Prof. Grimminger-Seidensticker receives renowned research award in Florida!

Prof. Grimminger-Seidensticker receives renowned research award in Florida!

Prof. Dr. Elke Grimminger-Seidensticker from the University of Paderborn received the prestigious “Fellowship Award” from AIESEP. This award is given for outstanding academic achievements in sports education and didactics. The honor took place at the end of May as part of the annual meeting in Florida, USA. The Fellowship Award is considered AIESEP's highest recognition for scientists.

The AIESEP, the central scientific organization for sports education and sports teacher training at the international level, honors scientists who achieve international recognition for their professional practice and research contributions. The minimum requirements for the award include, among other things, more than five high-quality publications after obtaining the doctorate and active participation in AIESEP conferences.

Research focus and responsibility

Prof. Grimminger-Seidensticker is head of the “Sports Didactics and Pedagogy” working group at the Faculty of Natural Sciences. Her research interests include empirical school sports research, sports education health research and the design of physical education lessons. Particularly noteworthy is her focus on childhood and adolescence, where she addresses topics such as body dissatisfaction and psychosocial aspects, including eating disorders.

In an initial reaction to the award, Prof. Grimminger-Seidensticker expressed her joy and emphasized the responsibility she feels for future research projects and the qualification of young scientists. Dean Prof. Dr. Wolf Gero Schmidt congratulated her and highlighted the influence of Prof. Grimminger-Seidensticker's work on society.

The importance of the AIESEP Fellowship

The AIESEP Fellowship is not only an award for individual academic excellence, but also highlights the importance of continuous development in the field of physical education. AIESEP members are recognized for their contributions to research, physical education and long-term sports engagement across the lifespan. A clearly defined application process ensures that only the most qualified scientists are considered for this honor. This includes nomination by two fellows or board members and submission of letters of recommendation.

An important aspect of the AIESEP Fellowship is the opportunity to make the requirements more flexible for particularly outstanding applicants. Such exemptions may be considered for candidates who have demonstrated proven contributions to AIESEP for over ten years.

The vision of the University of Freiburg's work area, which actively deals with educational processes in and through movement, is of great importance for the research landscape in the field of sports education. The challenges and opportunities of education in sport, especially in the context of social transformations such as digitalization and social inclusion, are the focus of these efforts. The aim is to achieve substantial progress in teaching and professional action in school and extracurricular sports contexts.