The National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK) will hold its annual conference, with the theme Kinesiology Research: Its Impact on Society, in Minneapolis, September 15-17 at The Marquette Hotel. The dual purpose of the Academy is to encourage and promote the study and educational applications of the art and science of human movement and physical activity, and to honor by election to its membership persons who have contributed significantly to the study and application of the art and science of human movement and physical activity. All seven (7) Full Professors in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota are elected Fellows in the Academy (Ji, Kane, Konczak, Leon, Stoffregen, Wade, Weiss) and Maureen Weiss is current President.

Kinesiology Research: Its Impact on Society will focus on a multidisciplinary review of scholarship and research findings that have made or have the potential for making a significant impact on public policy and practice. As university administrators and community constituents, as well as state, federal, and private funding agencies, place an increasingly higher value on programs that have social relevance, Kinesiology scholars seek to become more adept at articulating the value of their work, particularly its centrality to academia and its contribution to national issues related to human health, performance, and well-being. This year’s conference brings together expert speakers from different sub-disciplines within Kinesiology (e.g., psychology, physiology, motor control, philosophy) and from various environments (government, education, and community) to talk about scholarship that has had or can have an impact on social policies and practice. Dr. Richard Troiano, U.S. National Institutes of Health and Coordinator of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, will give the opening keynote on the increased interest in physical activity within the federal government and opportunities for kinesiologists.
The Academy promotes its dual purpose by recognizing and encouraging the continued exemplary, scholarly, and professional productivity of its individual members; synthesizing and transmitting knowledge about human movement and physical activity at annual scholarly meetings and via publication of The Academy Papers; fostering philosophic considerations regarding issues and values related to human movement and physical activity; and bestowing honors for outstanding contributions to the field of Kinesiology. Individuals interested in attending the meeting, which runs from Thursday evening to Saturday noon, should contact Dr. Maureen Weiss at mrweiss@umn.edu.