Exercise Science Laboratory

The laboratory is located at 520 Behrakis Health Sciences Center. The 2000 square foot facility is equipped with the state-of-art technology for teaching and research in exercise science. The laboratory is dedicated to applying the practical skills and cutting-edge research to evaluate the effects of exercise and physical activity on health, disease, and human performance. The laboratory is equipped to conduct major functional and performance assessments, including:

Assessment of Cardiopulmonary Function and Aerobic Capacity

  • Four stress testing stations
  • Two Cosmed CPET metabolic carts for gas exchange analysis & 12-lead stress testing ECG
  • Two GE 12-lead exercise ECG systems

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Assessment of Cardiopulmonary Function and Aerobic Capacity

Body Composition / Bone Density Evaluation

  • GE Luna Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)
  • Omron Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA)
  • Lange Skinfold Calipers

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Body Composition / Bone Density Evaluation

Anaerobic Power Assessment

  • Wingate testing station
    • Computerized Monark cycle ergometer
    • Lactate Plus blood lactate analyzer
    • Polar heart rate monitors

Wingate testing
This test is used to assess how much power the muscles can generate in a short amount of time. The subject will be asked to do a 30-second bout of pedaling as fast as he/she can on a stationary bike while a predetermined amount of resistance is applied to the bike, making it hard to pedal.

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Anaerobic Power Assessment

Skeletal Muscle Strength and Endurance Analysis

Muscle Biopsy for Histochemical and Protein Analysis

Blood / Urine Processing and Phlebotomy

Assessment of Physical Activity Patterns from Wearable Sensors

Vascular Structure and Function

We regularly conduct these tests on different populations, including athletes, participants, children, older adults and special populations with frailty, sarcopenia, or chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular complications. Graduate and undergraduate students use the laboratory to conduct directed studies and capstone and thesis projects. Our students work closely with faculty and laboratory staff to obtain hands-on skills and research experiences in physical activity and public health. A novel aspect of the lab is the multi-disciplinary nature of research that is conducted and encouraged.

Contact Information

Rui Li, PhD
Program Director
617.373.2526
[email protected]

Faculty

Rui Li

Rui Li
Program Director

Gregory Cloutier

Gregory Cloutier
Project Manager

Charles Hillman

Charles Hillman

Stephen Intille

Stephen Intille

Dinesh John

Dinesh John

Carmen C. Sceppa

Carmen Sceppa

Annemarie C. Sullivan

Annemarie Sullivan

William Jay Gillespie, Professor Emeritus