Rolleston College students had a great time being put through their paces recently at a sport and exercise science lab run by Lincoln University lecturers and postgraduate students.
The Year 10 health science class visited campus to learn about how their body systems work together to maintain homeostatic balance during exercise.
The students discovered how to measure their blood pressure and heart rate, learned how oxygen is carried in the blood and measured the efficiency of their breathing.
Senior Lecturer Catherine Elliott said one of the activities involved the students running up and down a flight of stairs while observing changes to the levels of oxygen in their blood.
“After learning about the cardiovascular system first hand, perhaps some students will now be interested in furthering their knowledge at university.”
They also performed squat jumps to evaluate the power of the muscles in their lower legs and viewed a demonstration involving the continuous measurement of blood pressure, heart rate, breathing frequency and oxygen saturation during exercise.
Sports Science Associate Professor Mike Hamlin said the lab was a great opportunity to teach the students about the sport and health research that takes place at Lincoln.
“It’s always useful to have interactive sessions where students collect data on themselves, as it helps with their learning.”
Dr Hamlin’s exercise science research began in a small laboratory some 19 years ago, but his contributions to sport science have been mighty. Lincoln University is ranked in the top 300 universities worldwide, according to the ShanghaiRanking’s 2017 Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments.
“Everything we teach at Lincoln University is practical and should be relatable to all students,” said Dr Elliot. “For example, our Sport and Recreation Management degree students can elect to take Mike’s sport science courses, where they learn in a hands-on laboratory environment.
“Our students appreciate learning sport science alongside sport management, as it prepares them for careers in the management aspects of sport, health, fitness and recreation.”