School of Kinesiology News

LSU Kinesiology to Hold CPR and AED Training Event in Honor of National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month
In honor of National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, LSU School of Kinesiology is hosting a CPR and AED Training event in the Ochsner Wellness Center on October 10, 2025, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

LSU Kinesiology to Host 13th Annual Louisiana Parkinson's Conference
LSU School of Kinesiology will hold the 13th Annual Louisiana Parkinson's Conference on July 19, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the C.B. Pennington Jr. Conference Center.

LSU Kinesiology's Ochsner Wellness Center: Year in Review
LSU Kinesiology's Ochsner Wellness Center (OWC) is located in the recently renovated Huey P. Long Field House. Its first full year of operations, the 2024-25 academic year, was both exciting and fruitful for the space.

Nick Fears, PhD, Receives Lolas E. Halverson Motor Development Young Investigator Award
The International Motor Development Research Consortium recognizes Fears as an outstanding young scholar for his contributions to the motor development research field and efforts to improve the lives of neurodivergent people through motor behavior research.

Per Svensson, PhD, Awarded Prestigious International Research Fellowship
Svensson was inducted as a member of the inaugural cohort of the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand's Research Fellow Award at the 30th annual conference in Geelong, Australia. He is one of two researchers in the world to earn this honor before promotion to Full Professor.

LSU Sport Administration Senior Milton E. Trowbridge IV Named to 2025 Tiger Twelve Class
Milton E. "Toby" Trowbridge IV, an LSU senior majoring in sport administration with an emphasis in sports commerce and a minor in business, was named to the 2025 Tiger Twelve class.

LSU School of Kinesiology Research Team Receives $100K Provost's Fund for Innovation in Research Grant
The group's pilot study will investigate how motor difficulties impact social interactions for autistic children using virtual reality, motion tracking and neural activity measurements.

School of Kinesiology's Rebecca Hirschhorn Collaborates on New Industry Position Statement to Revolutionize Sports Emergency Action Plans
Rebecca Hirschhorn, PhD, co-authors the National Athletic Trainers' Association's updated position statement on the development and implementation of emergency action plans in sports, bringing a transformative approach to Sports Emergency Action Plans.

LSU Kinesiology's Amanda Benson Named as a 2024 CAATE Award Winner
Amanda Benson, PhD, LAT, ATC, from LSU Kinesiology, was honored with the Bob and Lynn Caruthers Service Award by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

Brian Irving, PhD, Named to Inaugural Cohort of Meauxmentum Scholars by Louisiana Board of Regents
Brian Irving, PhD, was selected as one of the 100 members of the first ever cohort of Meauxmentum Scholars, an initiative started by the Louisiana Board of Regents. Learn more about his selection and plans for the cohort's future.
Reflections on the 2024 Paris Olympics
Reflections on the 2024 Paris Olympics is an afternoon panel discussion with Olympians from the games. Speakers include Guillaume Bodet, PhD, Aleah Finnegan, Maggie MacNeil, Roland Mitchell, PhD, John Nauright, PhD, and Vernon Norwood. The event will be held on November 21st, 5:30 p.m. in the Bo Campbell Auditorium.
Join Us for Reflections on the 2024 Paris Olympics
Reflections on the 2024 Paris Olympics is an afternoon panel discussion with Olympians from the games.

LSU School of Kinesiology Announces Official Collaboration with the GO
LSU School of Kinesiology faculty are the first in the United States to collaborate with The GO with a focus on women and sport. This collaboration aims to enhance research, academics, and public programming as well as promote health awareness and sporting opportunities for girls and women in the global community.

Celebrating Maggie Mac Neil: Olympic, World and NCAA Champion
Maggie Mac Neil, Olympic swimmer and LSU sports management alumna, announced her plans to retire from competitive swimming on September 26th, 2024. Mac Neil will be joining the inaugural advisory board for the LSU Women's Sport and Health Initiative in the College of Human Sciences and Education's School of Kinesiology.

LSU Kinesiology and Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic (BROC) innovation in action
Assisting a stroke survivor in regaining movement in their face. Teaching toddlers how to improve their fine motor skills to get them prepared for school. Helping our LSU football players off the field following a blow to the head.

LSU Kinesiology Director Nauright Pushing Boundaries of Doping Research
School of Kinesiology Director and Karen Wax Schmitt and Family Endowed Professor John Nauright presented and led the feature session on The Enhanced Games at the International Network of Doping Research Conference on August 15-16. The theme of the conference was "Pushing Boundaries in Enhancement." He presented his work Beyond Scapegoats: Money, Doping and the Myth of the Level Playing Field in Sports, which explored the cases of Romanian gymnast Andrea Raducan, Russian ice skater Kamila Valieva, and recent discussions about Chinese swimmers.

Supporting Olympic Dreams: The LSU School of Kinesiology Establishes New Strategic Partnerships to Further Women's Sports and Health
The LSU School of Kinesiology is proud to bring together research and outreach from its wide range of disciplines to enhance the opportunities for girls and women to succeed in sports as players, coaches and officials as well as supporting women's health across the lifespan. To that end, the school is announcing two new partnerships that will further this important work on a national and global scale - The Power to Play. and The Women's Coaching Association.

LSU Research Team wins $50,000 to adapt a motor skills app for autistic children
BATON ROUGE - Many autistic children experience motor difficulties that are critical for eating, dressing, schoolwork, and physical activity. Nick Fears, PhD, and the Human Development and Daily Life Lab in the LSU School of Kinesiology were awarded $50,000 from the Healthy Weight Research Network (funded by HRSA/Maternal and Child Health Bureau) housed at the UMass Chan Medical School to adapt an app for parents and caregivers to use with their autistic preschoolers to improve their motor skills and increase their physical activity. The goal is to improve autistic preschool children's motor skills to improve their health and enable them to participate in more activities in their homes, school, and communities.

Connecting Communities: 12th Annual Louisiana Parkinson's Conference to be Held Saturday, July 20, 2024
LSU School of Kinesiology announces annual event to empower and educate Persons with Parkinson's and their Caregivers, as well as encourage networking with researchers and clinicians.

LSU Kinesiology's Amanda Benson Named "Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer" by the National Athletic Trainers' Association
Amanda Benson, PhD, LAT, ATC, received the "Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer" honor at the 2024 NATA convention held in New Orleans. She joins the 2024 class with 13 other accomplished athletic trainers.

Making History: Liz Heintz is the First LSU Kinesiology Student to receive a F31 Fellowship
LSU Kinesiology's Liz Heintz is DETERMINED to #GEAUXCHANGELIVES through her dedication to SAVING lives.

John Nauright, PhD, Named Director of the LSU School of Kinesiology
The LSU College of Human Sciences & Education announces John Nauright, PhD, as director of the LSU School of Kinesiology and will also serve as the Karen Wax Schmitt and Family Endowed Professor. Nauright will assume his role on June 1.

LSU Kinesiology is Geauxing the Distance for Scholarship First
The LSU School of Kinesiology is "geauxing the distance" to pursue LSU's Scholarship First Agenda and ensure the outstanding success of its students, faculty, and staff members.

A Lasting Legacy: Celebrating the Career and Contributions of School of Kinesiology Director, Melinda Solmon, PhD
Culminating more than 10 years of leadership and 29 years of service to LSU, the LSU School of Kinesiology bids farewell to a visionary leader, Melinda Solmon, PhD, who recently retired from her role as Director. With her unwavering dedication, profound expertise, and exemplary leadership, Dr. Solmon leaves an indelible mark on the field of Kinesiology and the LSU community.

Get to Kneaux: Interim Director Alex Garn, PhD
Alex Garn, PhD has stepped into the role of Interim Director of the LSU School of Kinesiology (SOK), taking the reins from Melinda Solmon, PhD, who recently retired after serving LSU for 30+ years and as Director for more than 10 years. As a member of the SOK faculty since 2007, Dr. Garn brings a wealth of expertise and innovative thinking to this new role.

CHSE Faculty Receive 2023 University Distinguished Faculty Awards
The College of Human Sciences & Education's faculty honored as this year's recipients of university-wide distinguished faculty awards include: Senlin Chen, PhD | LSU Distinguished Faculty Award, School of Kinesiology; Jennifer Baumgartner, PhD | LSU Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award, Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education; and Jennifer Scott, PhD | LSU Alumni Association Rising Faculty Research Award, School of Social Work

Senlin Chen Awarded LDH Research Grant to Address Healthcare in Louisiana
Senlin Chen, PhD has been awarded a research grant from the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) to study the behavioral and social determinants of health in Medicaid-eligible children. The LDH's Louisiana Medicaid Program has granted $335,000 to fund this project, with LSU contributing $335,000 in match funds over two years, resulting in a total of $670,000.

Svensson Receives International Research Award in Australia
The LSU School of Kinesiology's Per Svensson, PhD, received the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand's (SMAANZ) Best Research Paper Award at the 28th annual conference held in Melbourne, Australia for his research with Katherine Raw, PhD, (Swinburne University of Technology and Deakin University) on the role of failure in the field of sport for development and peace.