Even though she’s a public health specialist, Erin Holt, the new assistant professor of exercise science, admits her food of guilty pleasure is pizza.

Holt can justify her favorite food by staying active and keeping her students active as well.

“A lot of my focus has been getting students active during curricular lessons,” Holt said. “Plus the research shows that if you’re up and active while you’re learning you’re going to retain more and learn it easier.”

Most of Holt’s research focuses on elementary-aged students, but Holt said it applies just as well to college students.

“If I can ask elementary students to get up and do stuff, why can’t I ask college students to?” Holt said. “They feel silly sometimes but they get over it. When they realize that’s the expectation, they get over it pretty quickly.”

In addition to teaching courses in first aid and introduction to exercise science, Holt is also using her background research to teach a 200-level Quest course that she’s calling “The Science of Play.”

“We’ll talk about what play is in general and of course bring in the aspect of how play is used as therapy,” Holt said. “People often just think of play as physical activity, but it’s not. It can be art, music, theater, so how can those different things be used and how play affects the brain.”

Holt said she’d also like to get involved on campus outside of the classroom.

“One of the things I’d like to do on campus that’s not from a teaching aspect is really help with campus wellness and get our exercise science students involved,” Holt said. “I love doing stuff like that.”

Something Holt wants students to know about her is that she has an open-door policy.

“I want students to feel comfortable enough outside of class to come and talk to me as well,” Holt said. “I think that’s important because you guys are here for an education and I’m here to teach you so we should teach the whole person.”

Holt said she’d also like to get involved on campus outside of the classroom.

“One of the things I’d like to do on campus that’s not from a teaching aspect is really help with campus wellness and get our exercise science students involved,” Holt said. “I love doing stuff like that.”

Something Holt wants students to know about her is that she has an open-door policy.

“I want students to feel comfortable enough outside of class to come and talk to me as well,” Holt said. “I think that’s important because you guys are here for an education and I’m here to teach you so we should teach the whole person.”