Ph.D. in Kinesiology - New Mexico Tech

curriculum have received significant funding through private foundations for the
implementation of youth dance programs throughout Dona Ana County. These programs
are designed to engage youth and adolescents in physical activity programs that promote
physical and emotional well-being among our young citizens. Finally, another faculty
member in HPDR has received funding from the NIH for the study of determinants of
functional lifespan, and is currently engaged with the New Mexico State Department of
Health to explore falls and falls risks among older adult citizens of New Mexico.
b. A second critical reason for the adoption of a translational research focus in Kinesiology
is that such activity will inform basic research. Basic scientists in biology, biochemistry,
molecular biology, and the like, rely on observed phenomena to inform their research. At
present, there is little such interaction within the university to assist basic scientists. As a
result, basic scientists must rely on outside sources for such information and therefore
incur a delay as they wait for other institutions to publish their work. Translational and
applied work here at NMSU will complete the circle, assisting the basic scientists in
moving their research agendas along, and allowing them to be more competitive for
funding initiatives that require a translational component.
Undergraduate Education: There is little question that undergraduate academic programs
benefit from graduate programs, particularly in the sciences and in the traditional Arts &
Science model. Graduates students are able to provide educational experiences through
teaching laboratories and recitation sections of critical foundational coursework, and are also
able to teach introductory theory courses. This benefits the department and University
insofar as it enhances the availability of required undergraduate courses and thereby
improves the likelihood of students graduating without delay. But equally important is that
the graduate student also serves as a role model for undergraduates; can provide mentorship
and encouragement regarding possible career paths, scholarship information, relevant life
experiences and so on. The existence of the graduate student is simply a critical element of a
major public university experience.
3. Duplication.
The faculty-mentor, rather than the institution itself, more aptly defines the doctoral
experience within the traditional Arts & Science Model. Thus, at the doctoral level the
question is more appropriately an issue of whether the graduate faculty in the department of
Human Performance, Dance, & Recreation offer unique opportunities for students pursuing
a very focused area of work. Indeed, NMSU has employed several well-respected and
productive scholars in our department, who offer extremely unique opportunities for the
advancement of science through the training of doctoral students. For example, a few of the
critical areas of study that are unique to our department include:
• the examination of evidenced-based comprehensive programming for older adults to
reduce falls, and optimize functional lifespan and quality of life;
• Student-centered, inquiry-based approaches to increasing physical activity behavior
in adolescent girls, both within school settings and community-based programs.
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