Calvin’s department of kinesiology held the grand re-opening of the exercise science laboratory last Friday, Oct. 11. Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Kerrie Berends hosted the opening and gave an explanation of the renovations.

Originally built in 2009, the lab already offered body composition, metabolic testing and pulmonary assessments, according to Berends. But as technology advanced and new equipment was added, the lab felt smaller and outdated. Berends said, “We needed more space because we added more equipment. So, we needed to move things around and realized that even after we got rid of equipment that didn’t work anymore, we still didn’t have enough space.”

The lab now features two Cardio Pulmonary Exercise Testing carts, which include 12-lead ECG and a treadmill, a Kistler biomechanics force plate, and PUSH wearable biomechanics technology. Berends explained that this technology is used by institutions like “U of M, the Detroit Tigers, and the San Francisco Giants.” 

  Abbie Cooley, a sophomore exercise science major, was at the grand re-opening event and when asked what she was most excited about with the new renovations, she answered, “the Bod Pod.” The Bod Pod is an egg-shaped machine that measures body composition down to one percent accuracy. It’s similar to underwater weighing and helps determine body fat percentage. 

Sophomore and pre-physical therapy major Stephanie Coors said she’s most excited about using the Kistler biomechanics force plate. This plate is used to measure force output. Both Coors and Cooley play on the women’s basketball team and agreed it would be beneficial to athletes to use the equipment to optimize their training methods. Coors said in regard to the plate, “I have really terrible ankles, and seeing how much that’s affecting the power I exert before and after spraining them — because I will sprain them again — would be really interesting.” Cooley stated, “I just want to see how strong I am!”

The new renovations do come with a cost, but it’s one that was budgeted. “Money had been in the provost equipment budget that had not yet been allocated,” said Berends. “It was money in an account strictly used for new equipment to enhance learning in the classroom.”

With updated technology, the lab offers students an improved hands-on experience. The idea is to give students a leg up for entering either graduate school or the workforce. Berends explained that she expects students to run these tests on themselves before they can test clients. With a larger space and more equipment, students are able to get through preliminary self-tests quicker, therefore qualifying to run tests on clients quicker. The experience Calvin students obtain in the lab will help them stand out as they leave Calvin.