Raymond A. Weiss Research Endowment

Raymond A. Weiss Research Endowment is sponsored by ACSM Foundation. This endowment supports applied research investigating the psychological and emotional benefits of physical activity and sport.

Raymond A. Weiss Research Endowment - ACSM Raymond A. Weiss Research Endowment | Graduate Student Research Grant Number of Awards Given: 2/year The Raymond A.

Weiss Research Endowment was established by the late Drs. Raymond and Rosalee Weiss to advance research into the health benefits — physical, mental, and emotional — of physical activity and sports. This grant will support applied research investigating psychological and emotional benefits of physical activity and sport.

Applicants must be an ACSM national member in good standing before applying for funding. (This includes international applicants.) ACSM chapter membership alone does not fulfill this requirement.

Graduate students enrolled in full-time programs are eligible to apply. Applicants must have graduate student status at the start of and during the grant term. Previous ACSM Foundation grantees must submit final grant and expenditure reports prior to receiving another grant award.

ACSM Foundation expects grantees to: Attend the ACSM Annual Meeting Honors event the year the award is received, Present funded research at a future ACSM Annual Meeting, and Send the ACSM Foundation a copy of any publications or presentations related to the funded research. Contact the ACSM Foundation for more information.

The Physiology of Hydration: More Than Water Alone This session explores the physiology of hydration through an integrated lens—examining how carbohydrate, sodium, flavor, and fluid interact to influence intake, absorption, retention, and performance. We’ll review current research on fluid balance, osmotic drivers, and palatability, highlighting mechanisms that underpin voluntary intake and thermoregulation.

Attendees will gain insight into individualized strategies, including sweat profiling and timing approaches, to optimize euhydration and mitigate performance decrements associated with >2% body-mass loss. Practical applications will be linked to laboratory- and field-based research, ensuring translation from bench to field.

This pre-conference equips you with evidence-based tools to support athlete hydration across diverse environments and sporting contexts.

Session 1: Sweating the detail: New insights on hydration considerations for athlete performance Lewis James, PhD, Associate Professor in Human Nutrition in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University Session 2: Functional ingredients in fluid replacement beverages for athletes Lindsay Baker, PhD, Director at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute Session 3: The hydration toolkit: Practical approaches to athlete support Floris Wardenaar, PhD, Associate Professor at the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University