Dr. Andrew Lepp

Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management

Professor

Campus:

Kent

Contact Information

Email:

alepp1@kent.edu

Phone:

330-672-0218

Fax:

330-672-4106

Personal Website:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MWH2ilYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Biography

I earned my Ph.D. in 2004 from the University of Florida's Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism. Before pursuing a Ph.D., I worked for seven years in the field of natural resource management and conservation. During this time, I worked for the United States Park Service, the United States Forest Service and was a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda, East Africa. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I served for two years as a Warden of Tourism in Uganda's national park system. In preparation for these jobs, I earned a Master of Science degree from Oregon State University in natural resource management, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Wake Forest University in mathematical-economics. This diversity of experience influenced my interests in ecotourism, international tourism, outdoor recreation, natural resource conservation and international development. Most recently, my experience as a father has motivated a new research interest: understanding the connections between new media use (smartphones, internet, etc.) and young people’s behavior.

Dr. Andy Lepp is one of twenty-nine Kent State faculty members that have been named to be in the top 2% of scientists in the world based on a recent study published by Stanford University scholars. The report, published in the PLOS Biology Journal, evaluated more than six million scientists across 22 different fields and 176 sub-fields from 1996 until 2019. The top 2% list is made up of more than 100,000 most-cited scientists who have authored at least five scientific papers.

Education

B.S., Mathematical Economics, Wake Forest University, M.S., Natural Resource Management, Oregon State University, and Ph.D., Recreation, Parks and Tourism, University of Florida

Expertise

ecotourism Conservation sustainable development park management Rural People Public Recreation Environmental Sciences Environmental Conservation Natural Resource Management Tourism and international development Park management particularly related to the relationship between parks and people including neighboring communities Ecotourism and sustainable tourism Natural resource conservation and development ICT (smartphones etc.) and human behavior new media use Physical activity sedentary behavior Anxiety life satisfaction

Awards/Achievements

SAGE Open's Most Read Journal Article Award for “The relationship between cell phone use and academic performance in a sample of U.S. college students”
Best of Computing: Notable Article Award in Computing Reviews’ 19th Annual Best of Computing List: http://tinyurl.com/po5z4uf for “The relationship between cell phone use, academic performance, anxiety, and Satisfaction with Life in college students”
Altmetric Top 100 for “The relationship between cell phone use, academic performance, anxiety, and Satisfaction with Life in college students”
Journal Article of the Year Award for “Image and perceived risk: A study of Uganda and its official tourism website”

News Stories

29 Kent State Faculty Members Named In Top 2% Of Scientists In Fields Worldwide Kent State study finds cell phone’s effect on walking is bad for your health How to Stay Sane on Social Media Now That Everyone Is Angry and Arguing

Research Institutes and Initiatives

Healthy Communities Research Initiative