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Alissa Z

- Research Program Mentor

MS candidate at University of Southern California (USC)

Expertise

Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics, Kinesiology, Exercise Science

Bio

I grew up playing sports and loving math and science, so when I discovered I could combine those interests, I determined my dream career path! Since that discovery, I received by Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Sports Performance with a Minor in Engineering Physics from McKendree University in 2020. Then, I obtained my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification. Now, I am pursuing a Master of Science in Biokinesiology with an emphasis in Sports Science from the University of Southern California while working with a lab that is exploring modifiable physical factors that may influence performance and injury risk in baseball pitchers! The sport that I played through undergrad was volleyball, so now that I live by the beach, beach volleyball is one of my favorite things to do! Other than that, I enjoy any means of being active, as well as experimenting with nutrition. All in all, my career and personal interests encompass my desire to help others (and myself) perform their best. Mentoring is the perfect fit for me to continue to fulfill that desire!

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Design a Sport-Specific Movement Screening

Are you interested in exploring what kinds of sports technology and motion analyses would apply to the sport or injury of your interest? My dream career is to perform biomechanical and physiological assessments for athletic and patient populations so I would love to work with you on a project such as this one! We can develop the whole process, from movement selection, to collection protocol, to data analysis, to reporting. A literature search will be pertinent, as it always is in the field of sports performance, so we can learn how to efficiently and effectively read scientific literature as well!

Coding skills

MatLab

Credentials

Work experience

USC Clinical Biomechanics Orthopedic and Sports Outcomes Research Laboratory (2020 - Current)
Masters Student Researcher
University of Nebraska - Lincoln Biomedical Engineering Department (2018 - 2018)
Summer Research Scholar

Education

McKendree University
BS Bachelor of Science
Exercise Science and Sports Performance
University of Southern California (USC)
MS Master of Science candidate
Biokinesiology with an Emphasis in Sports Science

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