Nutrition Consultation and Education (ACE) Center I
This is a teaching and research space featuring three separate rooms. Equipment in this space can be used to measure body composition (BodPod, seca scale, RJL BIA device, and BodyMetrix ultrasound device, skinfold calipers), resting metabolic rate (FitMate), forearm muscle strength (Jamar handgrip dynamometers), and blood biomarkers (HemoCue for hemoglobin, Cholestech for lipids and glucose, and Piccolo for other metabolites). Rooms in this space can also be used for individual or small group counseling sessions.
Program: Nutrition Science and Dietetics
Faculty: Jessica Garay, Margaret Voss
Nutrition Consultation and Education (ACE) Center II
This versatile teaching and research space offers hands-on opportunities for students to explore human health and nutrition in real-world settings. With three dedicated rooms, it supports everything from lab-based assessments to personalized nutrition counseling, making it an ideal environment for both learning and discovery. Equipment includes the BodPod, seca scale, RJL BIA device, BodyMetrix ultrasound, and skinfold calipers for body composition analysis; the FitMate for resting metabolic rate; Jamar handgrip dynamometers for measuring forearm strength; and devices like the HemoCue, Cholestech, and Piccolo for analyzing blood biomarkers.
Program: Nutrition Science and Dietetics
Faculty: Jessica Garay, Margaret Voss, Lynn Brann, Stefanie Pilkay, Brooks Gump
The Nutrigenomics Lab explores how nutrition—especially healthy fats like omega-3s—can help prevent obesity from the very start of life.
Led by Dr. Latha Ramalingam, the lab uses animal models to study how nutrition before and during pregnancy can shape a child’s long-term health, reducing risks for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This research is paving the way for healthier future generations through early nutrition-focused prevention.
Program: Nutrition Science and Dietetics
Faculty: Latha Ramalingam
SELF (Social-Emotional Learning and Functioning) Regulation Lab
At the SELF Regulation Lab, we explore how kids and teens learn to manage their emotions, behavior, and attention—skills that are key to success in school and life. Our research focuses on helping children develop self-regulation through strategies like mindfulness and healthy habits. We look at how things like classroom behavior, nutrition, and family influences shape these skills, especially in diverse and underserved communities. One of our current projects is Mindfully Growing, a fun and engaging mindfulness and mindful eating program for preschoolers, with special workshops for parents and teachers.
Program: Nutrition Science and Dietetics
Faculty: Rachel Razza, Lynn Brann
Healthy Communities Research Lab
The Healthy Communities Lab partners with local communities to improve childhood nutrition, especially in underserved populations. Led by Dr. Maryam Yuhas, the lab focuses on how parenting, home environments, and tech-based tools like mobile apps and text messaging can support healthier habits for kids. Current projects include developing a mobile intervention to help families in Head Start programs reduce preschoolers’ intake of sugary foods and drinks. The lab prioritizes real-world solutions that are both scalable and community-driven.
Program: Nutrition Science and Dietetics
Faculty: Maryam Yuhas, Lynn Brann, Katie Kidwell
Human Performance Laboratory / Cardiovascular Laboratory
The Human Performance Laboratory allows faculty and students to study the physiologic response to acute exercise and exercise training in health and disease. The primary focus of the laboratory is on the cardiovascular alterations that occur with exercise training (both aerobic and resistance) particularly those in diseased populations.
Program: Exercise Science
Neural Health Research (NHR) Laboratory
The NHR Lab explores how the brain and muscles change with age, training, fatigue, and disease using cutting-edge technology. Students work with tools like mobile brain imaging (fNIRS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to study brain activity and motor pathways during movement.
We also assess balance, fall risk, and muscle function using postural tests, motor neuron recordings, and ultrasound imaging of soft tissue. It’s a hands-on environment where neuroscience meets human performance.
Program: Exercise Science
Faculty: Jason DeFreitas
Neuromuscular Physiology Lab
The Neuromuscular Physiology Lab focuses on understanding the neuromuscular adaptations that occur in response to aging, immobilization/disuse, fatigue, and strength training, with an emphasis on both changes in motor unit behavior and alterations in the corticospinal pathway.
Program: Exercise Science
Faculty: Kylie Harmon
System Motor Control & Biomechanics (SyMBio) Laboratory
The SyMBio Lab studies how our bodies control everyday movement–how we walk, maintain balance, and respond to prevent an injury. The lab uses biomechanics equipment and neuro-stimulation techniques to explore how our bones, muscles, and nervous systems work together to control movement, and how these systems change with age or disease.
Program: Exercise Science
Faculty: Yaejin Moon
Clinical Research Laboratory
Located in the Women’s Building, the Clinical Research Lab—led by Dr. Joon Young Kim—focuses on human research related to obesity, metabolism, and type 2 diabetes. The lab includes two dedicated spaces: one for physical and metabolic testing, and another for processing and analyzing blood samples.
Students gain hands-on experience studying chronic disease risk factors and how lifestyle changes like exercise and diet impact metabolic health in both youth and adults. It’s a hub for cutting-edge research that bridges science with real-world health solutions.
Program: Exercise Science
Faculty: Joon Young Kim
