Kent Adams
"I am sitting here today because of a barbell," says Kinesiology professor Dr. Kent Adams.
An avid weightlifter who competed in private clubs, Adams started college pursuing a degree in business. When a family friend told him he could make a career out of the study of strength, he changed majors and whizzed through school, studying with leading experts in the field and earning his Ph.D. from Oregon State University at a young age (see photo of college-age Adams and his wife, fellow professor Patricia Sevenne-Adams, below).
"Exercise physiology-don't make the mistake, it is not about playing with a ball. We are physiologists who look at how exercise impacts health and fitness throughout the lifespan," explains Adams. His research does cover the lifespan-everything from childhood obesity to osteoporosis in the elderly. Adams's passion for the subject is apparent, and he's eager to share his work with students through the newly approved Kinesiology concentration in exercise science.
"I consider myself to be a teaching researcher. I'm very enthusiastic and I love teaching students, but I also love involving them in research so they are at the cutting edge. I want to get students involved in the research process with their Capstones and also with research that applies to the community, such as research on aging and performance."
Already, he is working with students to build a new exercise physiology lab where these studies can take place.
"My goal is to give students who want to work hard this definable outcome of presentations and publications that matter when they look at graduate schools, that matter when they look at careers in the health and fitness industry."
In addition to the new lab, Adams's efforts have led to CSUMB becoming the fourth school in California to be recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association for having a Strength and Conditioning Curriculum. "These credentials are recognized across the country and the globe," says Adams.
Adams also has plans to promote a healthier campus environment for all CSUMB community members. Using body monitoring technology supported by a WeTEC grant, Adams and his students will calorically map the campus-figuring out how many calories are burned walking from building to building.
This sort of work illustrates just one opportunity for improving fitness in simple day to day activities. Adams explains, "That is what we are trying to do with our students-give them the knowledge, skills, and abilities to go out in the community and appropriately design quality fitness programs for kids, for older adults, for people with diseases and disabilities."
Helping people lead healthier lives can seem a daunting task, but Adams is unfazed. "I'm very lucky that I can do something that I am so fired up about every day. The challenges pale."
~ Liz MacDonald, Senior Writer/Web Editor
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