USC exercise science professor receives national fitness award

University of South Carolina exercise science professor, Russell Pate, is one of five people named a 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient by the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.

The award has been presented each year since 2007 and is given to individuals whose careers have greatly contributed to the advancement or promotion of physical activity, fitness, sports and nutrition-related programs.

Recipients are selected by members of the national fitness council based on the span and scope of their career, the estimated number of lives they have touched and the impact of their legacy.

“I often say that if you ask world leaders in this area to name the top researchers in this area, Russ will be one of the first two or three mentioned,” said Steve Blair, researcher and professor in USC’s Department of Exercise Science and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics who received a 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Pate, an exercise physiologist, teaches in USC’s Arnold School of Public Health. His research focuses on promoting physical activity and physical fitness in children and understanding the health implications of physical activity.

He has published more than 300 academic papers and was the founding chairman of the Department of Exercise Science, which has been ranked first among academic departments of its kind in the United States by Academic Analytics.

“Dr. Pate’s outstanding scientific contributions to the field of exercise science exemplify the very highest level of scientific activity in South Carolina and the nation,” said Prakash Nagarkatti, USC vice president for research.

Outside the university, Pate has led in the development of the National Physical Activity Plan and served as president of the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance.

He also served on the U.S. Dietary and Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committees and several Institute of Medicine panels.

Dreher student claims statewide law education honor

The SC Bar Law Related Education Division has named Dreher High School senior Nick Seymour its 2015 Citizen of the Year.

The annual award recognizes commendable service by someone outside the traditional law and education fields who has shown a profound interest in the development of students into responsible citizens.

Seymour has interned with the Bar’s Media Services Division for two summers when he helped edit various mock trial video training segments.

“Mr. Seymour truly understands what being a participatory citizen is about and how one person can make a difference,” said Cynthia H. Cothran, LRE Director.

Seymour was formally presented the award at Dreher earlier this month.