Hannah Hüttemann, doctoral candidate at the Department of Sports and Exercise Psychology, was selected for the fifth cohort of the program „Durchstarten. Von der Promotion zur Professur“ by the Equal Opportunity Office of the University of Münster. The program supports female doctoral candidates on their path into academia over the course of two semesters and offers them the opportunity to explore the various perspectives and demands of an academic career at an early stage. In addition to topics such as career planning, presenting oneself in academic contexts, and balancing work and family life, the program provides opportunities to network with other female doctoral students beyond one’s own department.

It is with profound sadness that we bid farewell to Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß, who passed away on 27 September 2026. With his death, the Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences has lost an outstanding scholar, university teacher, and academic leader who shaped our Institute for more than 28 years and made a significant contribution to the development of sport and exercise psychology far beyond Münster and Germany. We have also lost a dear friend, a scientific mentor, and a highly valued colleague.

Dr. Lena Henning spent three weeks as a visiting researcher with the “Psychosocial Health and Physical Activity” research group (Prof. Markus Gerber) at the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health at the University of Basel. During her time in Basel, Lena Henning gained insights into the group’s research activities while also presenting and discussing her own current work at a research colloquium. The intensive exchange sparked new ideas and opportunities for future research projects.

In the 2026 summer series “Sommer, Sonne, Kaktus” members of the university describe their relationship with the warm season. Not in a strictly scientific way, but with a lighthearted touch. Part 4 (Sommerserie 2026: „Im Sommer wachsen Ideen“) is by sports scientist Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt, who, like all the participants, poses for the camera with the eponymous cactus from our Botanical Garden.

All parts of the summer series can be found here.

On July 03, 2026, Birte Brinkmöller successfully defended her dissertation in the field of sports psychology with the title "Talent selection in sports: A comparative analysis with personnel selection in business". Her thesis examined the influence of spectators on athletic performance. She was examined by Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß, Prof. Dennis Dreiskämper from the TU Dortmund, Prof. Oliver Höner from the University of Tübingen und Prof. Norbert Hagemann von der University of Kassel. 

As part of their project days, on June 10, 2026, about 20 students from the Anne Frank Gymnasium visited the Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences (IfS) together with their teacher and IfS alumna Jenny Fastnacht.

During their visit, the participants gained fascinating insights into the research and practical applications of sports psychology. Dr. Stephanie Bünemann and Birte Brinkmöller from the Department of Sport and Exercise Psychology presented current topics and areas of application in their field and provided an overview of their scientific work.

On May 29, 2026, Edda van Meurs successfully defended her dissertation in the field of sports psychology. Her thesis examined the influence of spectators on athletic performance. She was examined by Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Klatt from the DSHS Cologne, and Prof. Dr. Henning Plessner from the University of Heidelberg.

Barbara Halberschmidt, Laura van de Loo, and Bernd Strauss have published the book 'Duale Karriere. Die Vereinbarkeit von Studium und Spitzensport'. 

This book evaluates the “Partner University for Elite Sports” project, which was launched in 1999, and provides up-to-date empirical analyses of dual careers in a higher education context. It examines how universities, in collaboration with partners (e.g., Olympic training centers and sports federations), support athletes. Student elite athletes must navigate the demands of both systems simultaneously. This poses a particular challenge, especially given the highly structured nature of degree programs since the Bologna Process reforms.

The Department of Sport and Exercise Psychology has received funding from the Federal Institute for Sports Science (BISp) to implement the transfer project “CuLTT-LA28 – Coaching and Leadership Culture of the German Gymnastics Team – Men’s Artistic Gymnastics – On the Road to LA 2028.” From May 2026 to July 2027, Sebastian Brückner will support the national team on its path to Olympic qualification to support the necessary performance development in context of the current generational shift within the team. 

At the 58th Annual Conference of the German Association of Sportpsychology (asp), Laura van Loo, together with Sebastian Wieber, Barbara Halberschmidt and Helga Leineweber, won the asp Poster Award for their poster entitled "Statusgruppen im paralympischen Spitzensport - Eine Paralympics Analyse der Deutschen Mannschaft in Paris 2024". 

Congratulations!

JunProf. Helga Leineweber and Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt have edited the book 'Schulsport, Transdisziplinäre Erkenntnisse und Implikationen für die Praxis'.

The book examines the diverse demands placed on school sport and explores how the educational objectives of physical education can be achieved. To understand how sport in a school setting can contribute to pupils’ cognitive, emotional and social development, and what conditions need to be taken into account, the book draws on perspectives from sports pedagogy, sports psychology and other disciplines.

 On 10 April 2026, Nadine Albrecht successfully defended her doctoral thesis in the field of sports psychology.

In her thesis, she examined the significance of self-concept, self-esteem and self-efficacy in the context of boxing-specific psychosocial interventions for adolescent girls.

The panel of examiners consisted of Prof. Maike Tietjens, Prof. Nils Neuber and Prof. Bernd Strauß.
 

During the week of April 20th, the Institute of Sport Science will welcome Dr. Nurgül Keskin Akın from Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University (Turkey). An expert in sport psychology, she will provide insights into her research on self-efficacy and motivational climates in sport and physical education. In addition to guest lectures in Bachelor’s and Master’s seminars, a colloquium for institute staff will be held. Interested parties are cordially invited to attend the sessions. 

This year, the Women's Basketball World Cup will take place in Germany (Berlin) from 4 to 13 September 2026. In the same year, Meike Kolb will publish an article on the basics of defence in basketball in the magazine ‘SportPraxis’ issue 2/2026. The practical description of the lesson is aimed at sports students, interns, trainee teachers and teachers. Videos and colourful images make it easy to instruct exercises and game formats.

On February 12, a successful conference on violence prevention – status quo and interdisciplinary perspectives – took place under the title “Between Power and Responsibility: Preventing Violence in Higher Education with Special Consideration of Music and Sports Science.” More than 60 students and staff members participated in the event. The conference was part of a project funded by the QVM Commission of the University of Münster and led by Prof. Isabelle Sophie Heiss and Dr. Lena Henning.

On 30 January 2026, Stephanie Bünemann successfully defended her dissertation on “Origin, Development and processes of team performance crisis in sport - theoretical conceptualization and empirical evidence”. The review panel consisted of Prof. Bernd Strauß, Prof. Henning Plessner and Prof. Maike Tietjens.

The IfS extends its heartfelt congratulations!

On 22 January 2026, Dr. Lena Henning was awarded the North Rhine-Westphalia Nachwuchspreis for Sport and Exerciese Science 2026 in the category 'Social, Educational and Cultural Sciences' at the State Parliament Forum. The prize, awarded by State Parliament President André Kuper and State Secretary for Sport and Volunteering Andrea Milz and endowed with 5,000 euros, recognises her research into physical activity and health in childhood from a sports and developmental psychology perspective. Professor Johannes Wessels and Professor Maike Tietjens from the Rectorate of the University of Münster, as well as Professors Heiko Wagner, Helga Leineweber and Nils Neuber from the Institute of Sport and Exercise Science, attended the award ceremony; the laudatory speech was given by Professor Dr. Bettina Rulofs from the German Sport University Cologne. 

Marie Ghanbari receives the teaching award from the Rectorate of the University of Münster for the interdisciplinary "Sportpatenprojekt". The prize is endowed with €30,000. With her concept, which combines theory and practice in an exemplary manner, she promotes not only technical skills but also, in particular, the students' empathy and social skills, thereby providing new impetus for university teaching. The project represents a forward-looking combination of academic education and social engagement. 

On 14 and 15 January, a delegation from Norway, Finland, Ireland and Germany met at the IfS. Prof. Maike Tietjens, Dr Sebastian Brückner and Dr Barbara Halberschmidt welcomed the guests and guided them through the planned accompanying programme over the two days. The OpenLab and GRAIL were shown. Mayor Klaus Rosenau welcomed the delegation in the historic Peace Hall of the town hall. 
The project is developing measures to enable top athletes to pursue successful careers after their sporting careers.

For further information: Link

As part of this year's Children's University, Dr Valeria Eckardt took around 160 third to seventh graders on a journey into the world of sports psychology. In her child-friendly lecture ‘Cheering makes you strong – the special power of fans in sport’, the sports psychologist explained why spectators are so important – and what happens when they are absent. 

Stephanie Bünemann and Birte Brinkmöller enriched the second TrainerTalk with information on sports psychology, sports psychology counselling and cooperation between coaches, athletes and sports psychologists. They were supported by Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt. 

TrainerTalk is organised by the Association for the Promotion of Competitive Sports in Münster, addresses coaches in and from Münster who are active in the field of competitive sports, and has now taken place for the second time. 

From November 18 to 21, 2025, Maike Tietjens, Lena Henning, Hannah Hüttemann and Bernd Strauß participated in the SELF Conference and ERAS Conference 2025 in Singapore. The conference theme, “The Self in Context: Pathways to Flourishing, Learning, and Well-Being,” brought together researchers from around the world and offered diverse insights into topics such as self-concept, motivation, and learning—through both engaging symposia and keynotes by renowned scholars including Reinhard Pekrun, Richard Ryan, Emma Bradshaw, and Mimi Bong. Hannah Hüttemann presented a study on social influences on physical activity as well as a poster on self-concept and fitness among individuals with intellectual disabilities. Lena Henning presented a study on the stereotype threat effect in physical education.
 

On November 14th and 15th, Stephanie Bünemann was invited as a guest speaker to Ljubljana, Slovenia, for the “Dan športne psihologije” (Sports Psychology Day). In a workshop (14.11.) for sports psychologists and psychology students, she led a workshop on evidence-based interventions and discussion in relation to crisis interventions. The next day (15.11.), the actual Sports Psychology Day began, mainly for coaches. There, she had the opportunity to prepare and present her research on crises in teams for practical application in a lecture.

On Monday, Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt and Laura van de Loo were invited to a research colloquium at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg. There, they presented key findings on the topic of balancing university studies and elite sports.
Shortly before the completion of the “Dual Career” project, the colloquium provided an opportunity to give a comprehensive overview of the findings to date and to exchange experiences and developments with the participants. The focus was particularly on the content and implementation processes of the cooperation agreement “Partner University of Elite Sports,” to which both the University of Münster and the University of Oldenburg are affiliated.

As part of this year's World Schools Summit organised by T4 Education, Dr Marie Ghanbari participated as an invited expert in a panel discussion on the topic ‘Are Universities Becoming Irrelevant?’ The international debate brought together academics, educational innovators and decision-makers to discuss the future of higher education in a time of technological and social change. 

In the Department of Sport and Exercise Psychology, a student assistant is sought for 4 hours per week, starting on 1 March 2026, to work on the research project ‘Athletes' Transition Tools for Achieving Horizons – ATTACH-U’, including assistance with the organisation of workshops. 

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Prof. Dr. Nils Neuber and Dr. Lena Henning presented results of the MOVE FOR HEALTH study at the MOVE Forum of the German Sport Youth (dsj), held at the Zeche Zollverein in Essen. Under the title “Educational Networks for More Physical Activity and Social Participation”, around 100 stakeholders from youth services, youth welfare offices, schools, academia, childcare centers, public health, and organized sports came together to discuss how all young people can be reached through sport.
 

Edda van Meurs, a doctoral candidate in the Sports Psychology department, has been accepted into the fourth cohort of the “Durchstarten. Von der Promotion zur Professur” programme run by the Office for Gender Equality at the University of Münster. The program assists outstanding doctoral students with workshops, supervision, and mentoring to help them prepare for a career in academia. Together with other young female researchers, she will have the opportunity to further develop key skills for a career in academia.

On October 7, 2025, Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt and Laura van de Loo informed around 100 participants about current scientific findings in the field of dual careers at the NRW Sports School Meeting in Bielefeld. A particular focus was on the critical transitions between school and university.
In a subsequent workshop on dual careers, key aspects were explored in more detail, and concrete starting points for practical implications were developed in a small group.

"Psychological Aspects in School Sports" was the title of the 11th Paderborn School Sports Day on Wednesday, October 1, at Paderborn University. Over 70 teachers from all school types, full-time teachers, and coaches from the region participated in the event to learn about current developments in this field and to deepen their knowledge in subsequent workshops.

Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt and Laura van de Loo were invited to the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 Sports and Inclusion Summit, which took place on 19 July 2025 under the motto Diversity, Participation and Inclusion in International University Sports. 

Source/ further information: https://www.land.nrw/pressemitteilung/
inklusion-im-hochschulsport-weiterdenken-rhine-ruhr-2025
-sports-and-inclusion

 

Laura van de Loo presented data from the project on the scientific investigation of the compatibility of studies and elite sports (https://www.uni-muenster.de/Spitzensport/DualeKarriere.html) funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the German Association of College Sports (adh) on July 18th during the FISU World Conference (https://rhineruhr2025.com/en/world-conference). The FISU World Conference is embedded in the FISU World Games, the largest student sports event worldwide this year.
►Information booklet of the FISU World Conference

From June 3–5, 2025, Dr. Valeria Eckardt and Stephanie Bünemann attended the annual NASPSPA conference. This year, they had the opportunity to present their research in the beautiful setting of Lake Tahoe. They also engaged in many exciting and inspiring conversations with both new and familiar colleagues.

Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt was a guest on the university's podcast "Umdenken." Even before the start of the "FISU World University Games 2025" on July 16, the challenges faced by young elite athletes are the focus of many discussions. While some experts call for more intensive talent scouting and more and better-trained coaches, sports psychologist Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt is convinced that financial difficulties, in particular, often prevent better results, and that psychological factors influence athletic performance.

You can find the link to the episode here [de].

The Willibald Gebhardt Institute is seeking to fill a position as a 1-2 part-time honorary staff member (with or without a bachelor's degree) for a school support program at an elementary school in Altenberge, starting September 8, 2025, until July 31, 2026, with a weekly working time of approximately two 3-4 hour shifts.

AOR Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt was elected to the asp's executive board for another two years at this year's annual conference of the Association for Sport Psychology (asp) in Bochum. She will represent the area of ​​"School Sports and Teaching" for another two years and has already led a working group on this topic in Bochum.

The Sports Psychology Department participated in this year's 57th Annual Conference of the German Association for Sports Psychology (asp) in Bochum with numerous posters, presentations, working groups, and teaching exchanges. We greatly enjoyed the exchange with our Swiss, Austrian, and German colleagues and look forward to the next conference in Heidelberg in May 2026.

On April 28 and 29, the symposium "Study and Elite Sports" took place in Bochum, organized by the General German University Sports Association (adh).

Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß was a guest on the podcast "New Ideas and Wisdom for Young (Academic) Students." The goal of the podcast is to gain insights into the perspectives of experienced and successful researchers (in sports psychology) and, where appropriate, to learn from them.

Dr. Valeria Eckardt will be recognized with the third place of the 'DOSB-Wissenschaftspreises 2023/2024' in Frankfurt am Main on 31 January 2025 for her dissertation entitled 'Better together? Exploring parental experiences in youth soccer from an interpersonal approach'. In addition to her, five other academics will also be honoured. DOSB President Thomas Weikert will present the awards. We congratulate her on this outstanding achievement!

In 2024, the quantitative study of the Move For Health project on the potential of sport and exercise for healthy growing from 2023 was continued. The data collection was funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The study is part of the Move For Health campaign of the German Sports Youth. On December 3rd, initial results of the nationwide representative survey were presented to the German Sports Youth. Further publications are currently being prepared. From the University of Münster, Dr. Lena Henning and Eva Göttlich are involved in the project.
 

As part of the seminar "Methods of psychomotor diagnostics", third semester students in special education teaching (Lehramt für sonderpädagogische Förderung) conducted motor assessments at the Eylardus School, a state-recognised special needs school for children, focusing on social and emotional development. The project was conducted together with the KreisSportBund Grafschaft Bentheim e.V. Currently, the children’s motor performance is being analyzed and the results will be reported back to the school shortly.
 

At a kick-off meeting, the scientific advisory board of the “Dual Career - Compatibility of Studying and Top-Level Sport” project was successfully established. The members of the advisory board are
- Jörg Förster and Benjamin Schenk (Allgemeiner Deutscher Hochschulsportverband, adh),
- Ilka Seidel (German Olympic Sports Confederation, DOSB),
- Markus Kremin (Head of the Olympic Training Center, spokesperson for the “Dual Career” area),
- Bernd Brückmann (spokesperson for career counseling at Olympic training centers),
- Benedict Eggling (representative of the athletes),
- as well as Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß, Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt and Laura van de Loo (project team at the University of Münster).
In addition to the founding of the advisory board, previous and future project steps were presented and the next steps were agreed.

Last week, Barbara Halberschmidt and Laura van de Loo's MA “Dual Career” seminar was able to take a look behind the scenes at SC Preußen. Sören Weinfurtner gave the course the opportunity to view various premises and watch the U19 team in training. One day later, the group returned to Berg Fidel to accept an invitation from the Uni Baskets. There, the group watched an exciting game against the Kirchheim Knights.
We say THANK YOU to everyone involved!

The University of Münster's sports mentoring project was highlighted as a forward-looking educational model at the OECD Global Forum on the Future of Education and Skills 2030 (10 to 13 October) in Japan. Dr Marie Ghanbari, initiator of the project from the Sports Psychology department, contributed her expertise in a separate article on empathy training, as reported by the Westfälische Nachrichten newspaper, among others.
 

Bernd Strauß and Heiko Wagner have been elected Vice Dean and Dean of Studies for a further two years in the Fachbereichsrat. At the meeting (13 November 2024) of the Executive Board, Heiko Wagner was elected Managing Director and Bernd Strauß Deputy Managing Director for a further year. 
We congratulate them and wish them all the best for their further term of office.

In the new book ‘Psychology of Crises in Sport’ by Bernd Strauss, Stephanie Buenemann, Charlotte Behlau, Maike Tietjens and Katherine Tamminen, readers learn about the theoretical and empirical background of concepts related to crises. They then learn how apply this knowledge and these methods to prevent and cope crises. Well-known examples and case studies are used throughout the book to provide a comprehensive understanding of crises. 

(Strauss, B., Buenemann, S., Behlau, C., Tietjens, M., & Tamminen, K. (Eds). (2024). Psychology of crises in sport. Springer)

The University of Münster and SC Preußen Münster have signed a cooperation agreement to promote competitive and elite sport in soccer. The cooperation, which has already existed for several years, is to be intensified in the coming years in order to systematically expand existing synergy effects between science and competitive and top-class sport. Among other things, the University and Preußen want to work together to optimize the conditions for footballers who study at the University of Münster and play top-class sport at the same time.

Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt and Laura van de Loo were guests at the DOSB's Competitive Sports Conference in Hennef on 16.10.24, where they were able to present the project for the scientific investigation of the dual career model for top student athletes to the heads of the Olympic training centers. The project aims to improve the situation of top athletes at universities and is therefore investigating key factors and predictors that contribute to the success of a dual career for top student athletes.

On 10.10.24, sport psychology celebrated its 50th anniversary. The special event was celebrated with almost 100 international and national guests. Two keynote speakers, Prof. Rouwen Canal Bruland, University of Jena and Dr. Rebecca Rienhoff, Helmholtz Gymnasium Essen, Head of Sports - ZfsL Krefeld, Sports & Counselling in School Sports (NRW Sports Schools) - District Government Düsseldorf (Dec. 43/ Dec. 48) Sports Coordination Representative in the Speakers' Committee of NRW Sports Schools, paid tribute to the achievements of Prof. Willi Essing and Prof. Bernd Strauß, which can also be read here in the brochure.

Dr Barbara Halberschmidt gave a presentation on psychological factors in dealing with injuries at this year's Dreiländerkongress DACH in Hamburg.

The Sports Psychology Department was represented at the European Congress of Sports Psychology in Innsbruck from 15 to 19 July 2014 with numerous presentations, symposia and poster contributions. Under the congress motto "Performance under pressure in sports, military/police, performing arts, medicine, business and daily life", 1000 sports psychologists from all over the world came together.

Bernd Strauß and Maike Tietjens successfully presented several posters and two lectures at the NASPSPA in New Orleans, USA, on behalf of the entire sports psychology team.
They came back with exciting suggestions.

The roundtable of the University of Münster's project "Sportpaten" met at the Mathilde Anneke School on May 16, 2024, with OECD Education Director Andreas Schleicher in attendance. The one-to-one sports sponsorship and sporting activity offers the opportunity to develop courage, opportunities for change and the skills to develop one's own cognitive, social-emotional resources.

A research day was held on Wednesday, 22 May, to mark the start of the Special Olympics NRW state games. The event, which was jointly organized by the Department of Education and Culture in Sport (Prof. Dr. Helga Leineweber) and the Department of Sport Psychology (Dr. Lena Henning) in cooperation with the Willibald Gebhardt Institute, aimed to bring together different stakeholders in the field of sport for people with intellectual or multiple disabilities. Scientists and students from Leipzig, Münster, Stuttgart and Graz not only gave presentations on current teaching concepts and research findings, but also discussed practical implications and further research and development needs with representatives from Special Olympics Germany and some state associations as well as athletes, coaches and supervisors. The event was supported by Unfallkasse NRW.
We would like to thank you for the exciting exchange and the stimulating discussions.

In order to promote competitive and top-class sport in boxing, the University of Münster and the Boxzentrum Münster e. V. signed a cooperation agreement. The collaboration, which has already existed for several years, is to be intensified in the coming years in order to systematically expand existing synergy effects between science and competitive and elite sports.

Edda van Meurs won the poster prize at the 56th conference of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Sportpsychologie (asp). The poster was selected from 40 others on site and honoured on Saturday at the concluding event.
 

For the winter semester 2024/25, Pro Talent scholarships will be awarded at our department for students from the first and higher semesters. The scholarships are paid out with 300 euros per month as part of ProTalent, the university's Deutschlandstipendium. You can apply from 10.06 to 01.07.2024 (cut-off date) here.

On Friday, 17 May, Dr. Rebecca Rienhoff and Michael Wolf from the Essener Verbundsystem des Leistungssports were guests in Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt's MA seminar "Sport Psychology in Schools". They presented the "Development of dual careers in the field of tension between sport <-> school? Professional potentials of selected fields of action of elite schools of sport/NRW sports schools using the example of the Essen network system". In an interactive exchange, the students were able to ask questions about this special promotion of dual careers in the school system and gain an insight into the day-to-day processes and possible career potential. In addition, the University of Münster was presented as a partner university of elite sport.

PD Dr Dennis Dreiskämper, Department of Sport Psychology, has been awarded the "Jürgen Nitsch Prize for Theory Development in Sport Psychology" by the Sport Psychology Section of the German Psychological Society (DGPS). The "Jürgen Nitsch Prize" is awarded every two years by the Sport Psychology Section. The prize is intended in particular to recognise contributions to theoretical development in the field of sport psychology.

The Sports Psychology department was successfully represented at this year's conference of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Sportpsychologie (asp). The main conference took place from 9 to 11 May at the Business & Law School in Berlin. As usual, the conference was preceded by the junior researchers' conference and a post-doc workshop. The entire research area presented its own research at the poster exhibition, workshops and working groups, with the doctoral students from the research area receiving support from the Santander Mobility Fund.

On 25 April 2024, the IfS opened the newly equipped psychomotor room as part of a moving reception.
The visitors, who were made up of Münster daycare centres, head teachers and teachers from various schools, representatives of the accident insurance fund (Unfallkasse NRW) and the LWL Berufskolleg vocational college as well as the psychomotor skills association (Verein für Mototherapie und psychomotorische Entwicklungsförderung), had the opportunity to try out psychomotor skills materials for themselves and gain different movement and sensory experiences through creative use. At the same time, ideas for collaboration could be exchanged.
 

As part of Girls Day, 15 girls aged between 13 and 15 were given an insight into scientific research at the IfS. The Movement Science, Neuromotor and Training and Sports Psychology departments prepared various test stations and experiments for the girls to try out, listen to and experience sports science in small groups. During the joint lunch break in the canteen, the participants were able to get a first impression of life as a sports student and ask any questions they had about the university, the various degree programmes or the facilities on a sports campus (why are there actually so many different halls?). They ended the day at the IfS with a discussion about the meaning of Girls' Day, which was led by the Equal Opportunities Commission.

As a partner university of top level sports, the University of Münster sponsors a total of 73 top athletes, including twelve rugby players. One of the sponsored players is Noëlle Bouchette, who plays for both the NRW team and the Rugby Tourists and also studies biosciences at the University of Münster. Thanks to the "Partner University of Elite Sports" project, which is managed by Prof Bernd Strauß and Barbara Halberschmidt as university representatives and by Jan Müller and Tim Seulen from Münster University Sports, Noëlle can easily combine her studies and sport.

Announcement Special Olympics Research Day on 22 May 2024.
The fifth Special Olympics NRW State Games will take place in Münster in May 2024. On the occasion of this event, we would like to invite you to a scientific research day immediately beforehand. The aim of this day is to bring together and discuss the current state of knowledge on the topic of sport by and with people with intellectual and multiple disabilities from different perspectives and disciplines and to exchange ideas with each other. Further information can be found here.

Last year, the first Germany-wide representative survey on the sport and exercise behaviour of children and young people in over ten years was conducted by researchers from the IfS together with the German Sports Youth, funded by the BMFSFJ, as part of the Move for Health project.
On 22/23 February, the results were presented to the political, scientific and practitioner public in Berlin as part of an expert hearing. The German Sports Youth has therefore sent out a press release and a brochure in which the most important facts, figures and results are presented in a way that the general public can understand.

 Dr. Charlotte Behlau was selected as the German representative of the psychological associations from science (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie e.V.; DGPs) and practice (Berufsverband Deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen; BDP) for participation in the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (efpa).

Maike Tietjens, Ulla Ellermann and Flora Thielbörger have published a new book entitled "Basiswissen Tanz", which explains the theoretical foundations of dance and provides examples for prospective dance teachers in (high) schools and other institutions. It also provides background knowledge from the fields of theater, sport and music for pedagogical training work.

From April 24, the oral examinations for the Master's in Sport Psychology (M11, PO 14) and Social Processes (M12, PO 21) will be based on new literature.
Please refer to the examination pages for information on the new examination literature.

We congratulate Hannah Pauly on receiving a doctoral scholarship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. With a duration of 36 months, Hannah will receive both financial and non-material support for her doctorate. Hannah is conducting research together with her doctoral supervisors Prof. Bernd Strauss, Prof. Svenja A. Wolf (Florida State University) & PD. Dr Dennis Dreiskämper to expand the "Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes" with the help of "Effort".

AOR Dr Barbara Halberschmidt was appointed to the scientific advisory board of the "Safety in Sport" foundation (NRW). The foundation works to understand how, when and why sports accidents and injuries occur and how they can be prevented. To this end, they work together with associations, sports organisations, science and politics in projects. The results are passed on to athletes, trainers, coaches and sports clubs.

On November 23th and 24th, the 6th Community Health Conference in Bochum took place. Community Health contributes to overcoming the challenges for health care.
Nadine Albrecht, with her program developed in her doctorate, was part of a focus session on "Social space-oriented health promotion of children and adolescents in Herne" in cooperation with the Stadt Herne and then presented her pilot study at a poster and information stand.

Sport keeps you healthy - this truism is as banal as it is true. But how much exercise is necessary, especially for adolescents? The WHO recommends around one hour of exercise per day for children and young people. The study carried out as part of the "Move for Health" project under the direction of Dr. Dennis Dreiskämper provides worrying figures: The federally funded study found that fewer and fewer young people are doing regular sport in their free time.

Prof. Bernd Strauss, Prof. Maike Tietjens, Stephanie Bünemann, and Birte Brinkmöller presented their current research at this year's SCAPPS. In addition, many interesting discussions were held, and new project ideas were developed.

At this year's dvs General Assembly Bernd Strauß, Dennis Dreiskämper and Barbara Halberschmidt invited to the dvs Congress 2025 in Münster under the motto 'Diversity and Sustainability in Sports Science ?!'!

The congress will take place from 17 -19.9. 2025 at the castle and surrounding buildings. Sports scientists from all disciplines can participate in the congress.

AOR Dr Barbara Halberschmidt attended the 8th school sports day of the dslv Lower Saxony at the University of Oldenburg on September 13th, 2023 and was able to network and make new contacts on site. Former IfS colleagues were also there (Prof. Büsch, Prof. Schorer, Drs. Pöppel and Rienhoff).

Jona Greve, Edda van Meurs and Bernd Strauss have addressed this question in their recently recently published study "Elite darts performance and the social influence of real crowds and simulated crowd noise" in Nature's prestigious journal “Scientific Reports”.

Last Saturday, July 1, the Sports Events Seminar and Roundnet Seminar held the IfS Roundnet Tournament for the third time.
In relatively good weather conditions, over 50 teams played on the campus' Court 1.
A great success and congratulations to the winning team "Spike Culture"!

AOR Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt was invited by the adh to a symposium on the topic of dual careers in elite sports on June 22 in Berlin and gave a keynote speech on the Münster model. A poster was also presented.

The dsj joint project move4health, funded by the BMFSFJ, aims to investigate three central topics with the help of a representative survey and qualitative in-depth studies. (1) the potential of exercise, play and sport for the psycho-social health of children and adolescents, (2) the attractiveness of sports clubs for children and adolescents, (3) conducive and obstructive conditions for children and adolescents to access and remain in sports, with a particular focus on socially disadvantaged target groups and those who are not involved in sports. The project is led and coordinated by members of the Department of Sport Psychology (PD. Dr. Dennis Dreiskämper & Dr. Lena Henning). The Research Unit Education and Instruction in Sport is responsible for an in-depth study in the area of all-day sports (Prof. Nils Neuber & Nils Kaufmann).

On Saturday, June 3, this year's Qatch tournament took place in cooperation of the sports event seminar under the direction of Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt and the Qatch seminar under the direction of Axel Binnenbruck. Ten (international) teams competed on the beach courts in beautiful sunshine.
After an exciting preliminary round, the Hungarian team "Two and a half man" won the final against the team "Bier Elite".
The tournament ended in the evening on the campus in glorious sunshine.

As part of the MA seminar "Sport Psychology in Schools", Daniela Gundlach, motopaedist and sports teacher at the BK, gave a lecture on motopaedic and psychomotor support options in physical education. With numerous case studies, the students worked out a variety of possibilities for dealing with conspicuous children and adolescents in physical education.

During the 55th annual meeting of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Sportpsychologie in Stuttgart, Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt was elected vice president for the area of "School Sport and Teaching".
We congratulate her on her election and wish her every success for her work in the next two years.

At the end of this year's 55th Annual Meeting of the Working Group for Sport Psychology in Stuttgart, the Hermann Rieder Medal of Honor was awarded to Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß for his many years of commitment and service in and to the asp.
We congratulate warmly on this special award.

In July, 2019, Bernd Strauß and the sportpsychology department of the WWU Münster held the FEPSAC convention, which takes place every four years, at the Münster Schloss for five days. Almost 1000 sport psychologists from more than 60 countries took part in an extensive scientific program that celebrated the 50th birthday of the European Association of sportpsychology FEPSAC.

The city of Münster prized this and two more conventions out of several hundreds from the last two years by handing over the award as the best and specifically forward-looking congress. This award was last handed over in 2019.

The 11th German-Japanese Symposium of Sports Science took place from March 1 to 3, 2023, at the Nippon Sports Science University (NSSU) in Tokyo under the guiding theme "Rethinking sustainability issues and values in sports". In addition to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Roland Naul, who was also honored for his many years of commitment, Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß and Prof. Dr. Maike Tietjens, other sports scientists presented current research findings and projects on the central theme.
The symposium once again demonstrated the diversity of sports science and research and the importance of international and interdisciplinary dialog.

 

On February 3, 2023, representatives of the WWU, of the "adh", of the Olympic staging post NRW and of the "Studierendenwerk" met for re- signing the revised contract that has already been concluded 20 years ago. The project is important for top- level athletes since it supports their dual career.

On January 27 / 2023, the "Sportstiftung NRW" awarded 90 grants for the first time in Düsseldorf the fair "boot".  The athletes were decorated by the state secretary for sports and voluntary work in NRW, Andrea Milz, and the chairperson of the Sportstiftung NRW, Dr. Ingo Wolf. The top- level sports project of the WWU was represented by Jörg Verhoeven and Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt.

Nadine Albers presented the boxing project Mind Mittens in the MA seminar (Maike Tietjens & Barbara Halberschmidt) "Personality and Leadership" with practical insight into individual modules of the project. Afterwards, the students discussed with Inga Jelen (special education teacher) about possibilities and limits of promoting personality in a special education setting at schools.

The new book by Bernd Strauß (AB Sportpsychologie), which he wrote together with Daniel Memmert (DSHS Cologne) and Daniel Theweleit (freelance journalist, e.g. at FAZ, Spiegel), has just been published by Springer/Nature-Verlag.

The Department of Sport Psychology wishes all colleagues, students, partners and friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2023! We will be on Christmas vacation from 23.12.2022 to 09.01.2023.

Your Team Sport Psychology

On Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, Lena Henning successfully defended her doctoral thesis on "How self-perceptions control physical activity behavior: The interplay of physical self-concept, motivation, and physical activity in middle childhood" defended.
We congratulate her very much!

On Wednesday, 30.11.22 Dennis Dreiskämper held his habilitation lecture on the topic of "Doping prevention from a sport psychological perspective: The importance of the athlete's perspective on the legitimacy and impact of anti-doping efforts" and thus successfully completed the habilitation procedure. Dean Prof. Dr. Gerald Echterhoff was the first to congratulate on the "Venia legendi" together with the FBR and numerous guests from inside and outside the WWU!

Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß and Prof. Dr. Heiko Wagner were recently elected as vice dean and dean of studies respectively of faculty 07 - psychology and sport sciences. Additionally, Bernd Strauß is now the Executive Director of the IfS, Heiko Wagner the executive vice- director. We congratulate cordially and wish them a successful term of office!

SC Preussen and the WWU want to enhance their already existing cooperations and plan on doing joint projects. Bernd Strauss as the representative of the top- level sports at the WWU has coordinated a statement that also involves the faculty of sport sciences as well as the university sports.

Stephanie Bünemann has successfully completed the asp curriculum in competitive sports after two years!

Congratulations!

Dr. Dennis Dreiskämper successfully completed the WWU scholarship "Hochschulmanagement" on 20.10.22 after two years. The participants of the two-year advanced training from all departments of the university trained in central university management tasks.
We congratulate him very warmly!
 

Edda van Meurs, Jona Greve and Bernd Strauss from the Department of Sport and Exercise Psychology have published a comprehensive meta-analysis and systematic review of all studies from the last 100 years on this topic in the renowned journal "International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology" with the title "Moving in the presence of others" (click here for the article).
 

A new comprehensive compendium by Jun.-Prof. Stefanie Klatt (DSHS Cologne) and Prof. Bernd Strauß (IfS) with 21 chapters by the leading German-speaking scientists in an edited work on the sport psychological basics and applications on the interaction of cognition and motor skills has just been published by Hogrefe Verlag.

Within the project Sportlichter , motor tests were successfully conducted with 60 elementary school students from talent groups.

At the 16th Congress of European Sports Psychology, FEPSAC, Bernd Strauß was appointed to the Managing Council for four years. As Vice President, he will represent the Research and Communication department. Good luck for your tenure!

Ralf Lanwehr, FH professor, adviser to the DFB, expert and adviser for leadership, culture & change with a pinch of people analytics visited the MA seminar "Sport and Exercise Psychology in School" and gave a rousing, interactive lecture on charisma and leadership. The students were enthusiastic and asked and discussed questions with great interest. Thanks for the great visit!!

The book by Edda van Meurs, Bernd Strauss (both Dept. of Sport and Exercise Psychology), Vera Vergeld (formerly Dept. of Sport and Exercise Psychology) and Volker Gehrau (Professor of Communication Sciences at the WWU) in UTB Verlag has just been published.

Trotz unterschiedlicher Coronaprognosen für den Herbst wirft aktuell ein weitgehend einschränkungsfreier Sommer seine Schatten voraus. Viele Wissenschaftler*innen beschäftigen sich indes weiter mit den Folgen der Pandemie. Sportpsychologe Dr. Dennis Dreiskämper hat die Auswirkungen auf Bewegung und Fitness von Kindern und Jugendlichen untersucht. Im Interview mit Hanna Dieckmann berichtet er, welche Kinder besonders betroffen sind und welche Ergebnisse ihn überrascht haben. Hier geht es zum Interview auf der Webseite der WWU

Arto Laukkanen, PhD, adjunct professor, is working as senior lecturer in Sport Pedagogy at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences in University of Jyväskylä, Finland. His research aims at providing understanding of the developmental mechanisms leading to physically active lifestyles early in life and later on. At the moment, Laukkanen is leading a geographically representative longitudinal study of families with children (Skills, support and physical activity - Taiturit) and is supervising three PhD students involved in this study. His stay from April 25-29, 2022, is sponsored by the WWU Internationalization Fund.
 


 

The Department of Sport and Exercise Psychology is looking for a student assistant (5h/week) to start as soon as possible. The position involves working on projects on anticipation, cognition and movement. All further information can be found in this PDF. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Edda van Meurs.
 


 

A deputy young member representative was elected in the DGP's sports psychology section. Charlotte Raue-Behlau was able to win this election and from now on she will take part in this office of the section leadership. We congratulate warmly.
 https://www.dgps.de/en/about-dgps/


 

The dept. of sport and exercise psychology is looking for a student assistant who is working on the hoempage (Imperia). You can find more information here (in german language).

As part of a doctorate on the subject of "talent selection", several bachelor's and master's theses are offered at the Dept. of sport and exercise psychology . Anyone who is interested in dealing with the processes and criteria of talent selection in different sports and in examining them empirically is welcome to contact Birte Brinkmöller.

The dept. of ​​education and teaching in sport and the dept. of ​​sport and exercise psychology are currently working together on a review on the connections between exercise, play and sport behavior and factors of healthy growing up during COVID-19. Anyone interested in dealing with this topic as part of a thesis (including systematic literature research) is welcome to contact either Dr. Kathrin Kohake, Stefanie Dahl and Prof. Nils Neuber or Dr. Dennis Dreiskamper and Lena Henning.


 

In the new episode of the podcast series "News and wisdom for young (scientific) researchers", you can listen to Dennis Dreiskämper, PhD. The aim of the podcast is to get to know the experiences of experienced and successful scientists and, if necessary, to learn from them. Link zum Podcast

Dr. Ingo Wolf, newly elected Chairman of the Board of the NRW Sports Foundation, visited the WWU on 17.12.21 and met with the top sports representative, Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauss, Jörg Verhoeven (HSP Director) and Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt (Top Sports Programme) for an exchange on the implementation of the concept of the Partner University of Top Sports at the WWU. Further information can be found here.

The Department of Sport Psychology is looking for a student assistant for 6 hours per week as soon as possible. The scope of duties includes working on the research project "Sportlichter" and other projects on motor and psycho-social development in childhood. Further information can be found here.

Within the framework of a third-party funded project over three measurement full stops, two new publications on the differentiation of the physical self-concept in childhood were produced at the Department of Sport Psychology. All further information can be found here.

The conference will start on 28.20.2021 at 10:30 am and end on 29.10.2021 around 2 pm. The venue will be H101 at our institute.

After 14 years at our Institute of Sport and Exercise Science, Dr. Linda Schücker is moving to WWU's Department 5.3, Strategic Planning and Academic Controlling. She will be working as an officer for university development planning and university rankings. Her new workplace will be the Schloss. We wish you all the best!

Charlotte Raue successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Are you thinking, what I am thinking? Measurement implications and empirical support of Shared Mental Models in sports". The dissertation committee consisted of Prof. Dr. Strauß, Prof. Dr. Blöbaum and Dr. Dreiskämper. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the defense took place with the support of the media lab hybrid.

We congratulate very much!

With its numerous sports and leisure facilities, Münster offers a suitable environment for sporting activities. MünsterMovesGreen" wants to bring together sporting activities with environmentally friendly measures. Here you can find more information!

The first sport science pub quiz was a big success! Congrats to #fabulousfairies and thanks to all 16 teams for playing, competing, chatting and staying late. We are already looking forward to the next time!

The management of university and research activities is becoming increasingly important and the call for qualified education and training in this complex field is correspondingly louder. Dr. Dennis Dreiskämper was able to win a scholarship for the university management program at WWU. Congratulations!!!

On February 6, the moon is exactly 371,521 kilometers away from Earth. We want to cover this distance together! Everyone is invited to join in, whether on foot, by bicycle or wheelchair, on a skateboard or inline skates. Prof. Dr. Maike Tietjens already announced in advance that she will join the challenge! Besides the fun factor, you do something for your health, keep your distance and protect the environment. Here you can find all further information about Münster to the moon, which was initiated by Ole Kittner.

After six extremely successful years under the leadership of Dr. Dennis Dreiskämper, a new composition and a new chair of KFWN was elected today. Under the leadership of Prof. Heiko Wagner and Prof. Claudia Voelcker-Rehage, projects will now be pursued further and in more depth. The KFWN would like to thank Dennis Dreiskämper for driving, motivating, re-conceptualizing and leading the KFWN!

This week new findings were published on the importance of physical activity for success in university studies. The book can be accessed as a free online version via the publisher's homepage. Please follow click here for further informations.

An online version of the Code of Ethics of the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) has just been published in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. A total of 24 international experts were involved in the development of the ethical guidelines for sport psychology practice, which were compiled as part of the initiative of an international database of sport psychology experts. Among them was Dr. Sebastian Brückner from the Department of Sport Psychology at the WWU. The publication can be viewed here.

Since a few months, the first digital semester at the WWU is taking place. The digital teaching is a challenge for all involved teachers and lecturers and may even be novel to most of them. Please click here for further information regarding creative solutions for digital learning and teaching.

300 euros per month for high-performing students
From now on students of the WWU Münster can apply for ProTalent scholarships in the support year 2020/2021. Please click here for further information.

Georgia, student and member of the student association, participated in a coverage of the WDR regarding sport studies during Corona pandemic. She is attendee of the sport psychology seminar that is organized by Lena Henning & Barbara Halberschmidt who also give insights about their first experiences of digital learning. Follow this link to view the coverage.

Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß is explaining the effects of cheering crowds during soccer matches. The report is available until 31.03.2021 and can be seen on the website of the ARD Sportschau.

Markus Raab, Jörn Munzert and Bernd Strauß have published a new textbook of sportpsychology (publisher: Kohlhammer).

Raab, M., Munzert, J., Strauß, B.(2020). Sportpsychologie: Ein Lehrbuch. Kohlhammer Verlag.

Link to publisher

Save the date! On the 5th of February 2020, the famous Examination Show is taking place at the HH. We are looking forward for your appearance. Afterwards, an After Show Party with DJ Sarah, DJ Mara and more DJs will be in the basement of the USH. Entrance: 3 Euro. Drinks will be offered!

Since 1. december 2019, Till Utesch from the department of sport psychology is working as junior professor at the institute of comparative education of the WWU with the work unit "Pädagogische Diagnostik und Potentialentwicklung". We dearly congratulate Till!
Contact of Jun-Prof. Dr. Till Utesch:
Bispinhof 5/6 (Raum F 007)
Tel.: +49 251 83 21242, email remains: till.utesch@uni-muenster.de

247 Students are receiving the 'ProTalent' scholarship of the WWU. For the first time this year, three top level athletes that were selected by the responsible commissionar Bernd Strauß were supported by this program. For further information see the reporting of the WN and the page of the Spitzensport.

On december the 3rd at 19 o'clock (H0101, Horstmarer Landweg 62b, institute of sport and exercise science) Dr. Leon Windscheid is giving a talk regarding the 'Sportpaten'-project about importance of emotional intelligence and empathy. For this purpose all students are invited, because empathy is not only important for 'Sportpaten', but also for future teachers. Empathy cannot be replaced on a digital way.

Dr. Till Utesch gave a lecture in Münster on educational potential, opportunities and risks associated with the pop cultural youth phenomenon of eSports and gaming as part of the lecture series on the digitalization of the Bürgernetz e.V. Commonalities and contrasts between established sports and eSports titles were worked out, but also how gaming culture, sport and movement can stimulate each other. For example, eSports (gaming) can help to transport conventional teaching content in an interesting way and to promote cognitive learning processes or make a broad contribution to potential development within the framework of extra-curricular activities (e.g. young people teach to teachers).

The department of Sport Psychology participated at the annual conference of the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology (SCAPPS) in Vancouver from 17. to 19. October. Lena Henning, Charlotte Raue, Vera Storm, Bernd Strauss, Maike Tietjens and Edda van Meurs were presenting their latest research regarding Yoga and (cognitive) fitness, motor development, team processes, movement imagery as well as psychological determinants of movement behaviour.

Die Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) hat 2019 Nikos Ntoumanis (Curtin University, Australien) mit ihrem Distinguished International Scholar Award ausgezeichnet. Prof. Bernd Strauss, der mit Nikos Ntoumanis Co-Editor der Zeitschrift “Psychology of Sport and Exercise” ist, hatte seinen internationalen Kollegen für diese Auszeichnung nominiert. Das von Sebastian Brückner geleitete International Relations Committee der AASP vergab den Preis schließlich an Ntoumanis, der im Rahmen der Tagung eine Lecture zum Thema "The Role of Motivational Factors in Predicting Physical Activity, Weight Management, and Physical/Mental Health in Different Life Settings” hielt und dem im Anschluss dann der Award von Sebastian Brückner überreicht wurde.

Dr. Antje Hill and Dr. Lena Busch successfully completed their doctorate. We congratulate cordially!

As part of the FEPSAC 2019 Congress, one of the largest sports psychology congresses in the world, held this year from 15.-20.7.2019 in Münster, a Science Slam was organized for the first time. Four canidates from Europe vied for the favor of the public and the international high-grade jury. The event was moderated by Dennis Dreiskämper. The media lab of the IfS has filmed the event.

The Universitätsgesellschaft Münster e.V. supports a new project about eSports led by Dr. Till Utesch. The project aims to examine sport psychological and educational perspectives on eSports and (teacher) education. Furthermore, it aims to start a discussion about educational potentials of eSports and to promote the awareness of related risks in university studies. The project continues the idea of the seminar (WS 2018/19) „eSports – Educational potential or health risk?“ (Utesch/Grade). It will be implemented in cooperation with the AStA Sportreferat (Colja Homann, Maximilian Strunk) in 2019.

Dr. Till Utesch visited the John Morris University in Liverpool to promote the close cooperation to the WWU Münster. Main focus of his stay was the close cooperation in post graduate qualification. Specifically, the evaluation of the physical education curriculum SAMPLE-PE (Skill Acquisition through Manipulation of the Physical Learning Environments during Physical Education) was discussed, which was delivered one semester in local primary schools. The curriculum was underpinned by motor, affective and cognitive development theories in children. It was implemented during one school term using different teaching strategies (direct instruction vs. non-linear pedagogy) by schooled teachers, who were now compared to a control group of untrained teachers. As a part of this research stay, Till Utesch ran a workshop about “Longitudinal Multilevel Modelling in PE Evaluation”, in which the special focus on the influence of the teacher level on the results from this randomized control trial.