Numerous new and existing collaborations will advance the College's presence in teaching, research and service related projects. Highlights include expanding undergraduate student experiential learning and increasing physical activity and wellness in West Virginia. Various funding arrangements will provide in depth look at the coach-athlete relationship, continuation of strength and conditioning positions in the area, establishing counseling training opportunities and enhancing an ongoing partnership to help grow community hockey participation.
Memorandums of Understanding
Suncrest Early Learning Center, Emi Tsuda, assistant professor, Physical Education and Kinesiology. Physical Education and Kinesiology students in PET 350 Primary Physical Education course will visit Suncrest Early Learning Center and teach physical education to PreK children. The course meets twice a week for 15 weeks in the fall 2021 semester. Undergraduate students will plan a lesson and faculty will provide supervision of their planning, teaching and reflection.
Through this course, 13 CPASS undergraduate students will learn how to teach young children. Students will get licensed from PreK to adults. It is important for them to acquire experiences and to know how to teach this population. This new collaboration will allow CPASS students to gain experiential learning this fall semester.
Lyndsay Burneisen, an incoming CPASS graduate assistant, will help with the partnership. CPASS students will teach fundamental motor skills such as running, galloping, throwing, catching and jumping, while attempting to maintain the energy level that only PreK children can expect to have.
Erin Jordan, teaching assistant professor, program coordinator, Health and Well-being program, has established affiliation agreements with anatomical designs.
Grants and Contracts
James Wyant, Emi Tsuda and Jeremy Yeats received an internal grant for students. Peter Giacobbi is a co-investigator on two WVDHHR projects for the coming year including HPCD and DTP Evaluation.
Johannes Raabe is Principal Investigator on a new project externally funded by the National Strength and Conditioning Association Foundation. Raabe was recognized by the NSCA with the 2021 Young Investigator Grant for his research exploring the perceived challenges and coping mechanisms of female NCAA Division I strength and conditioning coaches. Raabe says the award will allow him to expand his work on the coach-athlete relationship to investigate coaches’ own psychological functioning. These efforts will help coaches to not only facilitate athletes’ development but also cope with the challenges of the profession, experience well-being and perform at a high level.
Raabe is PI for a project focused on motivational coaching as the foundation for an optimal coach-athlete relationship in gymnastics. The grant is sponsored by the “Badischer Turner-Bund e.V.,” a German gymnastics federation. The purpose of the project is to provide educational programming for coaches working with gymnasts who are members of the federation’s talent development program. This grant provides an ideal opportunity to directly link research with practice as both elements are key pieces which inform each other. According to Raabe, the long-term goal is to develop a continuing relationship with the federation and be able to have a meaningful impact supporting its coaches.
Guy Hornsby will have a continuation of funding for three strength and conditioning coaches with Mon County Schools.
Emily Murphy will have a continuation of funding from the CDC on the HOP Project (Be Wild, Be Wonderful, Be Healthy).
Andrea Taliaferro and Samantha Ross will have a continuation of the OSEP Grant (Training Leaders).
Sam Zizzi will have a continuation of funding from Whole Brain Solutions for a post-doctoral position. This external contract with a local counseling agency provides a unique opportunity for sport psychology post-docs to continue their counseling training in pursuit of licensure.
The Center for Active WV will have three projects listed for continuation:
Snap-Ed funded – CARDIAC Project, Year 4, Eloise Elliott
Sam Zizzi has received continuation of State funds for Take Back our Health, Year 3. The focus of this work is on advancing physical activity initiatives in West Virginia communities through grant funding, advocacy work and technical support and training. The emphasis for the coming year is on equitable solutions to increase physical activity in schools, communities and health clinics. In the first two years of funding, the group has partnered with more than two dozen communities and awarded more than $150,000 in seed funding to help them accomplish their projects.
Eloise Elliott has a project with Columbia University NHLBI. Additionally, Kristen Dieffenbach with the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Sciences will have a continuation of external funding for a GA with Morgantown Hockey