The 2008 Summer Olympic Games will be held Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China. More than 10,000 athletes are expected to compete in the games, including 18 current or former University of Texas at Austin student-athletes.
Researchers at the university are available to discuss sports issues ranging from competition psychology and doping, to race, gender and Chinese culture.
PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE
Sport Doping and the Olympics
John Hoberman
Chairman, Department of Germanic Studies
512-471-4123
hoberman@mail.utexas.edu
Hoberman studies the intersection of sports, science, politics, public opinion and the Olympics. He is the author of “Testosterone Dreams: Rejuvenation, Aphrodisia, Doping” and “Mortal Engines: The Science of Performance and the Dehumanization of Sport.” Learn more in the feature story “Testosterone Dreams.”
Competition, Hormones and Behavior
Robert Josephs
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
512-471-9788
josephs@mail.psy.utexas.edu
Pranjal Mehta
Research Fellow, Department of Psychology
512-471-6992
pmehta@mail.utexas.edu
Josephs and Mehta study testosterone levels and competitiveness and the differences between men and women in the drive to dominate. For example, after a man loses a challenge–in a competitive sport or in the social arena–whether or not he is willing to get back in the game depends on changes in his testosterone levels.
Elite Athletes’ Physical Performance
Ed Coyle
Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education;
Director, Human Performance Laboratory
512-471-8596
coyle@mail.utexas.edu
Coyle conducted an in-depth study of Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s physical performance and is an expert on the physiology of elite endurance/high-performance athletes. The Wall Street Journal recently tapped Coyle for a judging panel to name the top 10 athletes in the world. Learn more in the feature story “Man and Superman.”
John Ivy
Chairman, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education
512-471-8599
johnivy@mail.utexas.edu
Ivy is an expert on the nutrition needed for top physical performance and endurance. His research has fine-tuned the science of “nutrient timing.” Last year he developed a sports performance drink, which is used by the U.S. Olympic swim team. It provides the optimum mix of nutrients for physical recovery before and after an intense workout. Learn more in the feature story “Timing is Everything.”
Pressure and Learning Performance
Arthur Markman
Professor, Department of Psychology
512-232-4645
markman@mail.utexas.edu
Todd Maddox
Professor, Department of Psychology
512-475-8494
maddox@mail.utexas.edu
With support from the National Institute of Health, Markman and Maddox examine situational factors that might explain why some people perform well under pressure, while others choke.
Aging Athletes
Hiro Tanaka
Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education;
Director, Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory
512-232-4801
htanaka@mail.utexas.edu
Tanaka is an exercise physiologist who has studied the effects of resistance training on the aging body, including that of athletes. He is conducting a five-year study of the effects of weight training on the hardening of arteries and maintenance of a healthy cardiovascular system. Learn more in the feature story “It Does a Body Good.”
CHINA’S ECONOMY AND CULTURE
U.S.-Sino Relations
Peter Trubowitz
Associate Professor. Department of Government
512-232-7257
trubowitz@mail.utexas.edu
Trubowitz is an international relations and foreign policy expert who researches U.S.-Sino relations and was a Fulbright lecturer at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He is the author of “Defining the National Interest: Conflict and Change in American Foreign Policy.”
Politics, Labor Protests and the Economy in China
William Hurst
Assistant Professor, Department of Government
512-232-7208
whurst@austin.utexas.edu
Hurst researches politics, legal and social issues and the labor market in China. He is the author of “The Chinese Worker After Socialism” and co-editor of “China’s Shattered Rice Bowl: Laid-off Workers in a Workers’ State.” Hurst is analyzing the results from a large-scale survey on rural protests and petitions in Chinese provinces and the state’s response to laid-off workers.
China’s Economic Growth
John Doggett
Senior Lecturer, McCombs School of Business
512-232-7671
john.doggett@mccombs.utexas.edu
A frequent traveler to China, Doggett researches China’s economic growth and business issues, particularly as they apply to the western business world. He is working on a book “Don’t Blink: The Rise of China and India” with Prabhudev Konana, professor of information management at the McCombs School of Business.
An Insider’s Guide to Reporting China
Tracy Dahlby
The Frank A. Bennack, Jr. Chair in Journalism; Director, School of Journalism
512-471-1845
tdahlby@mail.utexas.edu
For 13 years, Dahlby lived in Asia, where he was Tokyo bureau chief for Newsweek and The Washington Post. He covered events throughout China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. Each year, he leads an apprenticeship-style study abroad course in international reporting in China. Students learn how to report stories from the field and overcome logistical and professional challenges presented by international reporting.
Chinese Culture and Society
Avron Boretz
Assistant Professor, Department of Asian Studies
512-475-6053
boretz@mail.utexas.edu
Boretz studies the history, society and culture of Taiwan and China, including local power structures and the underground economy, popular religion, and local and minority identities. He teaches courses on ritual and religion in Chinese society and cultural production in East Asia.
SPORTS HISTORY AND CULTURE
Sports History and Gender
Jan Todd
Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education
512-471-4890
j.todd@mail.utexas.edu
Todd was named “strongest woman in the world” by both Sports Illustrated and the Guiness Book of World Records and set world records in five bodyweight classes during her 12-year power lifting career. Now a renowned sports historian and strength-training expert, she is the author of “Physical Culture and the Body Beautiful,” about women’s body image during the 19th century, and “Lift Your Way to Youthful Fitness.” Learn more about her research in the feature story “Body of Work.”
Race and Sports
Louis Harrison Jr.
Associate Professor, College of Education
512-232-4785
lharrison@mail.utexas.edu
Harrison researches the ways in which race influences physical activity and sports participation. He is investigating why African Americans comprise 12 percent of the population but 78 percent of the National Basketball Association, 67 percent of the National Football League and 63 percent of the Women’s National Basketball Association. Learn more in the feature story “Redefine the Finish Line.”
Ben Carrington
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
512-232-6341
bcarrington@austin.utexas.edu
Carrington researches race, sports and culture, including topics such as sports, masculinity and the black cultural renaissance, the politics of race and sport policy, and blackness and celebrity sports stars.
