UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1089 | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

Submission information

Submission Number: 1089

Submission ID: 20041

Submission UUID: c1e12bdd-eb75-4053-afce-30b14f00b00c

Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal

Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=du6EMAQ7Ia0wjLedzrJwpqMxYBn67J8XcuEPPSSdOJ8

Created: Tue, 08/05/2025 - 07:38 PM

Completed: Tue, 08/05/2025 - 08:31 PM

Changed: Mon, 09/29/2025 - 01:27 PM

Remote IP address: 68.35.218.251

Submitted by: Anonymous

Language: English

Is draft: No

Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal

Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal

Research Mentor Information

Primary Research Mentor Name Joe Vondrasek

Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns {Empty}

When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific? Mr.

Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) jdv22e@fsu.edu

Position Title Graduate Student

Faculty Advisor Name Joseph Watso

Faculty Advisor's FSU Email jw22k@fsu.edu

FSU College (if applicable) Education, Health, and Human Sciences

FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Health, Nutrition, and Food Sciences

Headshot (optional) Small Vondo Headshot.jpg

Additional Research Mentor(s)

Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above) {Empty}

Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns {Empty}

Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific? {Empty}

Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) {Empty}

Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable) {Empty}

Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns {Empty}

Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific? {Empty}

Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) {Empty}

Overall Project Details

Title of the Project Isometric Handgrip Training as a Novel Strategy to Improve Cerebrovascular Function in Humans

Project Keywords human subjects research, vascular, health, exercise, clinical trial

Are you currently looking for research assistants? No

Number of Research Assistants Needed 2

Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Exercise physiology, Biology, Health sciences, Athletic training

Will also consider any major if student is on a pre-health track (pre-med, pre-PT, pre-PA, pre-OT, etc.)

Project Location: On FSU Main Campus

If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? {Empty}

Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): In-person

Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? Up to 10 hours per week

Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? During business hours

Overall Research Project Description Thousands of people die every year because they have poor heart and brain blood vessel health. Exercise can help people improve heart and brain blood vessel health. Sadly, many adults do not exercise enough. Some adults don’t exercise because they don’t have time or access to a gym. Isometric exercise might help solve this problem. Isometric exercise involves holding a position like a plank or a handgrip squeeze. This is usually done for a set amount of time. During isometric handgrip training, you squeeze at 30 percent of your maximum for 2 minutes. You complete 4 rounds total. Even with one minute of rest between rounds, the session only lasts 12 minutes. This training is great because it requires little time and simple equipment. It is also great because previous research shows it is good for heart and blood vessel health. The American Heart Association recommends this training for improving heart health. But, we don’t know if isometric handgrip training is good for brain blood vessel health. We want to answer the question: how does isometric handgrip training affect brain blood vessel health? To answer this, we will compare brain blood vessel function before and after 8 weeks of isometric handgrip training.

Research Tasks Help perform literature reviews, recruit research participants, help generate/manage recruitment approaches, schedule/coordinate with study participants, help with data collection, help with exercise testing and other research procedures, provide data management support, data analysis, assist with institutional review board and clinicaltrials.gov documentation, help with equipment maintenance, perform equipment calibration, and/or other study-related tasks.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required Skills: effective communication and interpersonal skills, organization

Required Traits: Curiosity, integrity, and ambition.

Mentoring Philosophy My goal as a mentor is to help students achieve their academic and personal goals through hands-on learning experiences. I aim to help students develop a broad understanding of the research process with a focus on working with human participants, so they appreciate the work required to conduct meaningful research. To support this, I strive to create a learning environment where students develop valuable research skills and a growth mindset—one that views failure not as a setback, but as an opportunity to learn and improve. As a mentor, I commit to regular communication, being available when needed, and creating space for open and honest dialogue. I believe these efforts help build mutual trust and reinforce the value of each student’s contribution to the research process. In turn, I expect students to engage actively by being organized, communicating honestly, and showing initiative. I believe a successful mentor-mentee relationship is built on shared goals, transparency, and mutual respect. Lastly, I want students to know that science and research can be deeply rewarding—and even fun. As my college wrestling coach used to remind us when we were taking ourselves too seriously in practice, “It’s okay to smile.” I hope to carry that same spirit into my mentoring, encouraging students to enjoy the process as they grow.

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=4kDD7D4AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Please add any additional information here (if applicable): Students interested in being a UROP student for this project can complete this form: https://forms.office.com/r/BbpgvbStx6

This research project will be conducted in the Cardiovascular and Applied Physiology (CAP) Laboratory on FSU's campus. Students can find information about the CAP Laboratory at caplaboratory.com

Availability for morning research visits will be a major consideration when selecting students for the position.

Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No

Roundtable times and Zoom links NA

UROP Program Elements

Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes

UROP Performance Evaluation Yes

Materials Grant Yes

UROP Poster Presentation Yes

Faculty Advisor Confirmation Yes

Are you interested in attending in a UROP Research Mentor Workshop Series? {Empty}

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Year 2025

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