********************************************************

Malaysian Professor Studies Volunteerism in Iowa

Dr. Selina Khoo, Senior Lecturer from the Sports Centre at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia visited Iowa recently to collaborate on research and see American sports for herself. Dr. Khoo is collaborating on sports research with Dr. Rich Engelhorn, who has led numerous student trips to Malaysia in past years. She made it a point to visit Iowa during the recent Special Olympic National Games, since her research studies the motivation of volunteers for sports for people with disabilities. Dr. Khoo was only in Iowa for a few weeks on this trip, but she has since returned to Iowa for a sabbatical in order to continue her research.

Dr. Khoo says sport is very different in Malaysia. She says there is a lot of government involvement and financing in Malaysia, while sport is more privately organized in the U.S. Parents rarely volunteer in Malaysia, since they view academics as the priority and sports as less important. Not many individuals invest time or money in sport in Malaysia, which is why she is here to research the motivation of volunteers in American sport. In Malaysia, there is a Paralympic movement for people with various disabilities but fewer opportunities for sport involvement for people with intellectual disabilities. Thus, the opportunity to watch Special Olympics in action was an added bonus.

Dr. Khoo lives in a city of two million people and works for the oldest university in Malaysia. She says some of the major differences between the universities are that at home life is very hectic and the city is very crowded. At Iowa State, there is a more relaxed pace and there is lots of space. When asked how she would describe Iowa to people back in Malaysia, she said she found it to be pretty, tranquil, and the people and summer pace of life are relaxed. One of the highlights of her trip was the Iowa Cubs baseball game on the 4th of July, where she witnessed a slice of American life complete with fireworks.

Dr. Selina Khoo

*********************************************************

Visiting Scholar from the UK

Dr Sue Backhouse, a visiting scholar from Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom, spent 12 weeks at Iowa State recently. She worked in the exercise psychology lab with Dr. Paddy Ekkekakis.

Dr. Jerry Thomas with Dr. Susan Backhouse

Keep up with us at: www.hhp.hs.iastate.edu

Back to top