Visiting expert will talk about human health and bone adaptation at Iowa State University, Sep. 18

September 16, 2008

Ronald Zernicke

AMES, Iowa — A visiting expert on the human body — and the adaptation of bone in response to exercise, inactivity, diet, injury, disease, and aging — will deliver a public lecture on Thursday, Sep. 18, at 7 p.m. in room 279 of the Forker Building, on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. Ronald Zernicke, a professor of orthopedic surgery, biomedical engineering, and kinesiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, will discuss “Skeletal adaptation to diet, exercise, or injury.”

Zernicke studies relationships among high-fat or high-sucrose diets and bone changes over the lifespan. He also researches the effects of reduced-calorie diets and aging on skeletal health. His research team has found that frequent strains from exercise training regimens can lead to significant changes in bones and that bones surrounding joints can adapt very quickly to injuries.

He has been named a Pease Family Scholar by the Iowa State University Department of Kinesiology. The Pease Family Scholar program was created in memory of Harvey and Bomell Pease, Newport Beach, Calif. The endowment was established in 1991 by their son, Dean Pease, and his wife, Sally, to bring visiting scholars to the Iowa State campus. Dean Pease, who died in 1994, chaired the department of kinesiology from 1987 to 1990.

For more information, visit www.hs.iastate.edu/peasescholar/.

Contacts:

Philip Martin, professor and chair of kinesiology, phone 515 294-8009, email pemartin@iastate.edu.

Cathy Curtis, College of Human Sciences communications, phone 515 294-8175, email ccurtis@iastate.edu

Mike Ferlazzo, ISU News Service, phone 515 294-8986, email ferlazzo@iastate.edu

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