So far on the Science Board, Pfeiffer said she is writing a report about how to help children and adolescents meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans — guidelines to improve their health through physical activity.

Pfeiffer is one of 16 members on the Science Board, which is composed of researchers from a variety of academic institutions. She said the general council is composed of professional athletes, celebrities and physicians to encourage all Americans to engage in a healthy lifestyle.

“The idea is that the members of the Science Board … ensure that the messages and programs the council supports are scientifically sound,” Pfeiffer said in an email.

The President’s Council physical activity has existed since 1956 under a number of former presidents including John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and, currently, President Barack Obama, according to the council’s website.

Pfeiffer, who has been at MSU for seven years, said she focuses on research to accurately measure physical activity and create interventions to increase physical activity in children and adolescents.

James Pivarnik, another MSU kinesiology professor, was appointed to the Science Board in April 2011.

MSU is the only university to have more than one professor on the board, and Pivarnik said it is a tribute to the quality of the research MSU produces, particularly in the Department of Kinesiology.

Kinesiology senior Marion Bakhoya had Pfeiffer for an anatomy class and also has worked on a few of the professor’s projects focusing on children’s physical activity.

“Her passion for what she does is not only reflected in her work, but also on the impact she’s had on those around her,” Bakhoya said.