There are three kinesiology laboratories at UAB. The Exercise Physiology Laboratory, the Resistance Exercise Physiology (REP) Laboratory, and the Exercise and Nutritional Physiology Laboratory are used for classroom demonstrations, data collection, training, and scientific inquiry.
Students using the labs for research are typically kinesiology graduate students and undergraduate honors students. Students use the laboratories for their theses, honors projects, internships, and field experiences.
Exercise and Nutritional Physiology Laboratory
Director: Gordon Fisher, PhD
This 900-square-foot facility, located in the Education and Engineering Complex, is equipped to study metabolic and cardiovascular regulation in blood, skeletal muscle, adipose, and liver tissue. Dr. Fisher's research focuses on the role of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial dysfunction, and markers of inflammation in the pathogenesis of chronic metabolic diseases associated with obesity.
Our students have access to Oroboros Oxygraph-2k with DatLab software, a FluoroMate FS-2 Fluorescence Spectrometer, a BioRad Chemidoc XP digital imaging system, a SpectraMax M3 Microplate reader, a Corning Digital Microplate Shaker, a dissecting microscope (Stemi 2000), a Nanodrop Lite Spectrophotometer, a thermocycler (BioRad I-cycler), a 96-well quantitative real-time PRC unit (BioRad), BioRad power supplies, BioRad wet transfer cells, BioRad gel boxes, two PowerGen tissue homogenizers, cell and tissue culture, digital darkroom imaging, analytical balance scale, shakers/rotators, a minus 80°C and a minus 20°C freezer, two 4°C refrigerators, a Variable Flow Peristaltic Pump, and all other equipment necessary for immunoblotting and mRNA expression studies.
Exercise Physiology Laboratory
Director: Gordon Fisher, PhD
The new 1,100-square-foot lab features more than 800 pounds of free weights and high-tech equipment including arm crank and cycle ergometers, computerized treadmills, skinfold calipers, and bioelectrical impedance scales for measuring body composition.
The lab also has a metabolic cart to measure energy expenditure during rest and exercise, portable handheld spirometry for pulmonary assessments, electrocardiography to analyze heart rhythms, pulse wave analysis for measures of vascular health, 24-hr ambulatory blood pressure monitoring systems, and an electromyography system and force platform for assessing motor unit activation during muscle contraction.
Resistance Exercise Physiology Laboratory
Director: Christopher Ballmann, PhD