LJMU takes Sport Science to schools and museums
21 November 2011
The North West will be seeing the benefit of the London 2012 Olympic Games thanks to a new project from LJMU.
The University’s Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES) has received a People Award from the Wellcome Trust and a Royal Society Partnership Grant to hold a series of events in north west museums and schools leading up to and during the London 2012 Olympic Games, capitalising on heightened interest in sport next year.
Aimed specifically at raising awareness of sport science, the Face-to-Face project will see LJMU hosting interactive exhibits at National Museums Liverpool and the Museum of Science and Industry, with the University also conducting workshops with Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester schools.
This recently began with Childwall Sports and Science College, supported by the Royal Society Partnership Grant. Over 120 students are currently engaging in a range of activities, exposing them to the science involved with the most advanced training methods, techniques and equipment used by the world's leading athletes and coaches, including those taking part in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Face-to-Face with Sports Science incorporates the sub-disciplines of sports science - physiology, nutrition motor control, biomechanics, performance analysis and psychology. These disciplines are presented through interactive pods that feature a range of practical tasks demonstrating the link between the practices of elite athletes and the general public.
Students also investigate their own and their parents'/carers' physical activity levels, and their families' eating and activity habits by taking surveys home and therefore have the opportunity to change their own and their family's lifestyles.
LJMU's Dr. John Dickinson, who is leading the project and submitted the bids said:
“The purpose of Face to Face with Sports Science is to expose students to key scientific and technological developments in Sports and Exercise Science in a hands-on and accessible manner. We can’t all be professional footballers or Olympic athletes but we can all have an interest in health, nutrition and exercise.
"The students develop their own Sports Science passport, which will inform them of their own levels of physical activity and fitness and give them ideas as to how they can incorporate more physical activity into their day."
Headteacher of Childwall Sports and Science College, D.W. Phillips added:
"Childwall Sports and Science College achieved Specialist Status in 2003. Since that time, health and fitness have been highly commended by HMI for the extensive extracurricular programme design not only to support relationships between staff and pupils but also to improve further the wellbeing of our youngsters. Our joint project with LJMU will support both institutions in our aim to ensure the health of our young people. I am delighted to be associated with this marvellous project."
Read the Liverpool Echo story at:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/education/university_and_college_news/2011/11/15/liverpool-s-john-moores-university-unmasks-science-behind-2012-olympics-for-liverpool-schools-100252-29776411/
Further information:
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests. www.wellcome.ac.uk
The Royal Society is a Fellowship of the world's most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence - http://royalsociety.org/
Pictured (above right): Childwall Sports and Science College pupils with LJMU Head of RISES Keith George, measuring the effect of exercise on the heart
