Mission:

To advance the science of how park, recreation and sport environments promote active living. It also seeks to facilitate the application of evidence-based policies and practices to enhance opportunities for physical activity in these environments to enhance quality of life.

Vision:

To be the leading research laboratory in the nation for conducting comprehensive research on the contributions of parks, recreation, and sport to physical activity, fitness, and well-being and to serve as an essential resource for researchers and other professionals to access evidence-based physical activity research reflecting local, state, and national perspectives.

Objectives:

• To conduct research about opportunities for physical activity for all community residents through parks, recreation, schools, and other community settings.
• To facilitate collaborative research opportunities among NC State faculty and other colleagues throughout the state and across the nation regarding active recreation in communities.
• To advance the state of knowledge about evidence-based research about active recreation in communities through projects, publications, and training workshops and seminars.

Current Faculty Projects Underway:

Aram Attarian: Examines the potential of outdoor experiential education and adventure recreation to contribute to physical activity

 

Perver Baran: Develops and evaluates GIS and spatial analysis tools for measuring built and natural physical activity environments.

 

Jason Bocarro: Investigates youth development and physical activity and the role of parks, schools, and other community settings in promoting physical activity among youth.

 

Jonathan Casper: Investigates factors related to commitment to sport and how marketing and promoting physical activity occurs through sports and recreation.

 

Myron Floyd: Develops tools for measuring capacity of park environments to support physical activity and examines disparities in physical activity and park access by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and place of residence.

 

Heidi Grappendorf: Examines the personnel characteristics needed to facilitate sports and recreation programming in the built and natural environments.

 

Michelle Harrole: Focuses on sport participation among Latinos and ethnic variation in motivations, commitment to sport, and recreation activities.

 

Karla Henderson: Investigates physical activity within communities and nature-based camps (e.g., 4-H) relative to activity levels, attitudes, and environmental factors.

 

Michael Kanters: Evaluates school-based policies and outdoor environments that contribute to physical activity.

 

Roger Moore: Examines outdoor recreation behavior and use of natural resources and investigates trails and greenways and their use for recreation and transportation.