The School of Sport and Exercise Science offers a wide range of masterclasses and workshops in sport and exercise science to support students in schools and colleges as they consider their post-16 options. While current government guidelines prevent us from welcoming groups to the Human Performance Centre at present, we are currently delivering masterclasses and workshops virtually (live or pre-recorded) to meet the needs of school and college students.

In recent years, we have engaged with over 1000 students, supporting the development of their understanding of sport and exercise science. Josh Borman visited the Human Performance Centre as a secondary school student for a workshop as part of National Biomechanics Day, before deciding to apply for a place on the BSc Sport and Exercise Science programme at the university. Josh, who is now in the second year of his degree, appreciated the opportunity to learn about the use of technology and recalled the positive interactions shared with staff and students in the School:

“When I visited the Human Performance Centre as a secondary school student, I was completely transfixed with all the technology and equipment that was used to assess human biomechanics. It was a fun environment and I was able to learn some aspects of biomechanics. All the staff there were lovely and kept us engaged with the activities we were doing, such as using technology that could allow us to see how many muscle fibers we were contracting using electromyography, otherwise known as EMG. It turned to a bit of healthy competition to see who could contract the most amount of muscle fibers!

At the time of my visit, I was still considering different universities but my day at the university of Lincoln in secondary school was definitely a contributing factor to why I decided to become a student at the university of Lincoln. As after seeing how great the staff were and made me realise that there is a lot more to sports and exercise then I thought, and I was interested and thirsty to find out more. In addition, the open days that I went to showed that the University of Lincoln could offer me a lot more than a degree in Sport and Exercise Science. It also showed me that I would have a chance to have numerous opportunities such as in first year I represented the University in Manchester at a gymnastics competition that was one of the best experiences of my life.

Josh volunteered to be a participant in a rowing activity in which motion capture was used to provide real-time biofeedback on the sequencing of leg, back and arm contributions.

As a student at the University of Lincoln, I have gained more in-depth knowledge of sports and exercise. Day by day, I gain more and more knowledge. One of my favorite parts of the course is in physiology when we get to use a wide range of equipment to conduct numerous tests. Furthermore, being able to conduct these tests and make new friends and have fun doing it is incredible. In addition, due to the course and the university providing opportunities, I have managed to make friends for life.”

To discuss how the School of Sport and Exercise Science can support your students, please email our outreach co-ordinators Dr Trish Jackman (pjackman@lincoln.ac.uk) and Dr Dan Martin (damartin@lincoln.ac.uk). The full list of masterclasses that we are offering can be viewed here.