Grand Valley State University’s Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarship (OURS) and GVSU Athletics are launching a new partnership that opens the doors for students and faculty to use athletics as a vibrant, real-world laboratory for high-impact research. Rooted in the University’s Reach Higher campaign—which emphasizes empowered learning and holistic student success—this collaboration positions Laker Athletics as a powerful hub for academic inquiry across multiple disciplines.

A New Avenue for Meaningful Research

From biomechanics and nutrition to media studies and leadership, athletics offers a unique environment where theory meets practice. This partnership enables faculty and students to directly engage with teams, coaches, data, and performance environments to conduct research that is both academically rigorous and practically impactful.

Through the partnership, researchers will be able to:

• Design studies involving student-athletes, sports performance settings, and team operations.
• Collaborate with coaches and support staff to observe training sessions, travel logistics, rehabilitation processes, and sport-specific routines.
• Analyze real-time data—performance metrics, injury patterns, workload management, nutrition plans, sport psychology interventions, and more.
• Present in traditional settings and/or athletics-affiliated events.
• Contribute findings that inform athlete wellness, coaching practices, and departmental decision-making.

Majors and Programs That Can Leverage Athletics for Research

Students and faculty across campus can utilize Laker Athletics as a dynamic site for qualitative, quantitative, and applied research. Academic areas with strong natural alignment include:

• Exercise Science – Biomechanics, strength and conditioning, VO₂ analysis, workload monitoring
• Sport Management– Operations, event planning, game-day logistics, budgeting, facility management
• Psychology & Behavioral Neuroscience– Motivation, group cohesion, performance anxiety, resilience
• Biomedical Sciences– Injury mechanisms, recovery protocols, cellular adaptation to training
• Nursing & Allied Health Sciences– Athletic training collaboration, rehabilitation outcomes, preventative care
• Public Health– Nutrition patterns, sleep behavior, health-equity issues in sport
• Statistics & Data Science– Predictive modeling, performance analytics, scouting metrics
• Engineering (Product Design, Mechanical, Biomedical)– Wearable tech, equipment design, motion analysis
• Business (Marketing, Logistics, Management, Accounting)– Sponsorship ROI, fan engagement, merchandise analytics, travel efficiencies
• Communications, PR, Multimedia Journalism– Media coverage of athletics, brand storytelling, crisis communication
• Sociology & Anthropology– Team culture, identity formation, gender representation in sport
• Education– Academic support systems, learning strategies for student-athletes

This list is intentionally broad—reflecting the diverse ways athletics serves as a living environment for interdisciplinary scholarship.

“Athletics is one of the richest ecosystems for applied learning on our campus,” said Keri Becker, Athletic Director. “Every practice is an experiment in human performance. Every team is a lesson in leadership. Every season is a case study in planning, resilience, and adaptation. By partnering with OURS, we’re inviting students and faculty to use our programs as research laboratories that elevate both scholarship and sport.”

“As Faculty Athletics Representative, I see enormous potential in connecting academic inquiry with athletics,” said Dr. Jon Coles Faculty Athletics Representative. “Student-athletes, coaches, trainers, and staff navigate complex systems every day—perfect for the kind of experiential, student-centered research championed by Reach Higher. This partnership reinforces that athletics is not separate from academics; it is an extension of it.”

“This collaboration transforms athletics into a living lab,” said Susan Mendoza, Director of the Center for Undergraduate Scholar Engagement “By engaging with real-world data, environments, and challenges, students move beyond theory to practice—developing skills that translate directly to their careers. It’s an opportunity to innovate, problem-solve, and contribute meaningful insights while working alongside coaches, athletes, and staff.”