Derek Hosier Presents Research in Japan

2015 Jul 17

Derek Hosier, a University of Mount Union exercise science major of Ashville, New York, recently attended and presented research at the Asian Congress on Nutrition (ACN) in Yokohama, Japan. Students attended the conference with Dr. Lonnie Lowery, assistant professor of human performance and sport business.

The ACN welcomes researchers from all over the world and allows them to present and share their scientific findings. Lowery heard about this conference last year through his research network. As a member of the American Society of Nutrition, a highly exclusive society that is also affiliated with its international counterpart, Asian Congress of Nutrition, Lowery was able to get Mount Union and his students the connections to participate in this year's events.

Prior to the conference, the group had to submit their two research abstracts and had to sit tight as they were peer reviewed. After being accepted, they began creating further literature reviews, graphs and posters, partly from a prior course.

Upon arriving at the conference, the group had a week to explore the country and present their findings. When the conference officially started, the group began to set up their posters. The first poster was led by Alix, who dealt with the research on the psychological aspects of coffee and exercise. Her research compared any connection between coffee-induced alertness and physical performance. The research asked the question, "does coffee only make one feel explosive or does it correlate on a one-for-one basis?" The second poster was designed largely by Sean Mohney, who could not attend, and Stephanie, who presented the data. This poster focused on the effects of habitual coffee intake and how it could affect the group's previously-documented gains.

During the conference, the group listened to talks presented by powerhouse scientists, which included the professor who discovered the hormone leptin. The group visited with Lowery's colleagues, went on a tour of ancient Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, shopped in Japan's largest Chinatown and participated in many other activities in the country.