Student Research and Assistantships
Graduate Assistants 2008-2009
Sara Barnard Flory earned her B.S. in Movement Science and Athletic Training from the University of Michigan and her M.A.T. from Wayne State University. While working on her Master’s degree, Sara worked as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Detroit Healthy Youth Initiative, a federally funded grant program that focused on improving health and physical education programs in Detroit Public Schools. Her Master’s thesis was published in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. Sara has experience teaching K-8 physical education and health and is currently pursuing a PhD. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialty in Kinesiology under the supervision of Dr. Nate McCaughtry. Her research interests involve defining and developing culturally relevant physical education programs from the perspectives of students, teachers, parents, and curriculum writers.
Ronny Benedict is a Graduate Assistant who teaches weight training and is assisting in motor behavior research. He successfully presented his study entitled "Effects of Varying Levels of Stress on Balance Acquisition" at the annual conference of the North American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) in the summer of 2007. He has assisted Dr. Qin Lai in a study that investigates the effect of augmented feedback on feed-forward control in dynamic balance. The research has been accepted for a verbal presentation at the 2008 Olympic Science Congress in China. At the present time Ronny is working on his thesis under the direction of Drs. Qin Lai and Hermann Engels. It focuses on the relationship between overweight/obesity and postural control among youths.
Phil Dittmer earned his B.A. in Exercise Science from Adrian College. He is currently working on his Master's degree in Kinesiology with a major in Sports Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Jeff Martin. His research topic for his thesis is body dysmorphia in male college aged students and the effect it could have on their physiology. Phil currently teaches First Aid/CPR, Basic Weight Training, and Psychophysiological Foundations of Physical Activity at the undergraduate level. Phil also has a background as a personal trainer. His future plans are to continue on with his education at Wayne State University by obtaining his doctorate in Exercise Physiology.
Matt Ferry earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education Pedagogy from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh in 2003. After teaching elementary school physical educa-tion in Charlotte, NC for two years he attended Arizona State University, earning a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and completing one year of doctoral studies in Curriculum and Instruction. Matt transferred to WSU in the fall of 2008 and is a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Nate McCaughtry. His research interests include investigating the social forces that influence content and curriculum selection in secondary school physical education, and examining the nature of teachers’ social and emotional work. This past year Matt was a research assistant and physical activity instructor on an interdepartmental project that provided Head Start Youth in the Detroit area with physical activity and nutrition lessons.
Randolph Hull earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Wayne State University. He is enrolled in the Sports Administration Program where he and his son Maleik Hull works with and participants in many youth programs offered by the VAC program ran through the department of Kinesiology, health and sports studies. His son is currently involved as a youth mentor with the VAC program and works with many community based projects sponsored by WSU/VAC. Randolph received his first published abstract through NASPSPA this year for work he completed related to physical activity levels and fundamental movement skills of preschool age children enrolled in various head start programs in Detroit, MI. Mr. Hull also is working on the completion of the Education Specialist Certificate through the college of education with plans on entering one of the doctoral programs next semester.
Danielle Jacobs is currently a graduate student in the Master's of Arts in Teaching Physical Education program, mi-noring in Health. She is currently working with Dr. Suzanna Dillon on adapted physical education research pro-jects. Danielle is a 2007 graduate of Madonna University (Bachelor of Science in Sport Management) and a recent graduate of the Master's of Arts in Sports Administration program at Wayne State University. Her professional goals include teaching physical education and health at the secondary level and eventually moving into athletics administration (as an athletics director) for a high school.
Amy Tischler earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from WSU and has spent the last eight years teaching physical education in the Livonia School District. She is currently a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialty in Kinesiology under the supervision of Dr. Nate McCaughtry. Her research interests involve understanding how disengaged/low-skilled boys experience physical education and other physical activity cultures. In addition to taking doctoral classes and conduct-ing research, Amy is also involved in teaching undergraduate and graduate content courses including Adventure and Fitness Education, Movement and Dance Education, and Sport Education.
Graduate Assistantships:
Students who are interested in assisting faculty with research and other projects and/or teach undergraduate health education/physical education courses may submit an application to the Division of KHS.
| DEGREE: |
Master of Arts in Education with specialization in one of the following:
|
| QUALIFICATIONS: | Baccalaureate Degree in Kinesiology, Health and Sports Studies or other relevant areas. Students with undergraduate degrees in areas such as communications, business or journalism may be accepted in the Sports Administration program. Nursing, nutrition, physical therapy students are often qualified to enter the Exercise and Sports Science program. Primary considerations will be given to applicants whose academic records indicate a potential for superior academic achievement, especially in the area of research. |
| RESPONSIBILITIES: | Graduate assistants are expected to consider their assistantship duties as their sole employment responsibility. The graduate assistant will assist faculty with research and other projects and/or teach undergraduate health education/physical education courses. It is expected that the graduate assistant will devote approximately 20 hours per week to their duties. The Graduate Assistant must carry a minimum of six and a maximum of ten semester hours per term of appointment. Appointments begin with the Fall semester and are customarily two academic years in duration. |
| STIPEND: | The stipend is approximately $12,000 per academic year (Fall and Winter semesters) with tuition waiver of up to ten credit hours per semester. Health insurance is also provided. |
| APPLICATION: |
The deadline for application is March 1st. However, your WSU Graduate School application must be on file in the KHS office by this date, therefore, all your application materials including an official transcript should be received by WSU no later than February 1st. Also, two letters of reference are required for your assistantship application and these must be received by the KHS office by the May 1st application deadline. Please contact the KHS Graduate Program Director for specific information and application materials. KHS Graduate Program Director 2339 Applebaum Building Wayne State University Detroit, MI 48202 (313) 577-6219 r.gretebeck@wayne.edu |
|
FURTHER ADMISSIONS INFORMATION: |
P.O. Box 02759, 42 West Warren Wayne State University Detroit, MI 48202 (313) 577-3577 |
2010 Spring/Summer Enrollment Requirement for Graduate Assistants