Dr. Tumay Tunur joined the faculty at CSUSM as an Assistant Professor in Kinesiology in 2017.

At CSUSM, Dr. Tunur teaches numerous undergraduate level courses in Kinesiology, in addition to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in research.

Dr. Tunur’s research interests include sustainable integration of Augmented and Virtual Reality systems in motor (i.e. balance and mobility) and cognitive rehabilitation for older adults, with a special focus on people with Parkinson’s disease. She created the VR lab for Kinesiology department to be used in undergraduate education and is the director of the Movement in eXtended Reality (MiXR) Lab.

Dr. Tunur is interested in recruiting graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in AR/VR research.

To learn more about Dr. Tunur’s background and research, please visit her website. 

MiXRLab

Lab twitter: @CSUSM_MiXRLab

Please watch the Addressing Anti-Blackness on Campus: Implications for Educators and Institutions #BlackLivesMatter 

• Postdoctoral Fellow - Exercise Science, Syracuse University, NY | 2015-2017
• Postdoctoral Fellow - Biology (Neuroscience), Syracuse University, NY | 2012-2015
• Postdoctoral Fellow - Psychology (Neuroscience), University of Illinois, IL | 2011-2012
• Ph.D. - Cell and Molecular Biology (Neuroscience), Tulane University, LA | 2006-2011
• B.S. - Biology, Turkey | 2001-2006

Movement in eXtended Reality (MiXR Lab)

MiXR Lab

• Projects:
  • Effects of cognitive and motor load demands of VR tasks on movement
  • Effects of virtual environments on balance
  • Attitudes of fall-prone older adults toward augmented and virtual reality-based applications
  • Walking on Virtualizer – a locomotion platform for virtual reality
  • Virtual reality-based dual-task training in older adults
  • Moving through Glass: Augmented reality-based dance intervention for persons with Parkinson's disease

Publications in Refereed Journals

Gardner RS, Newman LA, Mohler EG., Tunur T., Gold PE., and Korol DL. (2020) Aging is not equal across memory systems. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory

Tunur T., Rickford K., DeBlois A., Yates-Horton E., Columna C. (2019) Augmented Reality-Based Dance Application on Mobility and Balance of Persons with Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study. Journal of Disability and Health  

Korol DL., Gardner RS., Tunur T., Gold PE. (2019) Involvement of Lactate Transport in Two Object Recognition Tasks That Require Either the Hippocampus or Striatum. Behavioral Neuroscience

Tunur T., Rickford K., and Columna C. (2017) Moving Through Possibilities: Using Dance for Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. PALAESTRA

Kundu P., Tunur T., Korol DL., Bandara S., Monaikul S., Helferich WG., Schantz SL. (2016). The Effects of Estrogenic Components of Licorice Root on Cognition. Planta Medica

Tunur T., Stelly CE., Schrader LA. (2013). KChIP3/DREAM/Calsenilin modulates strategy selection and estradiol-dependent learning and memory. Learning and Memory

Tunur T., Dohanich G., Schrader LA. (2010).  Pre-exposure to context affects learning strategy selection in mice. Learning and Memory

Alexander JC., Bridgeman CM., Tunur T., Rands V., Stelly CE., Karhson D., Bowlby, MR., An WF., Sweatt JD., Schrader LA. (2009).  The Role of KChIP3 in contextual fear conditioning. Learning and Memory

Bridgeman C.M., Springer S., Maxson M., Tunur T., Schrader LA. (2008).  The role of K⁺ channels in synaptic plasticity.  Cell Science Reviews

Manuscripts in Preparation

Tunur T., Levental D., Columna C. Attitudes of Persons with Parkinson's Disease towards an Augmented Reality-Based Dance Intervention

Selected Presentations

Game Developers Conference, San Francisco, CA, speaker, "Designing Serious Games for Rehabilitation in AR and VR Environments" | 2020 (canceled due to COVID-19)

UBTech, Las Vegas, NV, speaker | 2020 (canceled due to COVID-19)

ELI, EDUCAUSE, XR demonstration, Anaheim, CA, "Exploring the Optimal XR Platforms for a Reaching Task" | 2019

47^th NAPEC, San Diego, CA, speaker, “Defy Reality: Virtual Immersive Education & Research” | 2018

International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, poster presentation, Hong Kong, “Augmented Reality-Based Dance Application on Balance and Mobility of Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study” | 2018

APTA, poster presentation, New Orleans, LA, “Cognitive load and usage of wearable technology for dance in persons with Parkinson’s Disease: A pilot study” | 2018.

APTA, poster presentation, New Orleans, LA, “Feasibility of Augmented-reality Glasses for Guided Dance in People with Parkinson’s Disease (PD): A Pilot Study” | 2018.

46^th NAPEC, Sacramento, CA, speaker, “Augmented Reality-based Dance Intervention for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease” | 2017.

Living an Active Life with Parkinson’s Disease Conference, Syracuse, NY, oral presentation and demo class, “Moving Through Possibilities: Parkinson’s Dance” | 2016.

Orange Circle Award Presentation, Syracuse, NY, demo class, “Moving Through Possibilities: Parkinson’s Dance” | 2016.

Tolley Medal Award Presentation, oral presentation, New York City, NY, “Moving Through Possibilities: Parkinson’s Dance” | 2016.

Syracuse University Future Professoriate Program Annual Conference, Hamilton, NY, panel session, “Making the Most Out of Your Postdoc Experience” | 2016.

Parkinson’s Conference, Cicero, NY, oral presentation, “Moving Through Possibilities: Parkinson’s Dance” | 2015.

Society for Neuroscience Meeting, Chicago, IL, poster presentation, P614.05 “The effects of the botanical estrogen isoliquiritigenin on cognition in young adult female rats” | 2015.

Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Meeting, Pacific Grove, CA, poster presentation, “Opposing effects of estrogens on two different pattern separation tasks” | 2015.

Society for Neuroscience Meeting, Washington, DC, poster presentation, P749.05 “A tale of two memory systems: Differential involvement in two pattern separation tasks” | 2014.

Society for Neuroscience Meeting, New Orleans, LA, poster presentation, P92.08 “Nuances of pattern separation determine modulation by estradiol” | 2012.

Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Meeting, Madison, Wisconsin, poster presentation, P1.65 “Effects of ovarian hormones on pattern separation in female rats” | 2012.

Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Meeting, Queretaro, Mexico, poster presentation, P1.14 “Ovarian hormones and KChIP3 in learning strategies and synaptic plasticity” | 2011.

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 35th Annual Winter Conference, Park City, Utah, data blitz presentation, “Role of KChIP3 in pattern separation” | 2011.

Tulane Research Days, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, poster presentation |2011.    

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 34th Annual Winter Conference, Park City, Utah, data blitz presentation, “Role of KChIP3 in learning strategy selection in male and female mice” | 2011.                           

Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Meeting, Michigan State University, East Lansing, poster presentation, P2.28 “Interaction of KChIP3 and estrogen in hippocampal-dependent memory” | 2009.

Neuroscience Retreat, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, poster presentation, “Shifts in strategy selection in water plus-maze across estrous cycle in female mice” | 2009.

• KINE 202 - Intro to Kinesiology
• KINE 301 - Motor Control and Learning
• KINE 306 - Exercise Fitness and Health
• KINE 311 - Movement Pedagogy

View my Curriculum Vitae.

Current Work:

• Faculty Center Fellow for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
• GEC member
• GEC Diversity and Equity Course Requirement 

Past Committee Work:

• CEHHS Committee of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equality (Former Chair) 
• GEC Diversity and Equity Course Requirement 
• President's Council for Office of Inclusive Excellence

Program development:

• Summer Research Internship for African-American High School Students
• Moving through Possibilities

Curriculum assessment:

• Integrating diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice content and application into undergraduate courses.