Three junior researchers at the college were awarded grants for their upcoming athletics research projects.

Caitlin LaGrotte, a postdoctoral fellow working at the College of Public Health’s Center for Obesity Research and Education (CORE), received a one-year, $5,000 grant from the American Athletic Conference. The award funds her research on the relationship between psychosocial functioning (such as time demands and eating and sleeping behaviors) on academic and athletic performance in Temple University student athletes.

“Receiving this grant is a great opportunity for professional growth as well as a chance to better serve the student-athlete population,” said LaGrotte. “The finding from this initial study can be used to develop targeted interventions and programming to improve student-athlete psychosocial well-being as well as academic and athletic performance.”

Madeline Barlow, a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology, received a one-year, $6,000 grant from the American Athletic Conference. The grant supports her research into the challenges and barriers to exercise experienced by student-athletes.

“Research indicates that student-athletes who transition out of a sport are no more physically active than non-athletes,” Ms. Barlow said. “Finding ways to help athletes develop an exercise identity rather than just an athlete identity ensures they continue to obtain exercise’s mental and physical benefits.”

Aisha Bhimla, also a doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology, received a one-year community outreach grant from the Association for Applied Sports Psychology. The $4,910 grant focuses on increasing community capacity and promoting and increasing physical activity among Filipino Americans in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.