For PSU Undergrads
Recommendation Letters
It is my pleasure to write letters of recommendation for students who impress me with their work in the classroom or laboratory. Please contact me with any requests for recommendation letters at least 2 weeks before the letter is due. Prepare a packet with any forms required for the recommendation, current copies of your resume and academic transcript, a copy of your personal statement (if you have one), and a summary of the program names/addresses/deadlines. Please also complete this form to help me to write a more detailed letter for you. Finally, I will ask that you waive your right to review the letter of recommendation - I will decline to write letters if you choose not to waive that right. The reason for this request is that I want the recipient to feel completely confident that the letter is a candid assessment of your qualifications, and I prefer not to invest time on a letter that will not be taken seriously.
Opportunities for Gaining Research Experience
Undergraduate research experiences are extremely valuable opportunities for professional development while you are a student. Students who work on research in the lab can gain experience with participant recruitment/enrollment, data collection, data management, and a variety of administrative tasks within the lab. Students who demonstrate exceptional commitment to their work and make an intellectual contribution to a project may be invited to present findings at research conferences or to be co-authors on publications.
These experiences typically last 1-2 semesters but some students have worked in the lab all four years of their undergraduate careers. A limited number of spaces are available in the lab each semester. All students are welcome to apply but preference will be given to conscientious students who have a GPA > 3.0, a strong interest in graduate school, and demonstrated interpersonal/communication skills.
Interested students should complete and submit an application (with a current academic transcript) early to ensure that they receive full consideration. Students who are accepted into the lab will need to complete the online IRB Basic Training on the Protection of Human Participants.
Courses I Teach
H&HD 297S - Dynamics of Health & Human Development
This is a unique opportunity to combine a two-day retreat with a First-Year Seminar class. Students will spend two days at the Civil Engineering Lodge at Stone Valley where they will work with other first-year students to develop team building and goal setting skills and learn how to make a smooth transition to university life. Students will hear first hand from upper-level HHD students and get to know HHD faculty and alumni who will participate in the experience with them. The learning experience will continue during the semester when students meet twice a week for seven-and-a-half weeks with the faculty who conducted the retreat. Offered in fall semesters.
KINES 321 - Psychology of Movement Behavior
KINES (HD FS) 427 - Developmental Sport & Exercise Psychology
Change is constant with physical activity – our reasons for being active change across the lifespan and our experiences with physical activity change how we view ourselves and those around us. Developmental Sport & Exercise Psychology focuses on developmental changes in the psychosocial antecedents and consequences of physical activity across the lifespan. Specific course objectives include (1) describing theoretical frameworks and methods used to study physical activity-related psychosocial development across the lifespan, (2) describing how self-perceptions develop and influence behavior in movement contexts at different points in life, (3) explaining how contextual factors influence developmental processes associated with physical activity, (4) identifying age-related differences in activity-related antecedents and consequences of physical activity, and (5) developing, reviewing, and critiquing theoretically-grounded interventions to address issues related to developmental processes associated with physical activity across the lifespan. Typically offered in alternating years during the spring semester.
KINES 428 - Motivation & Emotion in Movement
Motivation & Emotion in Movement will focus on the psychological processes underlying human motivation and emotion in movement settings. Special attention will be directed to social manipulations that can enhance motivation and emotion, and the consequences thereof. This course will be valuable for students whose career goals relate to education, personal training, rehabilitation, coaching, or psychology. Specific course objectives include (1) distinguishing between motivation and emotion, (2) understanding psychological mechanisms underlying common motivational and emotional processes in movement settings, (3) identifying existing applications of motivation and emotion theories in movement settings, and (4) developing, reviewing, and critiquing theoretically-grounded interventions to address issues related to motivational and emotional processes in movement contexts. Typically offered in alternating years during the spring semester.
KINES 429 - Psychology of Sport Performance
Motivation & Emotion in Movement will focus on the psychological processes underlying human motivation and emotion in movement settings. Special attention will be directed to social manipulations that can enhance motivation and emotion, and the consequences thereof. This course will be valuable for students whose career goals relate to education, personal training, rehabilitation, coaching, or psychology. Specific course objectives include (1) distinguishing between motivation and emotion, (2) understanding psychological mechanisms underlying common motivational and emotional processes in movement settings, (3) identifying existing applications of motivation and emotion theories in movement settings, and (4) developing, reviewing, and critiquing theoretically-grounded interventions to address issues related to motivational and emotional processes in movement contexts. Typically offered in alternating years during the spring semester.
KINES 594F - Research Topics in the Psychology of Movement & Sport
This course is based on the weekly lab journal club. Offered every semester.
