Purdue University : Sport and Exercise Psychology

Faculty:

Meghan H. McDonough, Ph.D. (The University of British Columbia) is an associate professor of Kinesiology. Dr. McDonough is interested in the role that social relationships play in motivational and emotional processes in physical activity. Specifically, she examines how social factors and self-perceptions contribute to motivation, emotion, well-being, and adaptation to adversity. She has examined these questions in youth and adults, and in special populations including breast cancer survivors, underserved youth, individuals with Parkinson's disease, overweight women, and Special Olympics participants. You may contact Meghan at mcdonough@purdue.edu.

Affiliated Faculty and Students:

	Cheryl Cooky, Ph.D. (University of Southern California) is an assistant professor interested in the sociological aspects of urban recreation sport programs for low-income minority girls; the role of popular culture and the media in shaping social understandings of gender and sport; the construction of gendered athletic identities among girls who play sport; and qualitative methods in sport. You may contact Cheryl at ccooky@purdue.edu.

	Katie Esmonde, B.S. (McGill University)is a second year master’s student studying with Dr. Cooky in the sport sociology lab. She is a research assistant on a Kinley Trust funded project to investigate the sporting experiences and opportunities for girls in rural and urban areas. Her research interests include the gendering of sport fandom, media analysis, equity in sport, feminist methodology, and qualitative methods. She is also interested in seeing the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup in her lifetime. Katie is a teaching assistant in the Department of Health and Kinesiology. You may contact Katie at kesmonde@purdue.edu.

Graduate Students:

Lindley McDavid, M.S. (Illinois State University) is a second year doctoral student interested in social relationships and motivational processes within the physical activity context. As a masters student at Illinois State University, Lindley researched the role of social relationships in supporting adolescent self-determined motivation and behavior in the leisure-time physical activity and sport settings. Currently, Lindley is building upon this work by researching social relationships within the positive youth development setting. Lindley is a teaching and research assistant in the Department of Health and Kinesiology and the College of Health and Human Sciences extension division. You may contact Lindley at mmcdavi@purdue.edu.


	Tammy Sheehy, B.S. (University of Otago) is a first year masters student in sport and exercise psychology. Tammy is a teaching assistant in the Department of Health and Kinesiology.


	Stephanie Orstad, M.S., (University of Iowa) is a fourth-year doctoral student in Health and Kinesiology at Purdue University. She has a master’s degree in Health Promotion from the University of Iowa. Stephanie is interested in approaches to increasing physical activity in communities. Currently, she is researching the interplay of individual perceptions of the neighborhood environment, objective built environment measures, and psychosocial factors as it relates to physical activity in adults. You may contact Stephanie at sorstad@purdue.edu.

	Travis Dorsch, M.S. (Purdue University) is a fourth year doctoral student interested in child-parent relationships and family development through organized youth sport. Specifically, Travis has investigated (1) how parents develop over time as a result of the sport participation of their children, (2) how parents' goals for their child in sport influence parent-child communication in the sport setting, and (3) parent- and context-related factors that are associated with parent support and pressure in youth sport. Travis served as a research assistant on an NIH-funded project investigating the behavioral effects of a before school physical activity program on ADHD youth. In addition, he has been funded by Purdue University as a Ross Fellow and through the Purdue Center for Families as a Van Scoyoc Fellow. Travis' current doctoral research is being supported by a Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences Bilsland Fellowship. You may contact Travis at dorsch@purdue.edu.