Janelle Thalken, M.S., CPT, Ph.D. and MPH Student, Oregon State University 

Janelle Thalken is a Ph.D. student in Kinesiology with a specialization in Adapted Physical Activity at Oregon State University. She is also currently working on her MPH in Epidemiology.  Janelle earned her master’s in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Northern Colorado, and earned her bachelor’s in Kinesiology at Arizona State University.  Over the past two years Janelle has been a Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant at Oregon State University.  She has taught three different undergraduate courses in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences and has assisted with several research studies related to elementary school recess and various cognitive, physical, and social and emotional outcomes. 

Janelle’s research focuses on promoting children’s social development through physical activity. She is primarily interested in 1) physical activity promotion among adolescent girls, 2) examining recess experiences among elementary school students with various disabilities, and 3) exploring how to make recess a more inclusive environment for children with and without disabilities.  Last year Janelle began conducting the ‘Active Together’ study, which is funded by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and focused on promoting self-regulation and physical activity in middle school girls.