Dr. Brittany Allman recently graduated with a doctoral degree from the College of Human Sciences, Exercise Physiology Program. She received many awards during her tenure as a graduate student, including the 2016-2017 National Strength and Conditioning Association Foundation Women's Scholarship as well as a supplemental industry grant from FreislandCampina.

Motivation to pursue an advanced degree

When I was five years old, after my parents separated, I went to live with my dad for one reason: I told my mom that I did not want my dad to be lonely. After a rocky first two weeks, my dad threw in the white towel and took me back to stay with my mom. When I got out of his truck, the only thing I said with tears in my eyes was, “but Dad, I’ll make you proud.” After that, he threw me back in the truck. It’s been signed, sealed, and delivered ever since!

Although it has been a tumultuous ride, my dad knew hard work better than anyone did. He taught me perseverance, dedication, and balance. I promised him that I would be the firstin my family with a bachelor's degree. That turned into a first-generation masters and now a first-generation PhD. And I’ve enjoyed the whole process.

Importance and/or impact of research and work

My research explores exercise, nutrition, and fat metabolism, and lucky for me, fat metabolism never goes out of style! I focused on dispelling common myths and practices of gym-goers, commonly called "bro-science." Post PhD, I plan to continue this research to continue to clean up some of the current dogmas of sports nutrition.

Impact of Fellowships and Awards on Graduate Education

I received numerous external fellowships and awards: Strength and Conditioning Association Foundation Women's Scholarship, FreislandCampina Research Grant, Pao-Sen Chi Memorial Scholarship Endowment, and the Dr. Ava D. Rodgers Endowed Scholarship to name a few. These awards allowed me to conduct high-caliber research that will lead to more evidence-based sports nutrition. I was also able to purchase materials required for the research and focus on data collection.