Profiles

	Miya Kato Rand, Ph.D. Motor Control Laboratory Associate Professor Research Office PEBE 168A Phone 480-965-5467 FAX 480-965-8108 rand@asu.edu
About:	Miya Kato Rand arrived at Arizona State University in July, 1993, as a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the Motor Control Laboratory under the direction of Professor George Stelmach. Before coming to ASU, she completed her Ph.D. in 1993 in the Department of Occupational Medicine at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Her research focused on normal and abnormal movement characteristics due to gender differences, aging processes, and neurological dysfunction. Later, she had obtained a post-doctoral position in the Laboratory of Neural Control at the National Institute of Physiological Science in Japan. Since her arrival at ASU in 1993 to 2000, Dr. Rand has been dedicated to collaborative research between the Motor Control Laboratory at ASU and the Division of Neurobiology at Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix. She received the Young Investigator Award at the International Society of Biomechanics Congress in 1997. In 2001, Dr. Rand became a Faculty Research Associate, and in 2005, she was promoted to an Associate Professor Research in the Motor Control Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology.
Research:	The research of Dr. Rand focuses on the understanding of movement control in tasks such as aiming, sequencing, and reach-to-grasping. She also has research experience in the control of the lower extremity movements (locomotion) in humans and motor skill acquisition in primates. She is especially interested in mechanisms behind changes in movement control due to adaptation, learning, aging, and movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and cerebellar dysfunction. Her current research focuses on kinematic analysis and coordination among different body segments during goal-directed movements.
Selected Publications:	Rand M.K., Shimansky Y.P., Hossain B.M.I., Stelmach G.E. (2008) Quantitative model of transport-aperture coordination during reach-to-grasp movements. Experimental Brain Research. DOI: 10.1007/s00221-008-1361-5. Rand M.K., Lemay M., Squire L.M., Shimansky Y.P., Stelmach G.E. (2007) Role of vision in aperture closure control during reach-to-grasp movements. Experimental Brain Research. 181: 447-460. Rand M.K., Squire L.M., Stelmach G.E. (2006) Effect of speed manipulation on the control of aperture closure during reach-to-grasp movements. Experimental Brain Research. 174: 74-85 Rand M.K., Smiley-Oyen A.L., Shimansky Y., Stelmach G.E., Bloedel J.R. (2006) Perturbation of object position during reach-to-grasp movement in Parkinson’s disease patients. Experimental Brain Research. 168: 131-142. Leis B.C., Rand M.K., Van Gemmert, A.W.A., Longstaff M., Lou J.S., Stelmach G.E. (2005) Movement precues in planning and execution of aiming movements in Parkinson’s disease. Experimental Neurology. 194: 393-409. Rand M.K., Stelmach G.E. (2005) Effect of orienting the finger opposition space on the control of reach-to-grasp movements. Journal of Motor Behavior. 37: 65-78. Rand M.K., Shimansky Y., Stelmach G.E., Bloedel J.R. (2004) Adaptation of reach-to-grasp movement in response to force perturbations. Experimental Brain Research. 154: 50-65. Bohan M., Longstaff M.G., Van Gemmert A.W.A., Rand M.K., Stelmach G.E. (2003) Differential effects of target height and width on 2D pointing movement. Motor Control 7: 278-289. Hikosaka O., Rand M.K., Nakamura K., Miyachi S., Kitaguchi K., Sakai K., Lu X., Shimo Y. (2002) Long-term retention of motor skill in macaque monkeys and humans. Experimental Brain Research. 147: 494-504. Rand M.K., Van Gemmert A.W.A., Stelmach G.E. (2002) Segment difficulty in two-stroke movements in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Experimental Brain Research 143: 383-393.