Dr. Peter Farrell
Welcome to the Department of Exercise and Sport Science (EXSS) in the College of Health and Human Performance. Our teacher/scholars focus on topics ranging from training physical educators so that our children's early physical activity experiences are positive to our research agenda which attacks fundamental questions in the psychological, sociological, behavioral, physiological (see Human Performance Laboratory), cultural and biomechanical (Biomechanics Lab) aspects of exercise and sport. Our research provides a sound scientific basis for making recommendations about the personal and societal health benefits of sport and physical activity.
ECU promotes the health of its students. EXSS offers a general education course, EXSS 1000, "Physical Activity and Fitness Laboratory" that provides students with a working knowledge of how regular exercise positively affects health. Students also learn how to formulate a fitness program unique to their own needs and desires. Such knowledge is critical for our meeting a societal goal of becoming more active.
The first part of the new millennium is an exciting yet challenging time for our faculty and students who are dedicated to doing something about reversing the sedentary nature of our society. Leading a sedentary lifestyle predisposes us to chronic diseases especially those diseases which are rampant in eastern North Carolina (Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus). Our graduates are prepared to take leadership roles in many school and community-based organizations which promote physical activity. Researchers in our Activity Promotion Laboratory have contributed extensively to developing programs that target childhood obesity in school age children. They recently developed the "Energizers" program which is an in-school activity program that is being used throughout North Carolina.
As you view the various areas of our web site, you will quickly appreciate that we have regional, national and international experts who are engaged in teaching and research on a variety of topics which fundamentally affect our well-being. Our undergraduate students earn B.S. degrees in Exercise Physiology, Health Fitness Specialist, Sport Studies and Physical Education. At the graduate level we offer the M.A. degree in Exercise and Sport Science with concentrations in Exercise Physiology, Adapted Physical Education, Physical Education Pedagogy, Biomechanics, Physical Activity Promotion and Sport Management along with the M.A.Ed in Teacher Preparation. Our Ph.D. in Bioenergetics is an interdisciplinary degree shared with the Departments of Physiology and Biochemistry in the Brody School of Medicine. This doctoral degree trains students to investigate how energy produced and released by the metabolic process is harnessed to perform cellular work and activities necessary to sustain life and prevent disease. Our researchers in the Human Performance and Biomechanics Laboratories are consistently awarded external funding from the National Institutes of Health and other agencies.
For more information about our department, please Jane Moore or myself. I wish you every success in your educational experience at ECU.
Sincerely,
Peter A. Farrell, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
farrellp@ecu.edu
