Dr. Darla Castelli of the University of Texas at Austin will present the 2021 Esther Larson McGinnis Scholar Lecture, “Bringing Science Home—Whole Communities, Whole Health” at 6 p.m. October 27, on Zoom.
The event is free and open to the public. Those interested can register here to receive the Zoom link.
Castelli will discuss Whole Communities, Whole Health, a large-scale project focusing on children’s health. The 10-year initiative takes a community-first and transdisciplinary approach to research. “We seek to build a new research model that builds relationships and brings science into the home,” said Castelli, who added the model will then be used to advocate for the community’s needs.
Working with school-aged youth in physical activity settings for 30 years, Castelli has led numerous physical activity interventions in schools. As a fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology and SHAPE America, her research focuses on the effects of physical activity on cognitive and brain health in children, which has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Dietetic Foundation, National Science Foundation, and U.S. Department of Education.
Castelli is the recipient of the 2020 Catherine Ennis AERA Scholar Award, 2020 SHAPE America Scholar Award, and 2020 SHAPE America Curriculum and Instruction Award. For her collective efforts, at UT Austin, she was named a University of Texas Longhorn Game Changer, University of Texas Professor of Excellence and currently holds the Catherine Mae Parker Centennial Professorship in Education.
Those with questions can email ychan12@ilstu.edu. Find more about the School of Kinesiology and Recreation.
