JACKSONVILLE, Fla — The University of North Florida announced that the Korey Stringer Institute at UNF (KSI at UNF) and Perry Weather will open a state-of-the-art heat exercise laboratory on campus in the spring.
KSI, the nation’s leading exertional heat stroke prevention institute, and Perry Weather, a leading weather safety platform, will provide lab- and field-based research, education, advocacy, and consultation through UNF to maximize performance, optimize safety, and prevent sudden death for those exposed to the heat during professional or recreational activities.
Located at Hicks Hall, the lab will support student and faculty research at UNF and work with athletes, military, and laborers in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.
Perry Weather’s monitoring technology will enable KSI at UNF to correlate environmental conditions with physiological responses, creating evidence-based recommendations for work-to-rest ratios and heat mitigation strategies for athletes and laborers who are at high risk for exertional heat stress. Beyond research, the partners will provide on-site service evaluations to companies and policymakers to assess heat mitigation strategies, evaluate policies, and suggest best practices.
“The Korey Stringer Institute is thrilled to partner with UNF and Perry Weather to expand our reach into Florida,” said Dr. Douglas Casa, KSICEO. “Jacksonville is an ideal location for our work due to the year-long heat and large target population of athletes ranging from youth to professionals, military, and laborers. Perry Weather will be an active partner, working to enhance our understanding of how making modifications to work-to-rest ratios based on environmental conditions can optimize productivity and safety. The ongoing support and commitment to our mission from leadership at Perry Weather and UNF, including Athletics and the Brooks College of Health, has been fantastic.”
Two faculty members have been hired onto the KSI at UNF team, coming from the founding KSI site at the University of Connecticut (UConn), Dr. Michael Szymanski as director and assistant professor, and Dr. Gabrielle Brewer as the associate director and postdoctoral research associate. UNF student athletes, faculty, and students across academic disciplines, including athletic training, kinesiology, biomedical sciences, and nutrition and dietetics, will have access to the lab’s resources.
“We’re incredibly proud to partner with the Korey Stringer Institute and the University of North Florida to help advance the science of heat safety,” said Colin Perry, Perry Weather CEO. “This is an important investment in the future of athlete and worker safety, supporting critical research that will shape how schools and organizations nationwide combat heat stress.”
Korey Stringer, a Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman, passed away from exertional heat stroke in 2001. His wife, Kelci, worked tirelessly to develop an exertional heat stroke prevention institute to honor her husband’s legacy. She joined forces with exertional heat stroke expert Douglas Casa, to make this dream a reality, and the institute came to fruition at the University of Connecticut in April 2010, with support from the NFL, Gatorade, and others.
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