72nd Annual Nebraska Symposium on Motivation
The Psychology of Performance Optimization in Collegiate Athletes
April 16-17, 2025
Organized by Aron K. Barbey & Douglas Schultz
Collegiate athletics presents a unique opportunity for personal growth and development, cultivating lifelong physical, mental, and social skills that transcend the playing field. However, the rigorous demands of collegiate sports can also pose challenges to an athlete’s overall health, wellbeing, and performance. Recognizing the pivotal role of psychology for enabling athletic success, this symposium, titled “The Psychology of Performance Optimization in Collegiate Athletes,” investigates the psychological underpinnings of athletic achievement, examining evidence-based interventions that empower student-athletes to thrive both on and off the field.
Theme 1: Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (Diagnosis, Treatment, and Interventions)
Speakers
- Tony Belli (University of Birmingham)
- Carrie Esopenko (Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai)
- Grant Iverson (Harvard Medical School)
- Doug Wiebe (University of Michigan)
Theme 2: Performance Optimization Factors (Psychological, Biological, Social, etc.)
Speakers
- Lt Col Robert Briggs (United States Air Force)
- Josh Hagen (Ohio State University)
- Barbara Meyer (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
- Jesse Steinfeldt (Indiana University)
Registration
Please register for the symposium by April 7th at the following link: https://motivation.unl.edu/registration/
Poster session submissions
We are accepting submissions for poster presentations. The poster session will be held April 16-17 during the Symposium (details to follow). The theme of the symposium this year is, “The Psychology of Performance Optimization in Collegiate Athletes.” Submissions are limited to 250 words. This does not include title, authors, and affiliations. Submissions should emphasize the relationship between the project and at least one of two major themes: 1) Mild traumatic brain injury (diagnosis, treatment, interventions, etc), 2) Factors related to performance optimization (psychological, biological, social, etc). Submissions should be emailed to Doug Schultz (dschultz14@unl.edu) with the subject “Nebraska Symposium Poster Abstract”. We encourage submissions from a wide range of disciplines and University of Nebraska System institutions. The deadline for submissions is March 29, 2025.
