The Bertha Rosenstadt National Undergraduate Research Conference in Kinesiology and Physical Education
Conference Scope
At this annual conference, undergraduate students have the opportunity to present literature reviews, critiques, term papers and findings from research projects. This is a multidisciplinary conference that includes topics from exercise physiology, biomechanics, sports medicine, coach education, motor learning and control, exercise and sport psychology, philosophy, history and sociology of sport.
Students submit an abstract and are given 10 minutes to present their papers to peers and faculty. Awards of recognition will be given to the best presentation in each area.
The 2025 conference took place on Friday, March 28, 2025.
abstract submission and Registration
Registration and Abstract Submission Form: Registration/abstract submission is now closed.
Registration fees
The registration cost is $35.00 for all presenters (except for students registered in KPE390Y, KPE490Y or KPE495H in the current academic year) and for participants/attendees. The registration fee includes lunch and light refreshments throughout the conference.
Abstract submission
All undergraduate students who wish to apply to report their research findings at the conference must complete an online form and submit an abstract. Abstracts are limited to 300 words. Students from all Canadian universities, as well as other faculties at the University of Toronto, are welcome.
The deadline to submit an abstract was Monday, March 3, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Please read the Abstraction Submission Instructions before submitting your abstract.
Conference attendee registration
This registration option is available for any individual who wishes to attend the conference and sit in on the various student presentations and keynote address but not present a report themselves.
2025 Keynote speaker
We are excited to welcome the 2025 keynote speaker, Prof. McGuire-Adams, who will present: Indigenous Research in Physical Cultural Studies.
Dr. Tricia McGuire-Adams, who is an Anishinaabe woman from Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, is an associate professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. She received her PhD from the Faculty of Health Sciences (Human Kinetics) at the University of Ottawa, from which she published a book titled Indigenous feminist gikendaasowin (knowledge): Decolonization through Physical Activity.
Her research program has focused on three interconnected areas within the broad spectrum of Indigenous-informed sociocultural aspects of physical activity: Indigenous peoples’ health knowledge and sovereignties; equity, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) and amplifying marginalized voices, and; Indigenous women’s wellbeing.
Indigenous-led research is essential to advancing scholarship in sport and physical cultural studies (PCS), yet the presence of Indigenous research methodologies within this field remains underexamined.
In this keynote, Professor McGuire-Adams will explore how Indigenous knowledge and ways of being and doing have shaped sport and physical culture research across key settler-colonial contexts—New Zealand, Canada, and Australia. She will reflect on her own journey in learning about Indigenous research methodologies and the challenges of locating scholarship that meaningfully engages with them in PCS.
Key debates include the role of Indigenous storytelling, Indigenous women’s leadership in methodological advancements, and the positioning of non-Indigenous co-researchers. Professor McGuire-Adams will address concerns about the uncritical appropriation of Indigenous methodologies and the metaphorization of decolonization, and will explore future directions for deepening Indigenous resurgence in research practices.
This keynote will provide a critical and generative space to explore how Indigenous research methodologies can reshape sport and physical cultural studies, challenging disciplinary boundaries and forging new possibilities
Conference History
Founded in 1999, the National Undergraduate Research Conference has been hosted annually by the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto. In 2020, the conference was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Contact Us
For more information about this event, contact the Research Conference office.