As a college tennis player and cross country runner, Alex Montoye put his body through intense training to earn a competitive edge. The math major wanted to make the most of every workout, so much so that he began enrolling in exercise science courses.
After graduation, Montoye’s days as a competitive athlete were through, but the fitness-focused scholar knew how he wanted to get his career up and running.
“At first, my interest in exercise science was just a side project,” said Montoye, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Kinesiology, “but I knew I wanted to pursue a Ph.D., and the research regarding physical activity and health going on at MSU fit my interests really well.”
Montoye’s studies revolve around physical activity monitors — devices people wear on their bodies like a watch or pedometer to track day-to-day exercise levels. He aims to improve monitors with pattern recognition programming, the same kind of technology that allows a smart phone to recognize a voice.
Using pattern recognition with physical activity monitors, researchers can recognize the different types of strain put on a body and identify when, how much and in what way exercise is being done. Montoye said this kind of data could be useful for helping doctors and fitness trainers improve the physical activity patterns of inactive patients.
“I want to improve activity monitor measurements so we can use this high-quality data to set focused, highly specific goals for individuals,” Montoye said. “Telling someone ‘you need to exercise more’ isn’t as effective as saying ‘You’re consistently inactive during this six-hour stretch on Wednesday mornings. Is there a way we can fit in a walk?’”
Montoye credited Karin Pfeiffer, associate professor of kinesiology, with guiding and developing his research along the way. He said Pfeiffer has given him much-needed room to grow throughout his doctoral program.
“Pretty much everything I’ve done in research I have to attribute to her,” Montoye said. “She’s given me excellent guidance and a long enough leash to make my time at MSU my own. I would certainly like to thank her for that.”
Along with satisfying his research interests, Montoye came to MSU because of the school’s “teaching-heavy approach.” The chance to lead courses and earn teaching certification from the College of Education during doctoral studies impressed him, and now it’s impressing employers.
“I just accepted a job at Ball State University, and they were really pleased with the experience I had teaching,” Montoye said. “As a graduate assistant, we’re thrown right into the classroom, and I’m thankful for that experience as well as many others I’ve had here at MSU.”