91制片厂

It鈥檚 been a great month for Aliaksandr (Alex) Leuchanka. The graduate assistant in the department of kinesiology just learned that he has received the 2015 Basil J.F. Mott Award, which recognizes an outstanding graduate student in the 91制片厂 College of Health and Human Services, or . And late last week, he delivered the keynote address for the CHHS Grimes Award competition in fulfillment of receiving the award last year.听

Needless to say, he鈥檚 had some success here. For that, he credits his older sister. 鈥淪he set the bar high, and I鈥檝e just been trying to keep up,鈥� Leuchanka says.

Keeping up is not a problem for Leuchanka, who ran at the University of Albany for four years on a full athletic scholarship before coming to 91制片厂 for graduate school. This past week, Leuchanka was the 50th person to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon.

Yes, that鈥檚 50th 鈥� five zero 鈥� out of the nearly 30,000 souls who endeavored to run. 听

Leuchanka doesn鈥檛 make a big deal about it.

But he does admit to being a little bit surprised at just how well he finished, 鈥渕ainly because we had such a strong headwind the whole way,鈥� Leuchanka says. 鈥淭hat was probably the hardest part of the race.鈥�

He ran with a pack of about 10 who took turns blocking the wind so others could draft. 鈥�"The beautiful thing about the marathon is there鈥檚 a lot of camaraderie." The top guys are really trying to beat each other up to win the race, but when you鈥檙e running a bit back, it鈥檚 like, everyone wants to run fast so we all kind of work together to run fast.鈥� At one point, his pack caught up with one of the elite runners. 鈥淗e tucked in behind our group and we saved him for a couple of miles,鈥� Leuchanka says.

Leuchanka was born in Belarus and moved to the United States at age 9. Running is in his blood. His mother once held the Russian Federation record in 100K indoor road racing for nine years. That鈥檚 when you run 250 laps around a track one way, then 250 more in the other direction. His father competed in the Olympic Trials for the 1980 Summer Games. 鈥淗e ran around 2:17 for the marathon, so I still have a little ways to go鈥� to catch him, says Leuchanka, who finished Boston in 2:26.

He came to 91制片厂 to accept a graduate assistantship with Timothy Quinn, an associate professor in the department of kinesiology. He鈥檇 heard of Quinn through his sister Natallia Leuchanka '11, a 91制片厂 TIDES fellow, who had sent him an article about Quinn鈥檚 research on barefoot running. 鈥淚 really like the whole minimalist idea of barefoot running 鈥� how it makes you run a little more naturally,鈥� he says. Leuchanka didn鈥檛 have an exercise science background 鈥� at Albany he was pre-med 鈥� but he loved running and he had enjoyed working at a running shoe store during his undergraduate years. He applied to the graduate program.

鈥淲hen I was first applying, I didn鈥檛 realize that you get an individual advisor, but I tailored my application towards Dr. Quinn鈥檚 research"When I was first applying, I didn鈥檛 realize that you get an individual advisor, but I tailored my application towards Dr. Quinn鈥檚 research.",鈥� Leuchanka says. 鈥淚t worked.鈥� So he鈥檚 been working in the Robert Kertzer Exercise Physiology Laboratory at New Hampshire Hall for the past two years, leading the day-to-day activities of the lab and overseeing undergraduate students taking KIN 736 鈥� Fitness and Graded Testing 鈥� while also conducting research and taking classes for his master鈥檚 degree.

鈥淲hat we study, I basically get to put into practice,鈥� Leuchanka says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the best way I can learn.鈥�

Leuchanka鈥檚 research focuses on the effects of changing footwear on low leg muscle activation. 鈥淚鈥檓 measuring different levels of heel drop and how that affects runners. If you make the shoe flatter, how does that affect your muscle activation, specifically in the lower limb, as well as your running mechanics, your form?鈥� Leuchanka says. 听听

He鈥檒l defend his thesis later this year, and he hopes to get a job in footwear research and development.

Quinn describes Leuchanka as 鈥渢ireless鈥� and someone whose work 鈥渋s of the highest quality.鈥�

Of his advisor, Leuchanka says, 鈥淚 have learned everything from Dr. Quinn. I have learned the proper way to conduct research in all respects 鈥� from how to treat subjects to research methods.鈥� Leuchanka adds with a grin and a quick glance toward his chest, 鈥淗e鈥檚 even taught me the proper way to button a vest.鈥�听
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The Basil J.F. Mott Award was established in 1989 in honor of Basil J.F. Mott, who served as dean of the 91制片厂 School of Health and Human Services between 1973 and 1989. The award recognizes the College of Health and Human Services graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, service and academic achievement.

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