Dr. Geoffrey A. Power
Associate Professor
College of Biological Science, Department of Human Health Sciences
Profile
I completed my undergraduate and MSc degrees at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). During my graduate training at MUN I became quite interested in neuromuscular physiology which coupled with my general interest in the physiology of aging lead me to pursue a PhD at the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging (University of Western Ontario; UWO) under the supervision of Drs. Anthony Vandervoort and Charles Rice. During my PhD, I investigated various research questions centred around: Neuromuscular fatigue following shortening and lengthening muscle actions, Motor unit loss with age and the effects of life-long exercise, and the history-dependence of force production. Upon completing my PhD it was clear I developed more questions than answers which led me to explore more basic mechanisms of muscle mechanics.
To learn new research techniques and complement my training in neuromuscular physiology, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Walter Herzog (Human Performance Lab, University of Calgary) where I investigated age-related alterations to muscle mechanics at the cellular and sub-cellular levels.
My current research program at the University of Guelph uses various in vitro, in vivo, in situ and whole human techniques and tools to investigate muscle function and neuromuscular control of movement in healthy young adults and across the lifespan.
Education
BKin (Honours) - Memorial University of Newfoundland
M.Sc. (Integrative Physiology) - Memorial University of Newfoundland
Ph.D. (Neuromuscular Physiology) - University of Western Ontario
Banting/Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellow - University of Calgary
Research
- Structural and functional effects of aging on basic muscle contractile function
- Muscle mechanics and lengthening muscle actions
- Cross-bridge and non-cross-bridge based forces
- History dependence of force production
- Age-related alterations to muscle mechanics, acute and chronic alterations to the neuromuscular system as a result of muscle fatigue, damage and natural aging
- Masters athletes and neuroprotective effects of exercise
- Muscle architecture plasticity
- Neural control of human movement
Selected Publications
Power GA, Dalton BH, Gilmore KJ, Allen MD, Doherty TJ, Rice CL (2017). Maintaining Motor Units into Old Age: Running the Final Common Pathway. European Journal of Translational Myology. 27(1): 71-73.
Power GA, Allen MD, Gilmore KJ, Stashuk DW, Hepple RT, Doherty TJ, Taivassalo T, Rice CL (2016). Motor Unit Number and Transmission Stability in Octogenarian World Champion Master Athletes: Can Age Related Deficits be Outrun? Journal of Applied Physiology. 121(4):1013-1020. PDF Awarded APSselect - A Collection of the Very Best Original Research Papers Published by the American Physiological Society.
Power GA, Flaaten N, Dalton BH, Herzog W (2016). Age-Related Maintenance of Eccentric Strength: A Temperature Dependence Study. AGE. 38(2): 43. PDF
Power GA, Minozzo FC, Spendiff S, Filion ME, Konokhova K, Purves-Smith MF, Pion C, Aubertin-Leheudre M, Morais JA, Herzog W, Hepple RT, Taivassalo T, Rassier DE (2016). Reductions in Single Fibre Rate of Force Development with Aging is Not Attenuated in World Class Octogenarian Masters Athletes. American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology. 310(4): C318-27. PDF
Power GA, Dalton BH, Doherty TJ, Rice CL (2016). If You Don’t Use It You’ll Likely Lose It. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging. 36(6):497-498. PDF
Power GA, Makrakos DM, Stevens DE, Rice CL, Vandervoort AA (2015). Velocity-Dependence of Eccentric Strength in Young and Old Men: The Need for Speed! Appl. Physiol. Nutr. & Metab. 40 (7): 703-10. PDF
Teaching
- HK*3402 - Human Anatomy
- HK*3502 - Human Anatomy
- SCMA*3100 - Biomechanics
Graduate Students
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Mashouri, P. | PhD Student |
| Leake, E. | MSc Student |
| Khangura, P. | MSc Student |
| Hinks, A. | PhD Student |
| Gale, H. | Undergraduate Research Student |
| Njai, B. | Undergraduate Research Student |
| Patterson, M. | Undergraduate Research Student |
| Rilling, A. | Undergraduate Research Student |