Lifelong Learners: Mapping the Various Responses to Exercise

The Human Performance Laboratory is part of a nationwide exercise study involving 32 institutions-Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC)-to examine the health benefits of exercise at the whole body and molecular level. MoTrPAC is a 350 million-dollar project funded by the National Institute of Health.

Presenter: Scott Trappe, Director of Human Performance Laboratory, and John and Janice Fisher Endowed Professor of Human Bioenergetics at Ball State University. He received his undergraduate training at the University of Northern Iowa and was captain of the swim team. He worked for US Swimming at the Olympic Training center in Colorado Springs while conducting his graduate (MS) studies at the University of Colorado. His PhD training was with Dr. David Costill at Ball State University and post-doctoral training in muscle physiology with Dr. Robert Fitts at Marquette University. For over 25 years, Trappe has been working with NASA to help optimize the exercise prescription for astronauts. Concurrent to the work with NASA, Trappe has conducted several NIH-funded exercise training studies in older adults, aging athletes and various college and elite athletes. Trappe is currently a principal investigator for one of the human clinical centers in MoTrPAC, which is a nationwide consortium to study the health benefits of exercise. Using a whole body-to-gene approach, Dr. Trappe and his colleagues have gained a better understanding of muscle plasticity and the powerful effects of exercise for health and performance. Dr.Trappe has mentored numerous trainees (post-doctoral, doctoral and master’s students) over his career. Dr. Trappe is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and member of the American Physiological Society and the American Association for the Advancement for Science.

The Association of Lifelong Learners (ALL) is a group of retirees and community members interested in continuing to learn and engage with each other on a variety of educational topics. If you're not already a member, feel free to attend a meeting or two to see what we're about before making the commitment. Find out how to join by visiting us at www.bsu.edu/lifelonglearners