St Mary’s University Made British Association of Sport and Exercise Science Outreach Hub

St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU) has been selected as a British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES) Outreach Hub for 2024/25.

BASES is the largest sport and exercise sciences network in the UK, and launched their Outreach Hub project in 2023. The aim of the Outreach Hubs is to engage school and college students between the ages of 14 and 19 years, who are studying sport and exercise science related subjects, through a workshop and poster competition on site.

Earlier this month saw local GCSE, BTEC and A Level students attend a one-day workshop at St Mary’s, where they took part in a range of interactive activities using the state-of-the-art Sport and Exercise Science facilities at the University. This included use of the environmental chamber within SMU’s Human Performance Laboratory, as well as the motion capture system within the Biomechanics Laboratory.

The poster competition aims to enrich and support the learning of students while also offering them an insight into what it’s like to study at a higher education level. The students, whether individually or in small groups, are invited to create, design, and submit an informative poster on the topics covered during the workshop.

A St Mary’s University panel will then select a winner, with the winning poster submitted to the BASES Outreach Project Team who will then select a national winner. The winning school or college will then receive a prize that includes a visit from a high profile coach or athlete, as well as an opportunity to attend and present the poster at a BASES conference.

Speaking on the Outreach Hub project, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology at SMU Alex Woodhead said, “We are extremely proud to be selected as a BASES Outreach Hub for the upcoming year. Running the poster competition alongside our ongoing outreach activities helps strengthen our links to the local community, specifically between further and higher education institutions, promoting a mutual growth and a sense of shared purpose.”