Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Many of the doctoral dissertations and master's theses published since 2008 and listed below are available for download free of charge. Click on the title of the dissertation or thesis to go to the corresponding record in Penn State's eTD (electronic thesis and dissertation) database, which is searchable by author, year, degree, program, and committee members.

Doctoral Dissertations in Kinesiology

2019

Zachary Papalia	Examining the Relationship Between Common Worksite Health Promotion Components, Sedentary Behavior, and Employee Performance	Melissa J. Bopp (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Emily Southmayd	Exploration of the Independent and Combined Effects of Energy and Estrogen on Bone Metabolism, Bone Structure, and Estimated Bone Strength in Young Exercising Women	Mary Jane De Souza (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Justin Wager	Influence of the foot on ankle joint function during running	John H. Challis (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2018

Billie Alba	Vasoprotective Mechanisms of Dairy-Based Foods: A Dietary Intervention Strategy for Reducing Cardiovascular Disease Risk	Lacy M. Alexander (Dissertation Advisor); W. Larry Kenney (Committee Chair)
Ali Falaki	Impaired Control of Multi-Muscle Synergies in Parkinson's Disease	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Jarrod Jonsrud	Sports and Moral Excellence: The Intersections of Sports and Authenticity	R. Scott Kretchmar (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Jay Lieberman	The Role of Energy Availability in the Induction and Reversal of Menstrual Disturbances in Exercising Women	Nancy I. Williams (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Sasha Reschechtko	Roles of Feedback in the Stability of Multi-Finger Action	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2017

Sakdapong Chavanaves	Exploration of Gait Variability and Local Dynamic Stability of Foot and Trunk in Human Walking Using Accelerometers	Robert B. Eckhardt and Stephen J. Piazza (Dissertation Co-Advisors and Committee Co-Chairs)
Daniel Craighead	Elucidation of Novel Therapeutic Targets in the Microvasculature of Hypertensive Humans	Lacy M. Alexander (Dissertation Advisor); W. Larry Kenney (Committee Chair)
Moé Kishida	Utilizing Qualitative and Quantitative Methods to Shed Light on the Relational Influences of Yoga On and Off the Mat	Steriani Elavsky (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Thomas Newman	Ankle Bracing and its Effects on Dynamic Balance and Functional Performance Measures in a Reserve Officers' Training Corp	William E. Buckley (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Chih Hsiang Yang	A Time-Varying Perspective on Mindfulness and Physical Activity	David E. Conroy (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2016

Adam Berg	Denver ’76: The Winter Olympics and the Politics of Growth in Colorado During the Late 1960s and Early 1970s	Mark Dyreson (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Aviroop Dutt-Mazumder	Collective Variables in Dynamic Postural Stability	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Hang Jin Jo	Impairments in the Stability of Hand Function in Patients with Neurological Disorders	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Andrew Linden	Political Football: Social Movements and the Professional Gridiron in the United States, 1955-1979	Jessica Schultz (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Dangaia Sims	Complete Streets Policy Analysis and Examination of Influence on Travel, Health, and Health Disparities	Melissa Bopp (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2015

Colleen English	Feminist Considerations for Justice in Sport: A Conceptual and Philosophic Analysis of Reform	R. Scott Kretchmar (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Tsung-Yu Hsieh	Entropy of Speed and Accuracy Trade-Off in Space-Time	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Curtis Kindel	Moment-angle Relationship of Hip Musculature	John H. Challis (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Jessica Kutz	A Physiological Role for Hydrogen Sulfide in the Human Cutaneous Circulation	Lacy M. Alexander (Dissertation Advisor); W. Larry Kenney (Committee Chair)
Jaclyn Maher	The Dynamics of Daily Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults	David E. Conroy (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Alicia Montalvo	The Effects of Kinesiology Tape on Pain and Functional Measures Acutely and Over Time in Patients with Patellofemoral Pain	William E. Buckley (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Tao Zhou	Equifinality and its Violations in Multi-Joint Positional Tasks	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2014

Ji Hyun Ko	Postural Coordination Patterns and Surface of Support Dynamics	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Ryan Rosendale	Functional Movement Assessment and Change After a Physical Fitness Training Program in Law Enforcement Personnel	William E. Buckley (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Alek Rothenberg-Cunningham	Perception-Action Coupling in Interceptive Tasks	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Anna Stanhewicz	The Aging Cutaneous Microvasculature: Altered Mechanisms and Novel Intervention Strategies	Lacy M. Alexander (Dissertation Advisor); W. Larry Kenney (Committee Chair)
Herman van Werkhoven	Influence of Foot and Ankle Structure on Optimal Performance in Different Motor Tasks	Stephen J. Piazza (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Benjamin Webb	Examination and Promotion of Health Behaviors Among Clergy in a Faith-Based Setting	Melissa Bopp (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Yen-Hsun Wu	Effects of Practicing Accurate Force Production Tasks on Multi-Digit Coordination: Performance, Synergies, and Transfer	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Yang Xu	Forces And Moments Generated By The Human Arm: Variability And Control	Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Kai Zhang	Multimodal Functional Neuroimaging of Oculomotor Deficits in Athletes with Concussion	Semyon Slobounov (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2013

Rebecca Bruning	The Mechanisms and Functional Implications of Altered Microvascular Vasoreactivity in Healthy and Essential Hypertensive Men and Women	Lacy M. Alexander (Dissertation Advisor); W. Larry Kenney (Committee Chair)
Daniel Gales	Human Subcalcaneal Fat Pad Mechanical Properties	John H. Challis (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Michael Gay	The Effects of Performing the YMCA Bike Protocol on General Brain Function in Athletes With and Without Mild Traumatic Brain Injury	Semyon Slobounov (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Jenna Gibbs	Psychometric Indicators of Eating Behavior and Risk Factors Associated with Physiological Adaptations to the Female Athlete Triad in Exercising Women	Mary Jane De Souza (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Amanda Hyde	Automatic Regulation of Physical Activity	David Conroy (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Brian Johnson	The Effects of Subconcussive Head Trauma in Athletics	Semyon Slobounov (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Adam King	Motor Learning and Force Output Dynamics	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Rebecca Mallinson	The Roles of Reproductive Function, Body Composition, and Metabolic Status in Bone Health of Young Exercising Women	Mary Jane De Souza (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Saandeep Mani	Hemispheric Contributions to Motor Control and Arm Preference in Unilateral Stroke Patients	Robert L. Sainburg (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Erica Rauff	Understanding Strategies to Manage Gestational Weight Gain in Overweight/obese Prenatal Women: Integrating Theory, Technology, and Healthcare Provider Beliefs	Danielle Symons Downs (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Riley Sheehan	Physiological and Environmental Influences on Hill Locomotor Strategies	Jinger S. Gottschall (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Zheng Wang	The Inter- and Intra-foot Coordination Dynamics of Quiet Standing Postures	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2012

Josh Baxter	Linking Foot and Ankle Musculoskeletal Structure to Locomotor Function	Stephen J. Piazza (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Joel Martin	Control of Multi-Finger Pressing: Studied with Mechanical and Hypothetical Control Variables	Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Jennifer Reed	The Role of Low Energy Availability in Predicting an Energy Deficiency and Menstrual Disturbances in Recreational and Competitive Athletes	Nancy I. Williams (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Brian Richardson	Winning and Losing: A Philosophical Analysis	R. Scott Kretchmar (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Jennifer Scheid	The Role of Peptide YY and Ghrelin in Regulating Energy Homeostasis and Reproductive Function in Young Exercising Women	Mary Jane De Souza (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Tarkeshwar Singh	Effects of Neuromuscular Fatigue on Hierarchical Control and Motor Synergies	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Varadhan Srinivasan KariyaMaanikam	Discrete and Cyclical Force Production in Multi-Finger Pressing and Prehension Tasks	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Tucker Tomlinson	The Dynamic Dominance Hypothesis as a General Theory of Human Motor Control	Robert L. Sainburg (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Giampietro (John) Vairo	Neuromechanical Knee Joint Profiles following Ipsilateral Hamstring Tendons Autograft Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction	William E. Buckley (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Stephen Yang	Comparing Energy Expenditure, Exertion, and Enjoyment of Adolescents Playing Exergames	Melissa Bopp (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2011

Jennifer DiNallo	Examining the Moderating Influence of Motherhood Status on the Determinants of Exercise Motivation and Behavior in Pregnancy	Danielle Symons Downs (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair )
John Gleaves	From Science to Sport: A Cross Disciplinary Examination of the Justification for Doping Bans	R. Scott Kretchmar (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair )
Douglas Haladay	Investigation of Abdominal Muscle Performance and Stabilization Exercises in Persons with and without Low Back Pain	John H. Challis (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair )
Xiaogang Hu	Constraints, Redundancy, and Patterns of Force Coordination	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair )
Mei-Hua Lee	The Emergence and Development of Reaching in Infancy	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair )

2010

Chad Carlson	Play, Games, and Philosophy: A Metaphysical and Axiological Study	R. Scott Kretchmar (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Benjamin Infantolino	Investigation of Human Muscle Variability and its Effects on Musculoskeletal Models	John H. Challis (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
James Lang	Sympathetic Noradrenergic Mechanisms of Thermoregulatory Vasoconstriction in Aged Human Skin	W. Larry Kenney (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Matthew Llewellyn	Rule Britannia: Nationalism, Identity, and the Modern Olympic Games	Mark Dyreson (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Xun Niu	Control Mechanisims of Multi-finger Grasping	Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2009

Abbey Bower	An Investigation of Trabecular Bone Morphology	Neil A. Sharkey (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Cheng Cao	Neural Dysfunctions as a Result of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: EEG Study	Semyon Slobounov (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Stacey Gorniak	Hierarchical Control of Prehension	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Eric James	Coordination Dynamics in Redundant and Non-Redundant Motor Tasks	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Sara Jarvis	The Study of Sex Differences in the Regulation of Orthostatic Blood Pressure: the Role of the Splanchnic Circulation	James A. Pawelczyk (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Yatin Kirane	Performance Characteristics of Custom-Designed Posterior-Step Glenoid Prostheses in Total Shoulder Arthroplasty	Neil A. Sharkey and April D. Armstrong (Dissertation Co-Advisors and Committee Co-Chairs)
Adam Kuperavage	Inferences Concerning Bipedal Locomotion from the Internal Structure of the BAR 1002’00 and BAR 1003’00 Femoral Fragments	Robert B. Eckhardt (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Sabrina Lee	Musculoskeletal Architecture and Plantarflexor Muscle Function in the Human Ankle Joint	Stephen J. Piazza (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Pratik Mutha	Goal-dependent Modulation of Reflex Responses during Movement	Robert L. Sainburg (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Holly Preston	Effects of Exercise and Genetic Strain on Bone Strength, Musculoskeletal Gene Expression and Activity Levels in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J Adult Female Mice	Teresa C. Lang and Neil A. Sharkey (Dissertation Co-Advisors and Committee Co-Chairs)
Rajiv Ranganathan	Utilizing Redundancy in Motor Learning	Karl M. Newell (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

2008

Lindsay Baker	Fluid and Sodium Balance during Exercise in Special Populations	W. Larry Kenney (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Alessander Dos Santos	Multi-Muscle Coordination in Postural Tasks	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Kelly Dougherty	Thermoregulation and Fluid Balance in Children Exercising in the Heat	W. Larry Kenney (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Michael Duffey	A Biomechanical Analysis of the Bench Press	John H. Challis (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Miranda Kaye	The Development and Validation of an Interpersonal Measure of Unsportspersonlike Behavior	R. Scott Kretchmar (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Douglas McLaughlin	Reinventing the Wheel: On Games and the Good Life	R. Scott Kretchmar (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Halla Olafsdottir	Age Related Differences in Multi-Digit Coordination	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Beth Parker	Age and Sex Differences in Local Vasodilation and Exercise Hyperemia	David N. Proctor (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Sydney Schaefer	Ipsilesional Motor Performance Following Stroke: Evidence for Motor Lateralization	Robert L. Sainburg (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Jeremy Smith	Effects of Prosthesis Inertia on the Mechanics and Energetics of Amputee Locomotion	Philip E. Martin (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Gregg Twietmeyer	Embodying Kinesis: How Aristotle and Polanyi Reshape the Philosophy of Kinesiology	R. Scott Kretchmar (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)
Wei Zhang	The Control of Rotational Hand Actions by Multi-Digit Synergies	Mark L. Latash (Dissertation Advisor and Committee Chair)

Master's Theses in Kinesiology