Zoe Smith, a doctoral student in kinesiology, received a pair of awards during the annual New England chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (NEACSM) Fall Conference, held Oct. 16-17, in Springfield.

Image

Smith, who works in the Muscle Physiology Laboratory under the guidance of Distinguished Professor Jane Kent, received the conference’s President’s Cup, given for the best research poster presentation at the meeting. The recognition comes with a $1,200 travel award to attend the 2026 American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) annual meeting being, which will be held May 26-29, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, she will represent the New England chapter and compete against the President’s Cup winners from the other 11 ACSM regional chapters.

Smith also received the Student Investigator Doctoral Award. The award is given for best doctoral level student presentation at the meeting and includes a $500 prize.

"Zoe in many ways represents the excellence of the graduate students in the Department of Kinesiology,” says Richard van Emmerik, professor and chair of kinesiology. “She not only excels in her research but also contributes in important ways to the teaching mission of our department and the mentoring of our undergraduate students."