Lower Sixth BTEC Sport pupils and Sport Scholars attended a public health and sports science trip this week on St. Luke’s Campus at the University of Exeter led by senior lecturer Bert Bond PhD FHEA.
Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Exeter consistently ranks in the UK’s top Sports Science departments and has international acclaim as a leading research facility in this field. The visit showcased what university study might be like and introduced Sport Sciences programs and graduate opportunities. The afternoon also introduced human exercise physiology. Pupils engaged in both theory and practice work within the session.
The visit included:
- A tour of their laboratories and an introduction to university life.
- An overview of different metabolic pathways and how these can be assessed.
- Application of basic exercise physiology for athletes and health promotion.
- An observation regarding resting metabolic rate and carbohydrate/fat metabolism.
- An experiment which required four of our pupils to perform some submaximal cycling on a cycle ergometer. This involved pupils providing small fingertip blood samples (< 1mL) to measure blood lactate and performing progressive exercise until achieving a maximal intensity. The experiment estimated how much oxygen each pupil consumed and blood lactate they produce when exercising at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 Watts. A heart rate monitor was worn, and oxygen uptake was analysed via a face mask to measure expired gas.
It was a fantastic experience for all pupils and provided an insight into testing elite athletes and understanding the importance of public health. Pupils have also been invited by Mr Bond, to engage in research exploring the influence of age and sex on blood vessel health over the summer if they would like to volunteer. Thank you to Exeter University and Mr Bond in particular for inspiring our pupils.
