Budding scientists from Brompton Academy presented sports science research projects developed at the University.
Held at a special event at the Academy in Gillingham on 25 June, the presentations marked the culmination of a series of ‘Inside Sport Science’ workshops led by the University to help school pupils learn more about how science is used in sport.
Part of a Royal Society grant, ‘Inside Sport Science’ first involved pupils visiting the University’s sports labs in Medway to design their research projects, such as how sports clothing can affect an athlete’s performance. The second stage involved them gathering data from their peers at school, for example, measuring other pupils’ sprint performance whilst also measuring their heart rate, as well as monitoring perceptions of how well they performed during the exercise.
The final part of the project involved the pupils collating their results and producing findings in order to present them at the dedicated presentation evening. Attended by other Brompton pupils and staff, and their invited guests, the event also included talks by Luke Powis, Physiotherapist at Gillingham FC, and Professor Sam Marcora, Director of Research from the University’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences based in Medway.
The grant from the Royal Society has also enabled the Brompton Academy to buy £1,500 worth of scientific equipment that can be used for future work in both science and PE lessons.
The Brompton Academy, based in Gillingham, is one of the University’s partner schools.
For more information contact Katie Newton.