KIN Senior Orientation Leader: Aayush Malhotra

KIN Senior Orientation Leader: Aayush Malhotra

What’s up Kinners? My name is Aayush and I am a fourth-year student in the Interdisciplinary stream. I decided to pursue Kinesiology because, like many, I am heavily involved in sport and played competitive tennis for 7 years, which led to an injury that I was hoping my studies would help me to fix! In doing so, I have fallen in love with the program – especially the physiology side – with my favourite classes being Kin 190/191 (that’s 110/131 for the new students), 275, 375 and 473. After I graduate this year, I hope to continue my education by completing a masters abroad or by applying to medical school somewhere in Canada.

Outside of school, I volunteer with the AMS Speakeasy, an amazing resource on campus that offers peer to peer support for a wide range of student issues; and at the Vancouver Crisis Centre, where I teach classes on mental wellbeing and suicide prevention. I am very passionate about mental health and look to help within the field wherever possible. I still love tennis and split my time between the court and the gym each week. I also work at a lab on campus where we are investigating addiction and decision-making behaviours, which is an area I hope to continue working on in the future!

My favourite part of the undergrad experience by far has been the camaraderie that Kinesiology students share, no matter what stream or year. I love how I can walk into practically any active Kin class and pick out at least a handful of students with whom I am close, because Kin pride is so strong and is cultivated right at the start of Imagine Day. This is part of what led me to the Senior Orientation Leader (SrOl) position, as I was able to make a direct and salient difference in the incoming class’ introduction to Kinesiology and help shape the attitudes that they’ll carry over the next four years.

If you are looking for a leadership role within Kinesiology that is both rewarding and enjoyable, I would encourage you to apply as a SrOl! Through this position, I was able to take an active role within the planning of Imagine Day, helped to train the orientation leader team and shaped the experiences of incoming students to Kin. Becoming a SrOl has helped me to grow as a leader, work on my ability to collaborate with others, and gain confidence with public speaking.

Being a SrOl isn’t all about gaining experience — I have also made some amazing connections with great people on campus, which was my favourite part of this role. I went on a fun weekend retreat to meet the other faculties’ leaders, have become friends with my fellow Kinesiology seniors, and have worked closely with many phenomenal staff, all of whom made this a very worthwhile experience and one that I would urge you to pursue!

Distinguished Speaker Series: What ‘startles’ tell us about motor control in health & disease

Dr. Vivian Weerdesteyn is an Associate Professor with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour at Radboud University, in Norway. On December 4, 2020, as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series, she presented on patients with corticospinal lesions that support the involvement of the reticulospinal system in StartReact.

She explains how conflicting findings in choice reaction tasks may be understood within this framework and the implications of StartReact results for motor control in health and disease.

Professor Emeritus Dr. Jack Taunton inducted to the Field Hockey Hall of Fame

DrJackTaunton

Congratulations to Professor Emeritus Dr. Jack Taunton, for having been selected to be inducted in the Field Hockey Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions to Canadian field hockey!

Learn more about Dr.Taunton


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Letter from Hall of Fame Committee

Video spotlight: The research of Dr. Eli Puterman and Dr. Guy Faulkner

Watch two School of Kinesiology researchers, Eli Puterman and Guy Faulkner, as they speak to us about their work and the importance of daily physical activity for physical and mental health. Learn about their understanding of how to help people become active and stay physically active, and how to make it inclusive and accessible to all groups.

End of Term Lab Outing!

Dec. 10, 2019The @PopPALabUBC celebrating the end of the 2019 term with a very enjoyable (and highly competitive) afternoon of curling!

PhD Graduate Studentship Available

Dec. 6, 2019 – PhD Graduate Studentship Available in the Pop-PA Lab

Dr. Guy Faulkner invites applications for a PhD studentship to start in September 2020 in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia (UBC).  The focus of the studentship is examining the feasibility of mobile app-based interventions to increase physical activity among adults with depression.

The award of the studentship will be based on a competitive process. If awarded, it would be a full-time studentship (funded for 4 years) covering tuition, and a maintenance allowance. The maintenance allowance is currently $18,000 per annum. Additional teaching assistantships are typically available.  The work location will be in the School of Kinesiology at UBC (Vancouver campus). Given the nature of the work some travel will be necessary.  Candidates should meet admission criteria for the PhD program in the School of Kinesiology – http://kin.educ.ubc.ca/students/graduate/doctoral-program/. The successful applicant(s) will also possess excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.  Applications should be made by January 30th, 2020.

Please address informal inquiries to Dr. Guy Faulkner at guy.faulkner@ubc.ca. Further information about Dr. Faulkner and his research program is available at www.kin.ubc.ca/pop-palab

New Paper Out

Nov. 25, 2019 – New paper out by Dr. Lira Yun and Dr. Guy Faulkner evaluating ParticipACTION’s 150 Play List (a year-long, national mass reach campaign that included community events). Read it here!

Morrow, Al

1979 UBC Physical Education graduate Al Morrow has accomplished as much or more than anyone in the realm of Canadian rowing.

While a student at UBC during the early 1970s Morrow rowed for UBC then coached the Thunderbird men’s rowing crews until graduating. While at UBC he represented Canada in the eights at the 1976 Olympics then again was selected to Canada’s team for the 1980 Games. As the UBC coach he along with fellow coach Glenn Battersby, established for the first time a women’s rowing program at UBC, launching it in November, 1976.

Morrow’s UBC rowing experience was an early chapter in what would evolve to become one of Canada’s most impressive coaching resumes. For five decades Morrow either rowed for or coached Canada’s National team with his teams winning eighteen medals at World Championships in addition to four golds, one silver and eight bronze in Olympic competition. Within this accomplished body of work, he is best known as head coach of Canada’s women’s rowing teams for the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games and assistant coach of the Olympic silver medal-winning women’s eights in 2012.

As the coaching guru at the national level Morrow has also served as the director of Canada’s National Rowing Centre and as of 2012 is the Performance Director for Canada’s lightweight men’s program.

Morrow has been well recognized for his longevity and expertise. He has been awarded several times the Wittenauer/Longines coaching excellence award, a Federal Government meritorious service award, the Geoff Gowan Coaching Award and was named the 1999 World Rowing Federation Coach of the Year. He is an inductee in the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and in 2006 was inducted into the Canada Sports Hall of Fame.
Fred Hume
2013