September 2025 Newsletter

Hello AIESEP Friends,

This might be the most action-packed newsletter I have sent out! I have so much to share, I don’t know where to start. So here are some highlights and then some details below:

• AIESEP has signed an historic MOU with the Spectrum Institute for Teaching and Learning (SITL) which fully funds the PhD summer school for the next decade! See press release here. Applications for the class of 2026 are due October 31^st.
• The call for abstracts is open for AIESEP 2026 in Taiwan (Abstracts are due Nov 4^th). And the website is live.
• The call for abstracts for the specialist seminar in Australia closes September 23rd.
• AIESEP is launching a new special interest group on primary and elementary physical education.

You can follow updates on our LinkedIn.

Here are some updates:

1. In December 2025 AIESEP will host a specialist seminar titled: “Body politics in and through movement” It will be held at Edith Cowan University, SW campus, Bunbury/Goomburrup country, Western Australia. The exact dates for the conference are December 8-10, 2025. The call for abstracts closes Sept 23^rd!You can submit abstracts for review here. The registration is open for this specialist seminar, and you can register here (Registration closes Oct. 8th). The local organizing committee recently hosted an AIESEP Connect session that talks about body politics you can view the recording here.

2. The call for abstracts for the 2026 AIESEP World Congress Taipei, Taiwan is open. Abstracts are due November 4^th and the conference will run June 15^th to 19^th, 2026. The conference website is live https://aiesep2026.com.tw/ and will continue being updated! Submissions include: oral presentation, poster, and symposium. Also, be on the lookout for the official call for the Developing Country Scholar Award, and the Early Career Scholar Award. Both require a submission of an abstract as a first author and thus will be due when the abstracts close.

3. AIESEP will host its second PhD summer school in Taipei. With a generous donation by the Spectrum Institute for Teaching and Learning (SITL) the 20 selected applicants will receive free registration to AIESEP 2026 and the summer school, free housing for the duration of the conference and summer school, as well as most meals throughout their time with the conference. Additionally, travel stipends will be awarded to heavily subsidize travel to Taiwan for selected students. Applications are open now and there is a comprehensive podcast that explains all the details of the summer school here. Applications are due October 31^st. If you are a PhD student -or know of one- who will still be completing their studies at this time, please check out this great opportunity. Here is a link to the application.

4. The AIESEP Specialist Seminar in Lausanne, Switzerland February 5-6^th2026 has opened registration. The specialist seminar is limited to 60 people and will be hosted at the Haute École Pédagogique du Canton de Vaude. The theme for the specialist seminar is: Future Matters: Reimagining Physical Education for a Changing World. Here is a link to the website which has daily schedules and registration links. Four UNESCO chairs will be present as special guests.

5. Save the date: The next AIESEP Connect session will be at 11am (GMT) on the 31st October. This is the official launch of the new Special Interest Group (SIG) for Primary and Elementary PE. The title is: Contemporary Issues in Primary/Elementary Physical Education

Speakers include: Dr Gerald Griggs – Dean Academics, UCFB, Dr Grace Cardiff, Lecturer, Maynooth University, Dr Vicky Randall, Visiting Associate Professor, University of Gloucestershire

6. The AIESEP 2027 conference has been awarded to Fontys University in Eindhoven, Netherlands! Some of you may have attended a specialist seminar there in 2018. The AIESEP board is working with Fontys to set the dates and times, but it will be held in July of 2027. More information to follow.

7. Bids are open to host the 2028 AIESEP Conference. These bids are due to Tristan Wallhead by January 31^st 2026. You can find the application form here.

8. AIESEP is on LinkedIn. You can find the most up to date postings on our LinkedIn profile as well as by following the AIESEP Blog.  LinkedIn is also the best place to find links to our AIESEP connect session registrations.

9. Make your AIESEP Member Profile: As an AIESEP member you can now create your own personal member profile! You can use it to connect with other members, read or post articles, blogs and recorded presentations, or maybe to provide updates on projects or look for that person during the last AIESEP conference who gave that inspiring paper. Make your AIESEP member profile NOW. Go to the Member’s Corner on the AIESEP website and click on Community or directly by clicking here.

10. AIESEP is now accepting donations to support future developing country scholars. We have created a page on the website that shares information about how to donate and how your donation makes a differencehttps://aiesep.org/donation/

Finally, as we build out our new website, emails and newsletters will come from info@aiesep.org so please add this to your “safe sender list” and check your filters for past messages. And, finally, if you’re still reading and enjoyed this newsletter, please consider sending this to a colleague and tell them about our association!

Sincerely,

Risto Marttinen

Secretary General AIESEP

Associate Professor

George Mason University

rmarttin@gmu.edu