KNOXVILLE — Do the right food choices make or break an athlete on the playing field? Allison Maurer, sports dietitian for the University of Tennessee Athletics Department, will shed some light on that question when she speaks at the UT Science Forum on Friday, Sept. 17.
Her talk, “Nutrition: Essential Equipment in Sports Performance,” will begin at noon in Thompson-Boling Arena Dining Room C-D. The program is free and open to the public; attendees are welcome to bring their lunches or purchase lunch at the Café at the Arena.
Among her duties in the Athletics Department, Maurer educates female and male student-athletes on hydration, recovery nutrition and pre-event meals, in one-on-one counseling, grocery store tours and cooking demonstrations.
“We would never ask a football player to get on the field without a helmet, a soccer player to get on the field without cleats, or a swimmer to get in the pool without goggles,” Maurer said. “Why would we ask our student-athletes to perform without adequate fuel to compete? That is what sports nutrition is: making sure our student-athletes show up nutritionally prepared for every event or practice.”
The UT Science Forum is a weekly event where academic, medical and research professionals share their knowledge and unique insights in their fields. Different science topics will be discussed with a question-and-answer session at the end of each 40-minute presentation.
The UT Science Forum is sponsored by the UT Office of Research. Upcoming presentations include:
Sept 24: Teresa L. Jennings, program administrator in the College of Veterinary Medicine, presents “Knoxville’s Community Cats: Problems and Solutions.”
Oct. 1: Sherrell R. Greene, director of nuclear technology programs at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, presents “Reprocessing Nuclear Fuel.”
Oct. 8: Fall Break – no meeting
Oct 15: David Buehler, professor of wildlife science, presents “Tennessee’s Warblers, Jewels of the Forest — Why They Are Vanishing.”
Oct. 22: Yilu Liu, Governor’s Chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering, presents “Monitoring of Smart Electrical Grids.”
Oct. 29: Randall W. Gentry, director of the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, presents “Water Resources and Sustainability Science.”
Nov. 5: John Bell, medical doctor and director of the Cancer Institute at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, presents “Epidemiology of Women’s Cancer.”
Nov 12: Andy Kramer, professor and head of anthropology, presents “Teaching the ‘E’ Word in Tennessee: Student Misconceptions about Evolution.”
Nov 19: Jill Narak, assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery in the College of Veterinary Medicine, presents “Neurologic Exams on Dogs and Cats — Patients Who Can’t Talk.”
For questions about the UT Science Forum, contact Mark Littmann, littmann@utk.edu or 974-8156, or Mike Clark, clarkgmorph@utk.edu or 974-6006.
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C O N T A C T:
Whitney Holmes (865-974-5460, wholmes7@utk.edu)