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Sid Robinson Biology Scholarship

Sid Robinson Biology Scholarship

This award was established in 2012 by Jean Robinson Peters to honor the memory of her father, Sid Robinson, an Olympic track star who became an internationally famous exercise and environmental physiologist. The scholarship was first awarded in 2016.

About Sid Robinson

Sid Robinson (1902-1982) was a middle distance runner who represented the U.S. in the 1928 Olympics. He went on to become an internationally famous exercise and environmental physiologist.

Dr. Robinson earned an M.S. from Cornell University in 1929 and taught at the University of Kentucky for one year. He joined the IU faculty in 1930, serving as an Assistant Professor of Physical and Health Education; Head Cross Country Coach; and Assistant Track Coach. Under his tutelage, the IU cross country team won the Big Ten Championship five times in a row and the National AAU Championship three times.

In 1936, Dr. Robinson went to Harvard University to complete his graduate studies at the newly established Harvard Fatigue Laboratory, under the tutelage of David Bruce Dill, who headed that unit. Dr. Robinson received his Ph.D. in Physiology from Harvard in 1938. The following year, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Physiology here at IU, eventually becoming Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology. He pursued research in human stress physiology throughout his career. After Dr. Dill retired, he joined IU, working with Dr. Robinson to duplicate research done on athletes they had previously studied in order to determine changes brought about by aging.

This image appears on page 27 of the December 1961 issue of the Indiana Alumni Magazine. The caption reads, in full: "Don Lash, famous as a runner for the University in the 1930's and now an Indianapolis FBI man, runs again on the treadmill in the physiology laboratory. Mr. Lash volunteered to participate in research being conducted by David B. Dill (right), research scholar, and Sid Robinson (left) head of the anatomy and physiology department, both former athletes also. Drs. Dill and Robinson are duplicating tests made many years ago on athletes, including themselves, to provide data on changes with age. Mr. Lash at the height of his athletic career cooperated with Robinson n extensive research on the physiological effects of exercise." Photo courtesy of IU Archives (Image #P0047097) — The above photo appeared in the December 1961 issue of the *Indiana Alumni Magazine*. Dr. Sid Robinson (left), then head of the anatomy and physiology department, and Dr. David B. Dill (right) collect data from a former athlete for an ongoing study on changes with age. Photo courtesy of IU Archives (Image #P0047097)

2022 Robinson Biology Scholar: Duaka Nwike

Duaka Nwike is from Dublin, Ireland, and is a junior at Indiana University who transferred here and is pursuing a major in biology with a concentration in cell biology and molecular genetics. Due to transferring in August 2020, Duaka has not had the best opportunity to experience campus life; however, he did serve as an executive board member of the African Student Society, allowing him to interact with students of African heritage. He worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant for Professor Bernice A. Pescosolido's sociology course: Medicine in America. While doing this, Duaka came to understand social fault lines in American society, which may affect the healthcare received by different patient groups. Outside of academics, Duaka likes to play soccer and go to the gym and has dreams of becoming a doctor to serve members of his community.

Duaka Nwike in his first picture ever taken in Bloomington at a restaurant just off Kirkwood Avenue. Courtesy photo

2022 Robinson Biology Scholar: Matthew Ross

Matthew Ross is a junior studying biology with minors in chemistry, psychology, and medical sciences. He performs research in the lab of Professor Soni Lacefield, where he examines the role of the yeast protein Bmh1 in the DNA damage checkpoint in meiosis. Matthew is involved on campus as the president of Lutheran Student Fellowship, an active member of the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, the volunteer chair of the Med Poets Society, and the event director of Generosity Feeds Bloomington, an annual meal packing event that seeks to end food insecurity for local students. Following graduation, he plans to attend medical school to become a family and sports medicine physician so he can empower people of all ages to be healthy, active, and pain-free.

Department of Biology

Sid Robinson Biology Scholarship