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 2026 conference will take place on Friday, March 27, 2026.
abstract submission and Registration
Registration and Abstract Submission Form
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 is Sunday, March 1, 2026 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.
2026 Keynote speaker
We are excited to welcome the 2026 keynote speaker, Dr. Andrew Ramsook, who will present: Research on Inspiration.
Dr. Ramsook is an assistant professor at the University of Waterloo. He received his PhD at the University of British Columbia before completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Mayo Clinic (Minnesota, USA). His research program focuses on integrative physiology of exercise in humans with an emphasis on respiratory factors that influence exercise performance.
Abstract
The respiratory system’s ability to generate sufficient alveolar ventilation is critical to the supply of oxygen to tissue and the elimination of metabolically produced carbon dioxide. During exercise, there is a commensurate increase in ventilation to match the greater metabolic demand. In the untrained and moderately trained healthy human, the capacity of the respiratory system outmatches the demands of maximal exercise. In this sense the respiratory system has been considered “overbuilt” for the demands of exercise. However, the healthy respiratory system may become a limiting factor to oxygen transport in the elite athlete where chronic exercise training results in myriad structural and functional adaptations to the physiological systems involved in oxygen transport with the exception of the respiratory system. On the other end of the spectrum of health, individuals living with chronic respiratory disease experience a devastating loss to the capacity of their respiratory system leading to respiratory limitations to activities of daily living. This talk will discuss how an integrative approach to human physiology has helped us explore respiratory limitations to exercise performance while touching on my own research pathway that started as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Toronto.
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.