Promotion of Sports and Exercise as a Basis for a Healthy Lifestyle

Eleven questions for Jun.-Prof. Dr Anne Reimers, Junior Professor of Sport and Exercise Pedagogy (with focus on Prevention and Rehabilitation) since September 2015

Jun.-Prof. Dr Anne Reimers (34) has held the Junior Professorship of Sport and Exercise Pedagogy (with focus on Prevention and Rehabilitation) since September 2015. In eleven responses she gives “University News“ readers an insight into her professional background, scientific objectives and activities in Chemnitz.

What is actually meant by “Sport and Exercise Pedagogy with focus on Prevention and Rehabilitation“?

Sports pedagogy addresses issues of teaching and learning in and through sport as well as education towards sport. In the field of prevention and rehabilitation this is not only related to educational processes associated with classic sports – instead it is first and foremost based on a wide understanding of sport and exercise, also including everyday activities such as walks, bike rides to work or housework.

The TU Chemnitz is the right choice for me as a junior professor, because …

... here I find optimal conditions for the implementation of my research interests and the realization of my teaching objectives. My interdisciplinary research at the interface of sports pedagogy, sports medicine and public health with attention to technical measuring processes finds points of contact with a number of university’s working groups within and outside the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences.

Can you say a few words about your academic career so far?

I studied Sports Science with a major field of study in prevention and rehabilitation at the German Sport University Cologne from 2002 to 2008 and received my PhD from the department of Sports Science at the University of Konstanz in 2013. There and at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, I worked as a research assistant until I took the Junior Professorship of Sport and Exercise Pedagogy (with focus on Prevention and Rehabilitation) at the Technische Universität Chemnitz in September 2015.

Describe your years of study in only a few words.

I became World and European champion as well as mother of three children and discovered my pleasure in scientific work. A remarkable time.

Did you have role models during your studies who encouraged you to pursue a scientific career?

A fellow student was a student assistant at the Institute of Sports Medicine. For me it was incredibly exciting to hear about her activities there, and I always envied her receiving those insights into research. Therefore, I was pleased when I also had the chance to work as research assistant after my studies and later was employed as a scientific staff member and did my doctorate.

Do you have any advice for young students and graduates?

Follow your goals persistently and do not be unsettled by prejudices and stereotypes. Scrutinize things and attempt something new.

What would you like to achieve in your teachings in the future?

My aim is to promote the students’ independence and research-based learning by means of interactive teaching-learning methods.  I’d like to encourage them to (further) develop their pedagogical, didactic, and methodological skills in the development, implementation, and evaluation of exercise and sports programs for health promotion. It is important to me that the students acquire not only knowledge, but also skills related to application, transfer, and reflection.

What impact does your research have at the TU Chemnitz?

I explore social and spatial-material conditions of exercise and sports activities as a basis for an active and healthy lifestyle, as well as health promotion in prevention and rehabilitation via exercise and sport with specific target groups, and base this, among other things, on technical research methods, such as accelerometry or geographical information systems. In this way, I add a pedagogical perspective to the research profile of Human-Technology-Health at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences.

There are around 45,000 professors at German universities. What distinguishes you from all others?

I am a mother of five children. This is certainly unusual.

What is your favorite place to show guests in Chemnitz?

The Küchwald forest with the park railway, and the Kassberg area with the many impressing buildings from the end of the 19th century.

How do you play a part in the life of the city?

Currently, I “explore” the city as my new home and try to constantly get to know new places and possibilities. In the future, I would like to contribute with my research focus in the field of health promotion at community and neighborhood level, and I hope to thus contribute to the development of health-promoting city facilities.

Further information about the junior professorship at: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/hsw/ab/prof/sportpaedagogik/index.php.en

Mario Steinebach
20.11.2017

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