Ph. D - Human Biodynamics, History of Physical Education and Sport, University of California, Berkeley, 1996. Dissertation title: The Contributions of Women Researchers to the Development of a Science of Physical Education in the United States.
M.A. - Physical Education, California State University, Long Beach., 1989. Graduate Dean's list. Thesis title: Women's Industrial and Recreation League Softball in Southern California, 1930-1950.
B.S. - Physical Education, Springfield College, 1983. Magna cum Laude
Dr. Wrynn's general area of study (and thus her teaching) is focused on the socio-cultural study of sport and exercise, specifically in the areas of history, sociology, and philosophy of sport and physical activity. Her area of research specialization is on the history of the scientific foundations of the field, and most specifically on the role of women played in developing a science of kinesiology and physical education.
Her current research is focused on the history of the allied health fields related to kinesiology (like Athletic Training and Physical Therapy). She is also working on a large scale report for the Women's Sports Foundation on gender, leadership and participation in the Olympic Movement.
Dr. Wrynn has conducted research on the history of science and medicine in the Olympic movement. She received a grant from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1999, that allowed her to spend a month in Lausanne, Switzerland at the archives of the IOC. The original grant proposal was to analyze the IOC's understanding of the altitude physiology in the context of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. While at the archives, she also examined primary source material on two other significant scientific topics that emerged in the 1960's - drug testing and gender verification. This grant has also allowed her to share more information with her students about the inner workings of the IOC as she has been able to spend a great deal of time observing the organization.
“The Battle of the Carmens: The Social Construction of a Skating Rivalry,” w/ Dr. Annette Hoffman in David Wiggins and Pierre Rogers (Eds). Sports Rivalries: Traditions of Meaning and Representation in American Culture. University of Arkansas Press (forthcoming 2010)
“Eliza Mosher: Pioneering Woman Physician and Advocate for Physical Education,” in Roberta J. Park and Patricia Vertinsky (Eds.). Once Hidden from History [working title]. Routledge Press (forthcoming).
“The Athlete in the Making: The Scientific Study of American Athletic Performance, 1920-1932,” Special Issue: Coaching Cultures, Sport in History (forthcoming December 2009)
Women, Sport and Physical Activity: Challenges and Triumphs. 2nd edition. w/Drs. Sharon Guthrie, Michelle Magyar, and Ann Maliszewski, Eds. Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt Publishing Co., 2009.
“’Under the Showers’: An Analysis of the Historical Connections between American Athletic Training and Physical Education,” Journal of Sport History, 34(1), (2007), 401-415.
"Historical perspectives on accreditation/Physical Education Teacher Education," Chronicle of Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education, Vol. 18, No. 2 May 2007, p. 1, 12-13.
"'A Debt was Paid Off in Tears': Science, IOC Politics and the Debate about High Altitude Surrounding the 1968 Mexico City Olympics," International Journal of the History of Sport, 23(7), (2006), 1164-1184.
Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies and Scheduling, Department of Kinesiology, Fall 2007 - Present
Associate Editor, Journal of Sport History, 2009 - Present.
Vice-President-elect, Vice-President, National Association for Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education, 2008-2010.
Section Editor, History and Philosophy, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 2005-Present
