Academics

Kinesiology professor awarded Noll Chair in Human Performance

W. Larry Kenney recognized for research, teaching and graduate student mentoring

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – W. Larry Kenney, professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State, has been awarded the Marie Underhill Noll Chair in Human Performance.

Kenney, who has been a faculty member at the University since 1983, was awarded this endowed chair in recognition of his research, teaching and graduate student mentoring. The appointment is effective immediately.

"I am honored to have been selected as the Marie Underhill Noll Chair in Human Performance,” Kenney said. “I was fortunate to have met and spent some time with Mrs. Noll many years ago before her passing and I look forward to carrying on the traditions and high standards established by my predecessors in this role.

"To me, this endowed chair is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of those undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff with whom I have had the pleasure of working and mentoring over the years."

The purpose of the chair is to enhance Penn State’s commitment to the Commonwealth by providing a distinguished faculty member in human performance the opportunity to continue and further scholarly excellence through contributions to instruction, research and public service.

"We are grateful to the Noll family for this invaluable resource and for the opportunity it provides to support kinesiology faculty,” said Nancy Williams, head of the Department of Kinesiology. “Dr. Kenney has made outstanding contributions to the study of human physiology, to his profession and to student learning. We are happy to be able to honor these accomplishments with this prestigious honor. "

Kenney’s current research focuses on the physiological mechanisms that control blood flow to the skin and how aging affects the ability of the blood vessels in the skin to dilate and constrict. His work is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Dairy Research Institute. 

Kenney received his Ph.D. in physiology at Penn State in 1983. His research has been continually funded by the NIH since 1983. During his time at Penn State he has received more than $10 million in funding as a principal investigator, and another $36 million as a co-investigator.

Kenney received a faculty scholar medal from Penn State in 2001, as well as the College of Health and Human Development’s Pauline Schmitt Russell Distinguished Research Career Award and Evan G. and Helen G. Pattishall Outstanding Research Career Award. He has published more than 200 journal articles and dozens of book chapters. He is the lead author of "Physiology of Sport and Exercise," a best-selling textbook in exercise physiology. 

In addition to his Penn State roles, Kenney has served as president of the American College of Sports Medicine from 2003 to 2004, and received its Citation Award in 2008. He is active in the American Physiological Society and chaired the Gatorade Sports Science Institute for several years. 

W. Larry Kenney, professor of physiology and kinesiology, has been awarded the Marie Underhill Noll Chair in Human Performance. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated March 20, 2015

Contact