Have you ever wanted to learn more about what happens to the
human body when we exercise? Exercise physiology is a course option
in the biomedical science
program at National University. It combines metabolic
biochemistry, cellular and organ system physiology, as well as
anatomic structure and function in order to understand and explain
physical and athletic performance and how the body adapts to
In addition to learning the basics of exercise physiology, NUHS
students go deeper.
Instructor Nancy Stienke gives students the chance to explore
personal interests and take more control over what they learn. "The
students write a paper reviewing the scientific literature on any
exercise topic of their choosing. They also create a poster based
on that information, and make a presentation on the topic the last
week of class," she explains.
The students get lots of help in their research. "Our Learning
Resource Center provides a workshop for them, teaching them how
to search our electronic databases for the information they need,"
says Nancy. "They learn how to choose a topic that is broad enough
to provide enough research to prepare a good review, but not so
broad that it pulls up too much research to read."
Below are some of the research posters prepared by biomedical
science students enrolled in the NUHS exercise physiology course.
They cover topics such as health benefits of Yoga or Tai Chi,
sports benefits for amputees, or resistance training for
"The goal of this project is to give students a chance to work
with the scientific literature and get a glimpse of what it takes
to communicate information to the scientific community," says Nancy
Stienke. "Professional posters are very common at scientific
meetings. This project shows students the steps involved with
creating a scientific poster, while also giving them greater
expertise on their topic."
For those who are eager to learn more about the human body from
a sports medicine perspective, NUHS also offers courses in sports
nutrition and kinesiology.
course descriptions for the biomedical science program at
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