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Christopher Palmer, MS

Physical Scientist, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC)

Immediately following graduate school, I began work at the Center for Clinical and Lifestyle Research as a Project Director for the Advil “Fit Over Forty” study.  This study examined the relationship between physical activity, health, and the ability to maintain activities of daily living in people from 40-80 years-old.  Since 1996, I’ve worked for the Department of Defense (DoD) in the fields of Military Performance, Combat Development, and Material Acquisitions.  Over my career I’ve been fortunate enough to have conducted research in Military Performance, trained Warfighters for combat tasks, improved physical fitness, and nutrition, written US Army Physical Fitness Doctrine, and helped develop many Operational items needed for our Warfighters overseas for the Special Operations Command during the Global War on Terror.

I received my BS (92’) and MS (94’) in Kinesiology from UMass, concentrating in Exercise Physiology, Energy Metabolism, Nutrition, and Strength and Conditioning (as a Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach in the Athletic Dept).  The courses in kinesiology and nutrition gave me an exceptional understanding of the human response to training of all types, injury prevention, and the physiological, biomechanical, and neurological basis of human performance in general.  Although the classes were great, of equal value was the time I spent in the laboratories applying the “book work” to real experiments.  The opportunity for independent study and pursuit of specific areas of interest is unconstrained in Kinesiology, and strongly supported by the faculty.

My knowledge and background in understanding the “human system” led me from the physical training aspects of Military Performance to the development and engineering of combat equipment to improve Warfighter performance, protection, and survivability.  As I progressed in this role, I saw that the engineering “material developers” lacked the human systems perspective, and dealt mainly with the materials themselves.  Through collaboration with these other experts in the DoD and Industry we gained a broader perspective into the human factors of item development, and improved capabilities for our Warfighters.  This development work allows our mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters at War and in training a better opportunity to return safely home to their families.

My education in Kinesiology at UMass has provided an invaluable foundation and perspective to address problems involving the human system.  This is true in a strictly academic sense, as well as from an organizational and leadership perspective.  I am now back at UMass for a Doctorate in Kinesiology in a DoD training program, concentrating in Motor Control and Biomechanics.  Upon completion, I will return and continue my work on Warfighter Performance.  The UMass Kinesiology program provides an outstanding foundation from which to build a career in many fields, including public health, medicine, nutrition, athletic training and performance, human factors and many others.  If you’re interested in a career involving the human system, I would highly recommend this program for a strong foundation in this area.