with softball that year, from California to Florida.
All the professors were willing to work with me and
help me keep up with my school work. I got firsthand experience knowing how hard it is for the
student athletes I will work with in the future to
juggle everything. My junior year, I was assigned to
women’s basketball. Our women’s basketball program
is phenomenal. We made it all the way to the Elite
Eight, which we played in Connecticut. That may
have been one of my favorite memories, because my
family got to come watch them play, and got a chance
to see what I do.
My senior year I was assigned to the cheerleading
team. I was pretty nervous about that because I
knew very little about the sport and the physical
requirements. I learned a lot and was given a lot of
autonomy. I traveled with them to all the football
games, and even got to travel with them to Florida
where we won our 20th national championship.
How did your New York Jets internship come
about?
Seton Hall has great connections with
opportunities all around New York and New Jersey.
One of my professors pulled me aside and stated that
with my previous experience working at Kentucky
and other football experiences, I had a good shot at
the Jets position. It’s a huge opportunity that only a
handful of people ever get to experience.
Tell us about your daily responsibilities with the
Jets.
I can’t speak highly enough of the entire Jets
organization. My everyday tasks included morning
maintenance of the athletic training room, setting up
Bottge: from page 20
Over the past seven years, the Institute of
Education Sciences (the statistics, research and
evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education),
awarded Bottge two four-year research grants that
total nearly $4 million. The earlier grant employed
two randomized controlled trials to test the efficacy
of technology-based and hands-on math curricula
developed by Bottge and colleagues. In the first
study, 331 students with disabilities and 49 special
education teachers in 31 Kentucky middle schools
participated. In the second study, 24 special
education teachers, 25 math teachers and 471
students in 25 Kentucky middle schools participated.
Results showed significant improvement in the
fractions computation and problem-solving skills of
students using the new forms of instruction.
the fields for practice, stretching, running athletes
through exercises or rehab protocols, taping, handing
out water during practices and anything else that
may come up during the day. They really did treat
us as an extension of the athletic training staff and
once the athletes get more comfortable with you,
they have no problem asking you for things. I started
off working some organized team activities and mini
camps, and then moved into working training camp.
Once school started, I was there almost every day
and then worked home games on Sunday. The first
time walking out onto the field at MetLife Stadium is
something I will never forget. It was definitely a lot
of hard work, even more so than people can imagine.
But I’ve learned things that I will carry on with
me in my future career and I know that I’ve done
something that most people will never get to do and
that’s pretty cool.
Do you have advice for students who are
considering the Exercise Science major at UK?
My advice to all Exercise Science majors is to
take advantage of all the opportunities offered at
Kentucky. At Seton Hall, I’ve had the opportunity
to meet a lot of people coming from all different
undergraduate backgrounds and I know that what
I’ve been able to do at Kentucky is something that
will always make me unique.
Everyone that knows me knows how proud I am
to be an alumnus of the University of Kentucky.
Anytime I get in contact with people about colleges I
also recommend them to check out UK because I’m
just that confident in the fact that regardless of your
major or where you come from, you’ll be able to be
successful at UK and gain the experiences necessary
to continue that success throughout your life.
The focus of the newest grant is on assessment.
The research team is developing interactive
problem-solving assessments and fractions
computation tests. According to Bottge, newer
assessments are needed to more adequately measure
the knowledge and performance of all students, but
especially those with disabilities in math. During the
next three years, Bottge’s team will teach Kentucky
teachers to use the newer assessments and then test
their efficacy in Kentucky middle schools.
Bottge is the William T. Bryan Endowed Chair
in Special Education in the college’s Department
of Early Childhood, Special Education, and
Rehabilitation Counseling.
More information is available on the websites of
the curriculum development grant http://edsrc.uky.
edu/TEAM2/ and the assessment grant http://edsrc.
uky.edu/AIMs/index.html.
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