Faculty & Staff

David J. Szymanski, Ph.D., CSCS*D, RSCC*E, FNSCA

Professor, Department Chair

Department of Kinesiology

Eva Cunningham Endowed Professorship in Education

Power Lift Sport Science Educational Board Member

Department of Kinesiology

Louisiana Tech University

Email: dszyman@latech.edu

Biography:

Dr. David Szymanski is a Professor of Kinesiology, with an emphasis in exercise physiology focusing on how to enhance sports performance and was formerly (2006 - 2014) the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the baseball team at Louisiana Tech University. At LaTech, he has been awarded the Virgil Orr Undergraduate Teaching Award as well as the University Senate Chair Award. He is one of the Power Lift Sport Science Educational Board Members. One of his roles is to write evidence-based articles that relate to the strength and conditioning field (www.power-lift.com) . He is a former member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Board of Directors having served two, three year terms (2011-14 and 2014-17), is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach with Distinction, Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach Emeritus, and a Fellow of the NSCA, as well as is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and Strength and Conditioning Journal.

Dr. Szymanski was formerly the Exercise Physiologist for the Auburn University baseball team for five years and a volunteer assistant baseball coach for two years. Before attending Auburn University, where he earned a Doctorate degree in Exercise Physiology, Szymanski was the Assistant Baseball Coach and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the baseball team at Texas Lutheran University for five years. He has been involved in over 20 research studies involving high school and college baseball players and has published numerous baseball research and training articles.

Classes Taught:

KINE 407: Exercise Prescription

KINE 408: Exercise Physiology

KINE 418: Strength and Conditioning

KINE 509: Tests and Measurement

KINE 526: Physiology of Exercise I

KINE 536: Physiology of Exercise II

KINE 546: Physiology of Strength & Conditioning

Research Interests:

Baseball & Softball Performance

Sports Performance

Strength & Conditioning

Curriculum Vitae

Jordan Blazo, Ph.D., NASPSPA, LACUE

Assistant Professor

Department of Kinesiology

Louisiana Tech University

Email: jblazo@latech.edu

Biography:

Jordan Blazo is an Assistant Professor of Psychosocial Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity in the Department of Kinesiology. Dr. Blazo has earned his Doctrate degree in Kinesiology (Specialization: Psychosocial Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity) from Michigan State University. He is also a member of North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA), and Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators (LACUE)

Dr. Blazo is interested in studying family and child relationships in physical activity contexts. Specifically, Dr. Blazo is focused on studying the ways that sibling influence and shape one another’s physical activity experiences. Currently, he is investigating the role of siblings in developing perceptions of ability in sport, the correlates of sibling relationship qualities in sport, and how sibling relationships inform our peer interactions in the physical domain. His previous research experience has included a NIH-funded project examining the effects (i.e., cognitive, behavioral, and social) associated with a before-school activity program for children with ADHD symptoms.

In addition to Dr. Blazo’s research pursuits, he has worked with athletes, teams, and coaches on mental conditioning for performance enhancement. Example topics have included: mental toughness, confidence, performance anxiety, team building, leadership development, and motivation.

ClassesTaught:

KINE 202: Foundations of Kinesiology

KINE 316: Exercise and Sport Psychology

KINE 333: Motor Learning

KINE 420: Sports and Society

KINE 508: Research Methods in Kinesiology

KINE 531: Youth Sport and Exercise Psychology

KINE 538: Motivation in Physical Activity

KINE 539: Sport Psychology

KINE 540: Sport Impact on Society

Research Interests:

Youth Sport

Family Dynamics

Sibling Relationships

Curriculum Vitae

Drew Parks, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Kinesiology

Louisiana Tech University

Email: parksac@latech.edu

Biography:

Dr. Drew Parks is an Assistant Professor of Sport & Exercise Psychology in the Department of Kinesiology, with research interests in health behaviors, cognitive health, developmental disabilities, and human development. Dr. Parks earned his Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Michigan State University, with a concentration in Cognitive & Motor Neuroscience and an interdisciplinary specialization in Cognitive Science. His primary research interests include the examining the influence of health behaviors on cognitive performance in preadolescent children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition to this work, he also pursues research examining the long-term impact and persistence of sports-related concussions on cognitive performance in adolescents and young adults, and work examining the role of physical activity in relation to various aspect of mental health. Congruent with his research endeavors, Dr. Parks served as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan (2017-2019) and maintains active memberships with the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) and the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR). While much of the research he conducts is laboratory based, Dr. Parks also strives to foster relationships with organizations and local groups through volunteer efforts that may strengthen the research focus, but more importantly benefit the community.

Classes Taught:

KINE 292: Preventive Health and Wellness

KINE 509: Test & Measurements

KINE 518: Recent Literature & Research in Kinesiology

KINE 520: Motor Development & Learning

KINE 528: Ethics in Kinesiology & Sport

Research Interests:

Health-related behaviors

Cognitive & physical health

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Sport-related concussions

Curriculum Vitae

Mu Qiao, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Kinesiology

Louisiana Tech University

Email: mqiao@latech.edu

Biography:

Dr. Qiao is an assistant professor in the department of kinesiology with research interests in biomechanics, movement science, and human motor control. He holds a Ph.D. degree from the kinesiology program at the Arizona State University in 2012. During his Ph.D., he studied the control of human walking and running during unsteady state. His research is to understand the mechanism of reducing injury in daily activities and improving sports performance. He was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (2012-2014), Penn State University (2014-2016), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2016-2018). He has been serving as reviewers for Journal of Biomechanics, Gait and Posture, and Journal of Clinical Biomechanics.

Classes Taught

KINE 333: Motor Learning

KINE 423: Biomechanics

KINE 520: Motor Development & Learning

KINE 532: Lab Techniques in Sport Performance

KINE 534: Advanced Biomechanics

KINE 542: Mechanisms of Sports Injury & Rehab

Research Interests

The visual-motor control of human locomotion

Control of human walking and running during unsteady state

Modeling and simulation in biomechanics

Human motor control

Curriculum Vitae

Mr. Vishesh Singh, MS (Sport Performance)

Instructor, Director of Human Performance Laboratories

Department of Kinesiology

Louisiana Tech University

Email: vsingh@latech.edu

Biography

Mr. Vishesh Singh is an instructor in department of kinesiology and Director of Human Performance lab (2016- present). He has two Bachelor Degrees. One is in Bachelor of Physical therapy (India) and other one is in Bachelor of Science (Botany and Chemistry). He has done his Masters in Kinesiology with concentration in Sport Performance. As a part of his Masters degree, he did his internship as Strength and condition intern with Louisiana Tech football team. Before He came to Louisiana Tech University, he had worked as a physical therapist for a year in India.

Classes Taught:

KINE 292: Preventive health and wellness

KINE 326: Functional Anatomy

KINE 408: Exercise Physiology

Research Interest

Biomechanics of Human Movement.

Sport Performance

Curriculum Vitae