VISTA 2011
IPC scientific conference
Welcome to VISTA 2011
The fifth edition of the VISTA scientific conference was held in Bonn, Germany, between 31 August and 3 September 2011. It gathered roughly 200 sports scientists, researchers, classifiers, coaches, trainers and sport administrators who are invested in the Paralympic Movement.
VISTA 2011 featured a myriad of presenters including three keynote speakers, 20 invited symposia and various oral and poster presentations.
The theme of the conference was “a multidisciplinary approach to Paralympic success”. The conference was held to develop research and advance dialogue between medical and scientific experts with regard to the Paralympic Movement.
Just in time for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, VISTA 2011 set the groundwork for the event, playing a large role in its success.
The SponsorsVISTA 2011 was sponsored by EU’s Regional Development Fund, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister for Federal Affairs, Europe and the Media. The Regional Development Fund promotes equity across regions in Europe operating on a needs basis.
VISTA 2011 Programme
The VISTA 2011 schedule, presentations, and speakers are detailed in the VISTA 2011 programme.
VISTA 2011 IPC Scientific Award
Prof. Lucas van der Woude was presented with the VISTA 2011 IPC Scientific Award on 3 September 2011. Van der Woude was a professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands who made significant contributions through his research and publications. He studied the improvement of mobility throughout rehabilitation in those with spinal cord injuries.
Lucas has organised a multitude of conferences in the Netherlands, produced a myriad of scientific papers, led a grant programme to research the recovery of those with spinal cord injuries and further developed the optimisation of human movement through various mediums.
He was a part of many significant research-based organizations such as Rehabilitation Amsterdam and MOVE both of which heavily studied human movement enhancement. Generally, his work was focused on physiology, biomechanics, and ergonomics of upperbody arm utilisation to improve rehabilitation and technology.
The IPC Scientific Award is delivered to individuals based on select criteria. Specifically, researchers who have produced significant publications related to the scientific study of sport for persons with an impairment, those who have earned national and/or international recognition for their work, and those whose practical application of their research directly or indirectly benefits the Paralympic Movement.
VISTA 2011 Presentations
Keynote SpeakersThe keynote speakers of VISTA 2011 were personally invited by the IPC to present each morning between September 1 and September 3 of the conference. The presentations were delivered by Liz Nicholl, the CEO of UK Sport, Professor Yves Vanlandewijck, Chairperson of the IPC Sports Science Committee, and Professor Mike McNamee from Swansea University. The keynote speaker biographies are available online, and their presentations are listed in the table below:
The invited symposia were asked by the IPC Scientific Committee to present in a panel during VISTA 2011. The presentations aligned with the main theme “a multidisciplinary approach to Paralympic success”. All of the presentations were moderated by a member of the IPC Scientific Committee. Each of the panel presentation topics, moderators and presenters are showcased in the following table.
Oral and poster presentations occur simultaneously with and independently to the invited symposia during the conference. Oral presentations feature a verbal speech delivered about a given topic, while poster presentations offer a physical showcase of the research.
The presenters are carefully chosen by the IPC Scientific Committee through a competitive application process. This process requires applicants to submit an abstract of their presentation topic.
