve been surprised about the accuracy of the data, such as body density, fat free mass percentage and caloric energy expenditure for the activity level of each person.”

Boros said students in the program’s independent study courses learn how to collect data using equipment in the exercise science lab.

“Secondary to that, they provide health and fitness assessment to the campus community when needed, which allows them to practice their skills of operating the equipment and interpreting the results,” she said. “To become a well-equipped health professional, or exercise science specialist, students need a balance between theory and practical skills, and tests like this add to that practice.”

Boros said the partnership with athletics started during the Fall 2023 Semester when health science students assessed the members of the women’s wrestling team with the BodPod.

“These tests provide valuable information to coaches by helping them to understand their athletes’ current status better, so they can prescribe a more individually tailored exercise plan for the season,” Boros said. “With repeated tests, they can also monitor the athletes’ progress and re-evaluate the effectiveness of the training plan.  When students administer these tests, they are in a very different role than their peers or even themselves are used to see them. They take on the role of a lab technician, who has the responsibility to run the show, and with that, they not only learn health science-specific practical skills, but they also improve their leadership and problem-solving skills. Further they improve their interpersonal communication skills by explaining test procedures, prompting participants, and communicating test results to a layperson audience. Literally practicing what they will potentially do with their health science degree post-graduation either as a graduate student, or at work.”

Martinez believes the experience will benefit him as he pursues a career as an athletic trainer.

“I have ambitions of working as an athletic trainer, primarily working with college athletes,” he said. “Skills I am learning now will be very beneficial in serving other collegiate wrestlers just as I’ve been able to assist my own teammates.”

Boros said that if other University athletic teams or anyone from the campus community is interested in getting tested, they can contact her at pboros@ozarks.edu to get scheduled.

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����vlog���� students Abby Lewis, Alisone Guzman and Solena Martinez each had the rare opportunity as undergraduates to present their research at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 2023 Annual Meeting and World Congress in Denver, Colo., May 30 – June 2.

Lewis, from Greenbrier, Ark., graduated in May with a major in health science. Guzman, a senior from El Salvador who plans to graduate in December, is majoring in health science and business administration. Martinez, a rising senior from Nicaragua, is also majoring in health science and business administration.

 The students were accompanied by Dr. Piroska Boros, assistant professor of health science. The students presented secondary data analysis from Boros’ doctoral dissertation data. From the data they received, each student developed their own research question. Boros assisted the students on how to analyze the data specifically to answer the research questions, and each student wrote their abstract and prepared their posters.

“We had to stand by our posters for an hour and 30 minutes and talk about our project with other attendees who were interested in our posters,” said Boros, who also presented a poster at the conference. “The students did an excellent job preparing for the conference and they did well presenting their projects and answering questions. I am very proud of all of them not just because how well they presented, but also how they conducted themselves at the conference representing Ozarks. We visited many lectures and poster presentations each day. I suggested some lectures to the students to attend, including lectures about preventing stress fractures in long distance runners, and translating research into nutrition strategies for athletes. Students also had the liberty to select the presentations that they were interested in.”

Lewis’ presentations, titled “Grip Rare of Force Relaxation Is Associated with Muscle Endurance in Older Adults,” focused on age-related changes in muscle relaxation properties, and specifically how that affects muscular endurance. Guzman’s presentation, “Grip Measures Better Predict Lower Body Function At Older Age,” examined the ability of grip measures to explain whole body muscle function. Martinez’s presentation, “Grip Peak Rate of Force Development Predict Dynamic Balance in the Aging Population,” was focused on predicting balance during a sit-to-stand position transfer from an explosive strength measure at the grip.

Martinez called the experience “a memorable opportunity to grow and learn from experts within the scope of the exercise sciences, sports medicine, and physical activity.”

“Meeting and connecting with professors, clinicians, and fellow students gave me a new perspective on what path I want to follow, a career in academia,” Martinez said. “Further, presenting for the first time at a conference allowed me to share my knowledge and develop new skills such as speaking to a diverse audience and explaining scientific data in simplified terms. My favorite part of the experience was learning from people passionate about sciences and research, making new connections and friends, and creating lifetime memories.”

Boros’ presentation was titled, “Construct Validity of Grip Rate of Force Development to Assess Muscle Weakness in Older Adults,” and focused on establishing the validity of a simple grip explosive task for clinical use in geriatrics to capture declining muscle function.

“Currently there isn’t a clinical consensus on how to screen for declining muscle function with age,” Boros said. “The long-term goal of this research was to provide a screening tool for muscle weakness that is cost-effective, easy to use, and feasible for population-wide assessments and implementation in clinical practice.”

Boros said she enjoyed seeing how energized and engaged the students were at the conference.

“They were able to connect with fellow students and faculty from different institutions as well as professionals from the exercise science industry,” Boros said. “This sort of networking opens opportunities for students to discuss ideas and connect with the right people for career building in exercise science.  Conference presentations are valuable venues for students to showcase themselves to graduate school recruiters and starting their track-record of scientific communications that transfer into graduate programs and outside of academia too.”

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����vlog���� senior Morgan Douglas’ career path became clearer after she took a Health Policy class as a sophomore.

The Clarksville, Ark., native will graduate this week with Summa Cum Laude honors with a major in health science and minors in athletic coaching and American studies.

Douglas said she plans to pursue a healthcare-related field with an emphasis in public health, an interest that was first sparked during a Health Policy class taught by Assistant Professor of Health Science Dr. Piroska Boros.

“That specific course helped me find my passion for health in communities,” Morgan said. “It helped me shift my focus to public health and all of the factors that go into determining a population’s health.”

Morgan, who was a member of the women’s basketball team at Ozarks, said the public health field resonated with her because of her background in athletics and her desire to help others.

“Public Health is essential to every person; we don’t realize everything that goes into our overall health,” Douglas said. “There are many social determinants in health. I would love to be able to pursue a career that would be able to inform individuals of all of these determinants, as well as come up with solutions and/or policies that could help all individuals live a healthier life.”

Douglas said the decision to attend her hometown University was a difficult one, but was one she’s glad she made.

“While I had lived in Clarksville my whole life, I had only ever visited Mabee Gym. I had never visited any academic buildings or experienced the sense of community on campus,” she said. “I was having to make my decision at the peak of the Covid pandemic. While this was an extremely difficult period of time for everyone, it was hard to face the unknown of where I would end up and if I would even be able to study at these schools in person or virtually. I thought about it and prayed about making this decision countless times. Ultimately, my decision came down to where I felt most at home. This University is not just my home because it is in my hometown. It is home because of the sense of community and family on campus. When I came on my visit, I had never been greeted with such compassion at a new place before. And that has transitioned to my academics while being here. The professors truly care about you and want to see you succeed. That is home to me.”

During her time at Ozarks, Douglas not only played basketball and served as a student ambassador and study group leader for the Jones Learning Center, she has also worked in the Admission department and as an office assistant at Clarksville Insurance Agency. Despite all of these other responsibilities, she is still graduating with the highest of honors.

“I learned the importance of time management very quickly,” she said. ‘I always tried to get my work done as early as possible depending on what kind of week I was going to have. This was especially important when it came to travel weeks with basketball. If we were playing away games, I would always use our downtime to get work done. If I didn’t have homework, I was mentally preparing for the game or relaxing. While doing all of this, I learned that it is also important to take time for myself. Being a working-student athlete is not always easy. So it is extremely important to take time for yourself and focus on your own mental health.”

Looking back over the past four years, Douglas said she is amazed how much she has grown.

“This University has helped me immensely with my confidence when it comes to speaking my voice,” she said. “I recently discussed with Dr. Boros after our Research Methods class that when I came in as a freshman I was extremely shy and didn’t talk very much. I was always very nervous about answering questions in class or even asking questions. In this Research Methods class, we discussed our research proposals and conducted presentations on them. After each presentation, there was a time for questions. Had I been in this class during my freshman year, I wouldn’t have been brave enough to ask any questions. But because of the confidence I have gained while at Ozarks, I was able to ask questions and contribute to determining new research questions. I found my voice through this University.”

Following graduation, Douglas plans to work in the healthcare field for a few years before pursuing a master’s degree.   

“My experience at Ozarks has been the best,” she said. “I have learned many life lessons, have been educated on the importance of an array of subjects, contributed to the community, felt loved by this University, and felt the advancement of my path.”

(Photo courtesy of Rachel Nowotny Photography, LLC)

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����vlog���� senior Abby Lewis’ experience in her kinesiology class during her sophomore year brings a hold new meaning to applying classroom knowledge to real life.

The health science major from Greenbrier, Ark., will graduate with Summa Cum Laude honors on Saturday, May 13.

Lewis was in Dr. Piroska Boros’ kinesiology class during the fall of her sophomore year and for the final group project her class was assigned to study and present on injuries and health conditions. Her group received the condition of Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI) and while researching the topic and discussing it with other members of the group, Lewis came to realize that the symptoms matched precisely those that she had felt for the previous four years.  A member of the women’s soccer team at Ozarks, Lewis’ symptoms had gradually worsened over the years and had gone undiagnosed despite consultations with numerous doctors, physical therapists and athletic trainers.

“Through discussions with my group, one of the other members, also an Ozarks soccer player, informed me that another recently-graduated player had been diagnosed with this condition,” Lewis said. “I immediately contacted her and discussed her experience in more detail which further supported my belief that I also had this condition. After discussing it with my family, I made an appointment for an assessment with the orthopedic doctor that had diagnosed her condition. He confirmed that I did have FAI and that it had caused significant damage to the labrum in my hip from years of stress and abrasion. After having surgery to repair the damage and correct the condition, I was finally relieved of the pain and able to return to a normal life.”

That experience sparked Lewis’ interest in learning more about the health science field and she went on to become heavily involved in research as a student at Ozarks. She has co-authored several academic papers with her professors, including the published article, “Creatine Supplementation Improves Muscular Performance without Additional Impact on the Cardiovascular System in Trained Women.” She is also one of three U of O students who will present their papers later this month at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting and World Congress in Denver, Col. 

“Being able to be a part in the publishing and presentation of research has had a large impact on my career path,” Lewis said. “Through these opportunities, I found my passion for research and that’s part of my aspirations to get my Ph.D. and be a professor. I hope that in the future I can lead research projects and be a part of many more so that we can advance the field of health science.”

Lewis said that through her studies at Ozarks, she quickly realized that a career in health science was her calling.

“Health Science is more important than some people realize,” she said. “It interconnects so many disciplines from other sciences and gives students broad understanding of health and the human body. It relates to everything from daily life, to nutrition and disease, to recreational activities, to advanced athletics. Covering such a broad range of topics is why I love it so much. This program gives you the ability to study in depth on every aspect of health that is important in not only health care but how we live.”

She credited her professors for helping her find her passion.

“Ozarks not only helped me evolve as a person but also my career choice,” Lewis said. “I have been able to connect with every professor at Ozarks and each has had a positive impact on me. Being able to connect with professors and hear them talk about their career paths inspired me. They would always positively support me and this helped me believe that I could have a future as an educator. Due to this program and all the professors that have been at the University since I started here, I now want to pursue a graduate degree and someday a Ph.D. in this field.”

Lewis said she also cherished her time as a member of the women’s soccer team at Ozarks.

“Athletics gave me a space to make deep connections and friendships that I would have never been able to make without that experience,” she said. “Being a student-athlete has its challenges, but it builds you into a strong and disciplined person. You are incredibly busy, but that helps you grow and you learn valuable skills in time management. Athletics also ties into my major since a lot of athletics is off the field in strength and conditioning which allows direct observation of much of what I am learning in the classroom.”

With support from her professors, Lewis navigated the grad school application process with relative ease and was accepted into her first choice, the exercise science graduate program at the University of Central Arkansas.

“Applications to grad school can seem really overwhelming, but I had a lot of encouragement and support from all my professors at Ozarks,” Lewis said. “They truly made me believe that I could pursue a graduate degree and be successful. Having confidence and determination is essential to success and their advice and support was and remains invaluable and I will forever appreciate their contributions to my life.”

Just days away from her graduation, Lewis said she felt blessed to have chosen Ozarks four years ago.

“It has been a very positive experience where I have learned, grown, and made a lot of really great friends,” she said. “I love the small community it provides and how close you can get to everyone around you.”

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When Cody Sparks graduated from Lamar (Ark.) High School in 2019 as third in her class academically and with superior honors, she had numerous options on where to attend college. Three and a half years later, she knows that her “hometown” University was the right choice for her.

Sparks will graduate from ����vlog���� during the 2022 Fall Semester Commencement ceremony on Dec. 17 with a degree in health science and with Magna Cum Laude honors. Looking back, Sparks said her decision to attend Ozarks was one of the best choices she has ever made.

“I was worried about staying too close to home. College is about getting out and experiencing new things, but I was not sure I would have that staying in the same town I grew up in,” Sparks said. “I originally came to the University to play softball and stay close to my family. My late grandpa was very sick when I decided to come here, and I knew I needed to be close to home. When I toured Ozarks, it felt like I was still right at home. There were professors and students that would come up and talk to me and my parents during my tour and I did not have that at other schools that I visited. Once I broke my foot and my softball career ended, I knew that I still had the same support system from my friends and professors and that never went away.”

Sparks said she has known since the eighth grade that she wanted to be an occupational therapist. She was accepted into her first choice of graduate schools, the OT doctoral program at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and will begin her studies there in early January.

She found out that she had been accepted into Baylor when she received an email while sitting in Dr. Piroska Boros’ kinesiology class.

“I was ecstatic when I found out I had been accepted,” Sparks said. “Baylor was the school that I had been looking into since I started Ozarks due to their hybrid program and allowing placements close to home for fieldwork. Only so many get accepted and I am so thankful I was chosen to be a part of their upcoming cohort. Dr. Boros thankfully let me step out of class so I could call my family and my boyfriend, Truman [Hensley].”

Sparks credited her professors at Ozarks, especially Dr. Isaac Hunter, assistant professor of psychology, for helping her achieve her goal of being accepted into the occupational therapy doctoral program at Baylor.

“I had to write a personal statement based off of my coursework and experiences at Ozarks and my professors made sure that I had the experiences and courses to make that statement impactful,” Sparks said. “Dr. Hunter was my Ozarks Seminar professor and I have had him every year since. His classes allow you to dig deeper within yourself so that you can be the person you want to be by the time you graduate Ozarks. I thank Dr. Hunter for this experience because he truly tries to get to know all his students and he has their education in his best interest.”

Along with a major in health science, Sparks is graduating with minors in education, American studies and psychology.

“I chose to minor in education in case occupational therapy did not work out,” Sparks said. “I know that my passion is to help those around me, and I felt like with those two choices, one of them would work in my favor.  My American studies minor allowed me to see different perspectives from an abundance of time eras with my English and history classes. I also added a third minor in psychology my senior year in case I wanted to eventually go into the mental health field.”

Sparks said her ideal job would be as a director of rehabilitation at a local hospital.

“I shadowed at the hospital for observation hours in the rehabilitation unit and it was very rewarding seeing the look on the patients’ faces whenever they were able to complete a task that they thought they would never be able to do again,” she said. “Some of these tasks are things that sometimes we take for granted, such as being able to put a sock on. Using my doctorate degree, I will be able to efficiently work alongside a team of therapists for the benefit of our patients.”

Sparks said she was blessed to have received the University’s Frontier Scholarship, which along with working outside jobs, helped pay for her education.

“The scholarship allowed me to focus on my studies and not have to burden my parents,” she said. “I have always had a very strong work ethic and worked smaller jobs up until I was hired part-time at Clarksville Connected Utilities and Friendship Community Care. Both jobs worked around my school schedule, which was hard to manage at first. I worked at Clarksville Connected my freshman and sophomore years of college and Friendship Community Care during my junior and senior years. Both jobs blessed me with the ability obtain income and focus on my schooling.”

Sparks, whose mother, Christy (Warren) Sparks, graduated from Ozarks in 1999, called her time at Ozarks “very rewarding.”

“I have met some of my best friends and I have gained several experiences across different areas of studies,” she said. “I have been able to complete internships, be a part of campus activities, and several sporting activities. Now at the end of my time at Ozarks, it has allowed me to make the decision to continue to stay in Clarksville and hopefully open my own practice to better serve the community that I grew up in.”

(Photo By Janae Spencer)

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Star Lowrey-LaGrone will join the ����vlog���� faculty this fall as an instructor of health science.

Lowrey-LaGrone most recently served as an adjunct faculty member teaching health courses at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. She recently completed a master’s of science in nursing degree from the University of Arkansas.

“Being raised in a small town, I have seen firsthand the impact that school leaders and teachers make in students’ lives,” Lowery-LaGrone said. “I am excited and honored to be a part of the U of O community where I will be able to share my passion for healthcare and make an impact through my role as an instructor. I hope to impart on my students the knowledge and experience I have gained to encourage them to become great healthcare workers and community members. Thank you for welcoming me to your school. Go Eagles!”

Lowery-LaGrone has clinical experience as a registered nurse, a certified nursing assistant and as an emergency medical technician (EMT).  She has also taught English as a Second Language classes and with the Ozark Literacy Council.

She earned her bachelor’s degrees in both nursing and psychology while earning Magna Cum laude honors from the University of Arkansas.

Lowery-LaGrone’s husband, Toby, is a paramedic for southwest EMS. They have two children, daughter Aspen (2) and son Atlas (two months).

“We are a very close family and spend most of our off time together,” she said. “We love to lap swim all together. I also enjoy crocheting and sewing. Most of our other free time is spent with our daughters activities and lessons.”

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When ����vlog���� senior Mario Varela of Lamar, Ark., walks across the stage next month to receive his college diploma, he will be the first in his family to graduate college, an accomplishment that he takes great pride in.

“I feel extremely proud because I will be setting an example for my niece, nephews and anyone else in my family that comes after them,” Varela said. “My family is the main reason I am getting a degree and that is to help them in the future as they have helped me throughout my entire college experience.”

Varela will graduate with Magna Cum Laude (3.50-3.84 GPA) honors with majors in health science and music and a minor in education. The fact that he ended up at his local University was a bit fortuitous.

“Being from a small town, I wanted to branch out and explore,” Varela said. “The idea was to apply to the largest state school around me, get accepted, and then go live my life far, far away from everyone. However, my close friend and I actually took a tour on campus as a joke and I realized that maybe my time in a small town was not over just yet. It was a great choice for me. Ozarks has been my home away from home.”

Varela received the May Katherine Baker Music Scholarship to attend Ozarks and also relied on hard work to get through college.

“The Baker Music Scholarship allowed me to focus solely on my studies and not have to struggle financially,” he said. “I’ve always had a strong work ethic growing up, so I was constantly picking up jobs since high school and that didn’t change entering college. During my freshman year of college, I worked at a local Italian restaurant and a local Mexican restaurant as a waiter. This experience for me was tough at first, especially since I had to adjust to my school schedule and coursework, but I eventually got the hang of managing my time. Not only did this build my skills in multitasking and prioritizing, but it also gave me a more responsible mindset that would prepare me in the future.”

Choosing to major in music and health science and minor in education was an easy decision for Varela.

“Growing up, music was my thing.” He said. “I was in choir and band throughout my entire high school experience. Teachers such as Mr. Brody and Mrs. Alder helped me appreciate and recognize my love for music. I wanted to share my love for music and decided that maybe teaching music was the path for me. Health Science was actually my wild card. During my time at Ozarks, I realized that I had a passion for health and wellness and that maybe adding a degree in that would work for me.”

Ironically, neither music or health science are in Varela’s immediate plans. He has worked as a residence hall assistant for the past three years and believes that type of work is his calling.

“Ozarks made me realize that helping others find their different passions was the ideal path for me and that is why I will be pursuing a master’s degree in higher education,” he said. “A dream job of mine would to be as a director of residential life, ideally at a large institution. Honestly, anything that has to do with working in some capacity of a student life department of an institution would make me content.”

For the past four years Varela has been one of the most active and engaged students on campus. Not only is he an RA, he has been an Eagle Productions (C.A.B.) programmer, a member of the cheer squad, a member of the choir and a homecoming ambassador. His friendly, outgoing personality makes him a friend to many.

“From a young age my mom has always told me, ‘Trata a todos con amabilidad y humildad y ellos haran lo mismo por ti,‘ which basically means treat people the way you would want to be treated,” he said. “This phrase has stuck with me ever since, which is why I try to make everyone feel welcome. As for my outgoing side, I wasn’t always sociable, but coming to Ozarks I became more extroverted. I remember when President [Richard] Dunsworth gave a speech about going out of our comfort zones during the 2018 welcoming ceremony. That speech made me realize I needed to put myself more out there and encouraged me to be more outgoing. The University was the push I needed, opening me up to more opportunities.”

Varela said attending Ozarks was one of the best decisions he’s made.

“Honestly, at first I was skeptical to attend a University that has been down the street from me for most of my life, especially since I only ever thought about attending a big city university,” he said. “However, once I got to campus it felt like a completely different atmosphere, it was almost as if I wasn’t in that small town I grew up in. On top of this, being close to family and being familiar to the town was very beneficial.”

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����vlog���� students Andrew Duncan and Maria F. “Mafer” Maltez each gained invaluable experience recently by presenting research data at a sports medicine academic conference.

Duncan, a sophomore health science major from Alma, Ark.,  and Maltez, a sophomore biology major from Nicaragua, presented data with their professor, Dr. Steven Machek, assistant professor of health science, at the Central States Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), hosted at University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, March 3-4, 2022.

The students presented research associated with Machek’s dissertation work while he was at Baylor University. Machek’s research assessed a potential synergistic effect of betaine supplementation and blood flow restriction training on several outcomes. Duncan presented on their impact with regards to intramuscular targets associated with mechanical loading and subsequent growth. Maltez looked at the modalities’ possible combined effect on exercise-associated serum hormones.

“Both students did wonderful jobs presenting my research data and answered methodological questions as well as someone who was actually involved in data collection,” Machek said. “They handled themselves with extremely professional posture when faced with difficult questions from a wide variety of academics.”

The U of O students’ abstracts were both selected as two out of three finalists for the Outstanding Student Research Award in the undergraduate category.

“This was fantastic because there were around 10 to 12 undergraduate abstracts they were contending against,” Machek said. “As finalists, both Andrew and Mafer were asked to give a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation in front of the entire conference and subsequently field research questions for five minutes.”

Maltez was selected for the conference’s Outstanding Student Research Award for undergraduates, which comes with a $750 prize to be used for her registration and travel fees to the National ACSM conference later this year in San Diego, Calif.

“I felt completely shocked,” Maltez said. “Winning the outstanding presenter award is a big honor that I acknowledge to Dr. Steven Machek, who gave me all the support and tools that made this possible for me.  After all the hard work, the idea of going to San Diego is amazing and just shows that when you put enough effort and love into what you are doing, all that is going to pay off. I certainly feel blessed with this opportunity.”

Machek said that while the U of O students did not assist in the data collection that was conducted while he was a graduate student at Baylor, they were “integral in helping me develop some of my interpretations of the data as I wrote my subsequent discussion points.”

“I was very impressed with their ability to comprehend the relatively complex methodologies and I don’t doubt that all of those who watched their presentations truly believed they were part of data collection based on how confidently they explained the study, as well as how adeptly they fielded questions,” he said. “Both Andrew and Mafer created original slidesets and posters from their abstracts, which is very time-consuming and requires an understanding of what was academically expected for them to explain.”

Duncan, who is planning  career in sports pharmacology, said his favorite part of the conference was “meeting experts in the field and networking.”

“I was able to learn a lot from their presentations and personal conversations with them,” he said. “The conference allowed me to network with potential graduate schools and also increased my knowledge in the health science and athletic performance fields.”

Maltez, who expects to pursue a career in biochemistry or molecular biology research, said she also enjoyed the interactions with others who have similar academic interests.

“I enjoyed the conference as a whole, however my favorite parts were those that allowed us to interact with more people,” she said. “A good example was during breakfast, because it was those moments when I got to create the most connections with other people. The conference allowed me to get different perspectives on several things, like how broad research can be and how, even when you find nothing, you have already found something. I made connections with people from different universities, and I got inspired by their hard work.”

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Several ����vlog���� science programs will benefit from the addition of two new pieces of equipment this semester, thanks to a pair of shared instrumentation grants.

The grants, which totaled more than $52,000, are from the Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The grants will be used to purchase a metabolic cart as well as a microviscometer.

The grant for the Quark CPET metabolic cart was spearheaded by Assistant Professor of Health Science Dr. Piroska Boros (pictured above) in collaboration with Drs. Steven Machek and Derek Warren.  The metabolic cart is a research-grade equipment that measures cardiorespiratory function, and indirectly the energy requirements, during exercise on a treadmill or on an exercise bike.

“This equipment will enhance several biomedical research projects at the University in the health science, biology, and physical education departments,” said Boros. “The main research component is studying cardiorespiratory fitness as a predictor of endurance performance as well as a clinical marker of chronic diseases. A metabolic cart is a basic tool for many research areas in health science, being fairly ubiquitous in exercise science and physiology laboratory settings.”

Boros said that the metabolic cart will aid in instruction in both laboratory and classroom settings in a variety of classes and areas.

“The metabolic cart can be used to demonstrate exercise response in introductory anatomy and physiology classes,” she said. “Our more advanced health science and biology classes will be able to use the metabolic cart to measure cardiorespiratory fitness from a wide variety of test protocols. Due to the variety of potential applications, we see the use of the metabolic cart expanding to additional programs. We foresee the physical education and athletic coaching programs using it for upper-level classes, such as physical activity and public health, and measurement and evaluation as well.”

Boros added that the metabolic cart will fit in nicely with the additional laboratory spaces in the new Wilson Science Center, scheduled to open early this semester.

“We plan to use the new health science laboratory as a community outreach laboratory where we can offer various exercise testing and individual-based recommendations to University athletics, students, faculty, and staff, and eventually for the larger Clarksville community,” Boros said. “The addition of the metabolic cart will allow us to add an important cardiorespiratory function measure to our list of services that has the potential to open room for undergraduate research opportunities as well as for our students to gain more practical skills in the field of health science. Gaining practical skills in administering tests with the metabolic cart will aid students to become more well-rounded scientists, as well as exceedingly more competitive amidst job and graduate school applications via the acquisition of critical evaluation skillsets.”

Dr. Radwan Al Faouri, assistant professor of physics, was the lead professor on the grant for the Lovis 2000 M Microviscometer. He said the instrument can measure the dynamic and relative viscosity of different solutions with a high degree of accuracy, versatility, and time-saving features. He added that the microviscometer can be used in biology, chemistry, health science and physics classes.

“It is used in many pharmaceutical, biological and chemical applications,” Al Faouri said. “It is used to measure the viscosity of pharmaceutical and medical products such as nasal sprays, ear drops, blood plasma and biological liquids, infusion liquids and contrast media, microcrystalline cellulose, protein solutions and DNA. It is also used to measure the viscosity of chemical products such as polymer solutions, printer inks, solvents, acids, and bases. After getting the essential training on using the microviscometer, Ozarks students will be ready to apply this knowledge in a wider range of research.”

The primary goal of the Arkansas INBRE is to expand biomedical research capacity in the state.

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