Erica Twardzik
The Kinesiology Graduate Research Showcase is Tuesday, April 9, and in the next several days we'll feature two PhD students who participated last year with posters and will participate this year with oral presentations. This article features Erica Twardzik, Movement Science PhD student, mentored by AES Associate Professor Natalie Colabianchi. Our next feature will be on Kristal McGreggor, Sport Management PhD student, mentored by SM Professor Ketra Armstrong.
Erica Twardzik is a Movement Science Ph.D. student conducting research on the relationship between the external environment and body movement. She is part of the Environment and Policy Lab, directed by her mentor, AES associate professor, Natalie Colabianchi. Erica's research was published in the February 2019 issue of Gait & Posture. "Our paper focuses on how environmental features shape mobility among community-dwelling adults," she says, "whereas the majority of my research, moving forward, will be focused on individuals with limited functioning and how the environment shapes their experience."
Q: How long has this research been going on for?
A: The gait and posture article came out of a MCube project, and data was collected in the summer of 2013.
Q: How did you carry out your research? What was the methodology like?
A: The project used an observational study design where we observed people maneuvering through various environments. Our analysis examined differences within and between individuals using linear mixed models. This allowed us to compare a participant's performance across several environments.
Q: How many people did you observe?
A: We had 40 community-dwelling adults from Southeast Michigan participate in the study.
Q: How long did it take to complete your paper?
A: I started working on the project during a research rotation in the Fall of 2017. During that semester I completed the analysis and began writing the manuscript. In the Summer of 2018 I worked with co-authors to finalize the paper and submit it to Gait & Posture in September of that year. It was then accepted in December of 2018.
Q: What were the results you found interesting?
A: Yes, they were! The built in environment impacted movement, as we had expected. However, the association between features within the built environment and gait varied across different outcomes. For example, a built environment feature such as the width of the sidewalk was associated with stride length, but not speed that a participant walked or the frequency of their steps.
Additionally, I am so grateful for the many resources offered through the School of Kinesiology and the Rackham Graduate School that support my attendance at national meetings, funding to support my research, and creating productive spaces where I can get critical feedback on my research.
Q: What are the implications of these results?
A: It is important to understand the relative influence of built environment features on gait performance. The ability to identify features of the built environment that affect specific dimensions of gait is useful for planning effective mobility interventions at the environment or person-level. This work helps to set the stage for future work to be conducted that will examine the interaction between the built environment and individual impairment.
Q: What made you do it?
A: I am originally from the Upper Peninsula which is quite unique -- rural, lots of nature, and volatile weather conditions- but not a lot of infrastructure that’s conducive to walking about or using active transit. Especially in the winter time. This can have a huge impact on older adults who age in place and may create barriers in their ability go to their place of worship or grocery shop.
Moving to Ann Arbor, it was a very different environment to live in - I never use my car and always walked to get places. I think that transition- from a rural area to an urban setting helped me understand the impact environmental context has on behavior.
In addition, several practical experiences influenced my interest in the health and well being of individuals with disabilities. While an undergraduate student I worked with Dr. Dale Ulrich, Dr. Leah Ketcheson, and Dr. Suzi Naguib to develop an adaptive sports program for adults and teenagers with autism. During this program, we would host an adaptive physical activity program and you wouldn’t be able to tell who was a participant and who was a volunteer. It created this space where their autism didn’t intrude on their ability to participate, be active, and make friends within the space. That experience was very helpful in shaping what I wanted to study. I went to Oregon State where I studied adaptive physical activity and participated in community outreach and programming. During this experience I was inspired to learn how to create inclusive environments because they have a large population impact and can be sustained over the course of many years. This is what brought me to Michigan to work with Dr. Colabianchi.
Q: What do you hope to do after you graduate?
A: I see myself as a faculty member who, like many faculty members, wears multiple hats and assumes several roles. I see myself as a future teacher, mentor, and researcher. I foresee these three domains as areas that built off of one another. I think about how my research can inform what I teach and what I learn from students can inform what I research. In addition, my teaching and researching domains can inform statements and policy positions that can drive impact beyond the walls of academia, and I can bring these experiences back to the classroom, the lab, and most of all to everyday people in the form of shaping their cities and homes. I plan on maintaining my involvement in groups like the American Public Health Association (APHA) to write statements that can be put into action.
Q: How has UMKines helped you in your research?
A: Dr. Colabianchi has been extremely helpful in refining my research questions, she has also provided me access to incredible data sources and introduced me to other leaders in the field of environment and health. Her support has been critical in helping me answer the questions I want to answer. Additionally, I am so grateful for the many resources offered through the School of Kinesiology and the Rackham Graduate School that support my attendance at national meetings, funding to support my research, and creating productive spaces where I can get critical feedback on my research.
Additionally, I am so grateful for the many resources offered through the School of Kinesiology and the Rackham Graduate School that support my attendance at national meetings, funding to support my research, and creating productive spaces where I can get critical feedback on my research.