Published before graduation: 91ֱƵstudent published in ‘Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research’

Stephanie Ostrowski

Many researchers don’t publish their first article in an academic journal until they have earned at least a graduate degree. But Principal Investigator and Applied Exercise Science student Stephanie Ostrowski ’17 recently published her research on unstable loads in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Ostrowski published the research with the help of Lara Carlson, Ph.D., FACSM, associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, and Michael Lawrence, M.S., Motion Analysis Laboratory (MAL) Manager in the Department of Physical Therapy.

The publication, titled “Effect Of An Unstable Load On Primary And Stabilizing Muscles During The Bench Press,” explains that unstable resistance exercises are typically performed to increase the activity of the stabilizing musculature. Using surface electromyography (EMG), muscle activity of both primary and stabilizing musculature was recorded during a barbell bench press using a flexible Earthquake bar™. The research team found that some of the stabilizing muscles were found to be significantly more active in the unstable condition with 15% less weight.

Ostrowski was awarded the Westbrook College of Health Professions Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the summer of 2015 to complete her research project. She also has presented her results at the regional 2015 New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine conference in Providence, Rhode Island, and at the national 2016 American College of Sports Medicine conference in Boston, Massachusetts. She is currently continuing her unstable load research in the MAL while completing her senior year at UNE.

  

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The 91ֱƵ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.