Michael Hudock Wins National Research Award

2016 May 2

University of Dayton student Michael Hudock of Hudson, OH, won a national award for his research from the American Physiological Society.

Hudock, a biology major, was selected among more than 100 students for the David S. Bruce Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award.

"His achievement is really a testament to his hard work and the significant support for undergraduate research here at the University, including the University Honors Program," said Anne Crecelius, assistant professor of health and sports sciences and advisor to Hudock.

Hudock presented his research to two panels of physiologists at the 2016 Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego.

He studied the "Effect of Combination Ice and Compression Socks on Resting Calf Blood Flow in Trained Male Athletes." He chose the topic for his honors thesis because of his background in triathlons.

"One of the products a lot of triathletes use are compression garments," he said. "I never knew exactly what they did, so I wanted to study the actual effects." Hudock, who plans to attend medical school after graduation, focused on one company's products and found they did not increase or decrease blood flow as advertised.

He said he did not expect his research to win an award.

"I was shocked, but thankful. I put in a lot of hard work," he said. "The thesis gave me an opportunity to pursue what I love and something that interests me. It also gave me a chance to foster my critical thinking skills."