Education:
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1990; Drs. (equivalent of U.S. M.S. degree) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Cum Laude).

Current Research Interests:
Current research projects involve (1) the effects of fatigue on balance and postural control in Multiple Sclerosis. (2) Assessment of changes in balance control in Parkinson's disease and older individuals with and without a tendency of falling. (3) The development of postural and manual control in young children, with a particular focus on how the interaction between these systems develops and changes across the life span. (4) The role of eye-head and trunk coordination in stability and adaptability of gait, and changes in these coordinative patterns due to aging and disease. 5) The integration of locomotion and respiration during walking, assessing the dual role of the trunk in respiration and maintaining postural stability during locomotion.

Education:
B.S.C.E., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1992
M.S., University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2005

Current Research Interests:
1) Postural adaptations to self-imposed perturbations of reach and lean and the effects of vision and fatigue on performance. 2) Gait initiation strategies of individuals with MS relating to the anticipatory postural adjustment, time to contact with the stability boundary, and gaze orientation during the initial stepping events of gait. 3) Gait patterns and the control of gait when individuals are faced with peripheral sensory impairment. 4) Control of head movement and gaze during gait and the orientation of gaze during step landing planning.

Publications:
Remelius, J.G., Hamill, J., Kent-Braun, J., VanEmmerik, R.E.A., Gait Initiation in Multiple Sclerosis. Motor Control 2008; 12, 93-108.

Education:
B.S.P.T., Bradley University, 1991
M.S., University of Massachusetts Amherst 2006
Doctoral Candidate, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Current Research Interests:
1) Balance and falls in older adults with emphasis on the role of upper body stability and coordination.
2) Adaptability of the upper body to changes in coordination in the legs during walking.
3) Osteoporosis in the older adult and its relationship to posture and balance during dynamic activities.

Education:
M.S., Exercise Physiology, Eastern Michigan University, 2009
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Portland, 2003

Current Research Interests:
How fatigue due to physical activity can affect gait in patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
Use of non-linear regularity statistics to observe changes in complexity of a system.
The use of non-linear regularity measures in the identification of fatigue.

Current Projects:
Effects of fatigue in the kinematics of gait in patients with MS.

Education:
B.A. Kinesiology, Occidental College 2006
M.S. Motor Control, Texas Christian University 2008

Current Research Interests:
I am interested in the mechanisms behind body weighting in those with Multiple Sclerosis as well as the effects of these mechanisms during reaching, turning, and walking tasks.

Education:
University of Guelph, B.Sc. (Honours)
University of Massachusetts Amherst, M.S.
McGill University, Ph.D.

Current Research Interests: Stephanie is currently completing her doctorate in Rehabilitation Science, studying the relationship between chronic low back pain and movement coordination. Her research interests focus on understanding how pain and disease impact sensorimotor coordination.

Publications:

Jones, SL, Henry SM, Raasch CC, Hitt JR, Bunn JY. Individuals with chronic low back pain redistribute proximal versus distal corrective torques to maintain upright posture following unexpected balance perturbations. (Submitted)

Jones SL, Henry SM, Raasch CC, Hitt JR, Bunn JY. Responses to multi-directional surface translations involve redistribution of proximal versus distal strategies to maintain upright posture. Exp Brain Res 2008 May; 187(3): 407-17.

Henry SM, Hitt JR, Jones SL, Bunn JY. Decreased limits of stability in response to postural perturbations in subjects with low back pain. Clin Biomech 2006 Nov; 21(9): 881-92.

Jones SL, Caldwell GE. Mono- and biarticular muscle activity during jumping in different directions. J App Biomech Aug 2003; 19(3): 205-222.

Education:
M.S. (1994), B.S. (1992), Exercise Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Current Research Interests:
(1) the effects of various combat equipment on postural stability and marksmanship performance, (2) kinematic variability as a quantitative metric for performance changes in Soldier Systems task execution, (3) the relationship between visuo-spatial task load, cognitive attention requirements, and posture in various combat equipment ensembles, (4) performance and kinematic manifolds as a means to analyze discrete (non-rhythmic) tasks, and 5) Dynamic systems analysis and techniques in Kinesiology and Motor Control.

Previous experience includes:
1) Children’s Physical Activity, Health, and Wellness, 2) Fitness Standards and Wellness measures in 40-79 year-olds, 3) “Heavy” and “Very Heavy” task performance improvement in female Soldiers through physical training, 4) Biomechanics and Physiology of Soldier Task Performance, and 5) Physical Training, Nutrition, and specificity for military performance tasks, and 5) US Special Operations Equipment Design, Development, and Acquisition. 20+ publications, abstracts, and presentations in the field of Kinesiology and Military Performance.

Education:
B.S. (2007), Biology and Psychology,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Current Research Interests:
André is currently part of the Neuroscience and Behavior Program at UMass Amherst and is primarily interested in anticipatory postural adjustments.