Phoenix Woman Magazine Article

Exploring the Unknown

Since the Greeks first pondered the wonders of astronomy, mathematics and biology in the 5th century B.C., women-despite arduous barriers-have participated in unraveling the secrets of science. Trotula of Salerno, Marie Curie, Rachel Carson, Jane Goodall and a handful of others who are responsible for impressive scientific advances have gained some measure of recognition for their achievements, but many other outstanding women scientists remain largely unknown in mainstream society.

Arizona, with its biodiversity, clear skies and leading universities, is lucky to draw top scientists from nearly all scientific fields who choose the state as a home base for their studies. Phoenix Woman was fortunate to speak with some of Arizona's remarkable women scientists to provide our readers with insight on their important work and rising careers. It may take super-brain status to fully understand the complexities of their work, but even those of us who don't quite meet Mensa qualifications can appreciate the magnitude of their accomplishments.

Shannon D. R. Ringenbach, Kinesiologist
Motor Control and Development

 Although her interest in science began in elementary school, Dr. Shannon Ringenbach's real passion for kinesiology (the science of human movement) stems from a 15-year career as a gymnast. "I was actually competing during my doctorate education and two years as a national level trampolinist," explains Ringenbach.

With a passion to discover how the brain controls the body, Ringenbach is funded by the Jerome Lejeune Fondation in Paris to study whether music can improve movement performance in people with Down Syndrome. "Over a decade of research has found that the brains of persons with Down Syndrome are organized differently than the typical population," says Ringenbach. "Specifically, they perceive speech in the right hemisphere-whereas the typical population perceives speech in the left hemisphere-but they organize and produce movement in the left hemisphere similar to the typical population. This creates a problem when verbal instructions are given to produce a movement. I've been examining how the predictions of a model of atypical cerebral specialization in persons with Down Syndrome affects how they perform and learn bimanual actions such as drumming."

Even as an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Arizona State University, Ringenbach stresses that teaching is only one part of her job; her main role is research. "I think people would be surprised that most of my time is spent on a computer," she says. "I use a lot of calculus to analyze three-dimensional data, conduct statistics and graph my results. But my most complicated challenges are that I have the dual role of being a scientist and a mother of three, in which scheduling and organization are key!"

Recognized with the Young Research Career Award in 2006 by the World Down Syndrome Congress, Ringenbach has been nominated for the Early Career Distinguished Scholar Award from the North American Society of Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity.