Faculty from the 911爆料网's Physical Education program were recognized at the , held June 15鈥19 in Taipei, Taiwan.
Nieman receiving his award
The conference brought together more than 500 researchers, teacher educators, practitioners and students from around the world under the theme, "Dialogues of Knowledge Across Cultures," emphasizing the importance of international collaboration and intercultural exchange in advancing physical education, physical activity and sport pedagogy.
Craig Nieman, assistant professor of instruction in physical education, received the prestigious 2026 AIESEP Early Career Scholar Award, which recognizes emerging scholars who are making significant contributions to sport pedagogy, physical education, physical activity, and related fields through innovative and impactful research. Nieman was selected as one of only three recipients worldwide.
鈥淚t is a privilege to be honored among amazing colleagues dedicated to advancing physical education research worldwide,鈥 Nieman said.
In addition to receiving the award, Nieman presented research on examining physical education teacher education faculty beliefs regarding culturally relevant education and its implications for teacher educators looking to teach pre-service teachers to serve a variety of student populations. The research was done in collaboration with USF Professor Sara Flory, USF Alumna Rebecca Wylie and Kevin Andrew Richards, associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Nieman also contributed to the conference's Early Career Researcher Special Interest Group pre-conference programming as one of the facilitators for the session, "Cultivating Meaningful Relationships for Future Impact: Early Career Researchers." The session featured rotating small-group discussions focused on common opportunities and challenges facing emerging scholars and was facilitated by AIESEP Early Career Scholar Award recipients.
Sun receiving her certificate for presenting
Additional USF College of Education faculty, including Haichun Sun, professor of physical education, presented research. Sun鈥檚 work examined psychological and cognitive factors as an interconnected system rather than in isolation, offering new insights into how physical activity influences multiple dimensions of well-being and potentially reshaping future research and intervention approaches. Sun also provided key support to USF faculty throughout the week, using her bilingual proficiency to facilitate communication in interactions with local organizers and the host community.
Beyond research presentations, the congress provided extensive opportunities for networking, collaboration, and relationship building with colleagues from across the globe. Faculty members engaged in discussions with researchers, practitioners, and students representing over 50 countries, creating opportunities for future collaborative projects and scholarly partnerships.
The strong USF presence at this year's congress continued the program's longstanding commitment to global engagement. As an institutional member of AIESEP and host of the highly successful 2025 AIESEP International Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, USF faculty remained actively involved in supporting the organization.
Following the 2025 conference, which welcomed hundreds of delegates from dozens of countries to the USF St. Petersburg campus, members of the USF Physical Education program served as a valuable sounding board for conference organizers in Taipei, offering guidance on conference procedures, planning, and scheduling based on their recent hosting experience.
As the congress concluded, participants left Taipei energized by new ideas, expanded professional networks, and strengthened international partnerships. Looking ahead, the next will be held July 12鈥16, 2027, at Fontys University of Applied Sciences, School of Sport Studies, in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Given the program's significant contributions to recent conferences, USF Physical Education is poised to once again have a strong presence and continue advancing meaningful scholarship, collaboration and leadership within the global physical education community.
