Background
I am a first generation college student entering the fourth year of the Kinesiology Ph.D. program at Iowa State (intended graduation - August 2018). I began my education at Danville Area Community College. From there, I transferred to Illinois State University where I completed a Bachelors’ and a Master’s degrees in Exercise Physiology under Dr. Kelly Laurson (with additional mentoring from Dr. Dale Brown). I am now participating in the Kinesiology Ph.D. program at Iowa State University under Dr. Greg Welk. My anticipated graduation is August 2018.
Research
My current work focuses on evaluating how school wellness environments may play a role in students physical activity at and outside of school. I am particularly interested in exploring how schools might be able to enhance their wellness environments to provide students with more support for and opportunities to participate in physical activity though the school system. My interest in working to impact youth physical activity through school environments also fosters an interest in understanding what organizational factors play significant roles for establishing optimal school wellness environments. These interests are the foundation of my dissertation work.
Other research interest I have includes examining indicators of youth health and fitness. This interest spans a variety of areas including behavioral practices, fitness scores, built environment, and the role of external influences such as school programming and parental involvement. I have a moderate level of Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) training that I hope to continue to develop to expand my ability to examine factors that influence health and physical activity to the broader environmental context.
In the past I have conducted research on the cumulative impact of national health recommendations on youth obesity, activity monitor validation processes, and examining markers of obesity and insulin resistance in youth.
Other research interest I have includes examining indicators of youth health and fitness. This interest spans a variety of areas including behavioral practices, fitness scores, built environment, and the role of external influences such as school programming and parental involvement. I have a moderate level of Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) training that I hope to continue to develop to expand my ability to examine factors that influence health and physical activity to the broader environmental context.
In the past I have conducted research on the cumulative impact of national health recommendations on youth obesity, activity monitor validation processes, and examining markers of obesity and insulin resistance in youth.
Teaching
I have a passion for teaching and mentoring students. As a first generation college student that received exceptional guidance from Dr. Kelly Laurson in pursuing graduate education, I have great passion for paying that forward. My life experiences also help me to connect with and relate to students whose path to and through college may be challenging. In the classroom, I create inclusive learning environments through small and large group discussion and in class activities that are intended to capitalize on the diversity that each of my students bring with them. I also believe in challenging students, but providing the appropriate amount of tutelage to help them be successful. Dr. Dale Brown and Dr. Greg Welk have inspired and fostered my interest in integrating service learning pedagogy into my classrooms when appropriate. Effective service learning programming helps students to learn critical soft skills that often go undeveloped in traditional classroom settings. In addition, students are empowered to do meaningful work in the community and valuable community-campus partnerships can be established.
Service
I believe that the great work can be done through service requirement to the university and surrounding community. Currently, Dr. Welk and I are building the foundation of a civic engagement web-tool (GivePulse) to encourage students to be involved on campus and in the community. Through our grassroots effort, we have grown to enroll nearly 2,500 ISU students in ~2 years and we are excited to continue to watch and facilitate its growth. Using the GivePulse tool, we are able to more effectively integrate components of our teaching and research directly into the ISU campus and community.
Curriculum Vita
| joey_lee_cv_6-16-17.pdf |
