Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Research Opportunities:

Undergraduates with an interest in the psychology of physical activity are encouraged to pursue the opportunities available for research in the EPL. Students can receive up to 18 hours of academic credit per semester to satisfy undergraduate honors theses, supervised research experience courses, or independent study courses. Each semester, the EPL has numerous undergraduate students enrolled in research.

Participating in research for undergraduate credit makes available an array of research opportunities. Students engage in activities such as library research, data processing, scheduling participants, and preparation of subjects for physiological testing. In addition they assist our testing team (physician, nurse, test technologist) with graded exercise testing and functional fitness testing, participating in experimental protocols, and interacting with both research participants and other EPL personnel. There are also opportunities to gain experience as exercise leaders in some of our interventions. Each spring, undergraduate student groups from the EPL present some of the research findings at the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health's Annual Awards ceremony. Some undergraduate students, who have played a significant role in some studies, have also been involved in presentations at national meetings and been co-authors on publications in scientific journals. The experience of working in the EPL has proven to be invaluable training for those students interested in going to graduate school or pursuing a degree in the medical field (especially Physical Therapy and Medicine). We especially encourage undergraduates with an interest in Exercise and Health Psychology to pursue research experience in the EPL. Please contact Professor McAuley for further information on undergraduate research opportunities.