UCLan SENS Professor signed up by Gates Foundation

Professor Nicola Lowe has been invited by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to be a member of the International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group (IZiNCG).

Professor Lowe will sit alongside a handful of other internationally-recognised scientists with long-standing expertise in zinc nutrition.

The IZiNCG is the go-to group on the world stage for expert technical and policy advice and is linked to the delivery of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals.

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, it aims to promote and assist efforts to reduce zinc deficiency worldwide, through advocacy efforts, education, and technical assistance.

Professor Lowe holds a range of other advisory positions relating to zinc, and has also recently been invited to be a panel advisor for the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission which selects overseas candidates for scholarships and fellowships tenable in the United Kingdom.

Zinc is an essential nutrient for human health. In spite of the proven benefits of adequate zinc nutrition, approximately two billion people still remain at risk of zinc deficiency.

Professor Lowe said: "It's an honour to be asked to join such a prestigious group. Zinc deficiency is something I feel incredibly strongly about and initiatives like the IZiNCG are crucial in raising awareness and effecting change."

Created by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest foundation in the world, driving initiatives in education, world health and community giving.

Research reaps rewards for Chris

As a Lecturer of Sport at Burnley College on a range of FE and HE programmes and a sport science practitioner on the Elite Athlete Programme, Chris Kirk has always had a desire to improve his knowledge and applicable skills within his daily practice.

Chris decided to undertake a postgraduate qualification that would increase his understanding of more advanced methods and techniques within sports science, whilst also allowing him the opportunity to apply his learning to performance enhancement.

He commented: "The MSc (by Research) at UCLan provided the perfect balance of theoretical and practical studies, enabling me to utilise my existing undergraduate research methods and develop them to a much deeper level.

"Within my thesis - 'The Workload Demands of Mixed Martial Arts' - I was able to demonstrate the use of new technology alongside more traditional performance analysis techniques in the assessment of workload within a rapidly growing sport."

Whilst Chris found the process continuously challenging, he said it was made equally engaging by his tutor Dr Howard Hurst, whose guidance showed him how fulfilling and enriching research work could be.

"The tutor support continued throughout the programme of study, from fleshing out the experimental design to preparation for the final viva voce/examination - a valuable experience in the qualification which mirrors the peer review process vital to scientific research," said Chris.

"As well as attaining the final MSc degree, a key achievement for me was being able to rework parts of my thesis into two published, peer reviewed articles (click here and here to view).

"Completion of an MSc (by Research) is hard work and fraught with moments of frustration and difficulty, but it is also extremely rewarding and has awoken a passion in me for further research, both in the projects in which I'm currently involved and the future pursuit of a PhD.

"I fully recommend this degree course to anyone who has a desire to improve their own sport science research abilities, whilst also contributing to the knowledge base of the discipline."

Graduate expands research work

26in/27.5in/29in - What's The Fastest MTB Wheel Size? - Part 2

The results of Dr Howard Hurst's study into wheel sizes and mountain bike performance have been published by the UK's top bicycle review website, BikeRadar.

The video above explains the findings. If you missed Part 1, please click here.

26in/27.5in/29in - What's The Fastest MTB Wheel Size? - Part 1

Dr Howard Hurst's study into wheel sizes and mountain bike performance is set to feature on the UK's top bicycle review website, BikeRadar.

The video above sets the scene for the study, with an article going on the BikeRadar website next week along with part 2 of the video which will discuss the findings.

European Motocross testing enhances students' learning

Our programmes offer students the opportunity to enhance their career prospects by gaining 'real world' experience.

Master's students Misha Murtagh and Joe Wood recently accompanied a professional Motocross team to Spain, where they conducted a series of research tests on the riders.

Misha and Joe have kindly provided us with a blog about their trip:

We travelled to Lloret De Mar for a few days to conduct some basic testing and profiling on high level Motocross riders. The riders included Max Anstie and Mel Pocock (Dixon Racing) and Reece Desoer (Preston Docks MX).

The testing had begun in the Physiology Laboratory in Darwin Building, where we tested the riders’ VO2 Max and monitored the effect that incremental increases in intensity had on their blood lactate levels in correlation to heart rate. When we went to Spain we recorded their heart rate and blood lactate in a setting more specific to the demands of the sport.

During our stay we visited two different tracks, both of which placed different demands on the riders. We worked the best we could on the side of the tracks as these tests are generally conducted in clinical laboratory settings, so we had to adapt to the environment and find ways around any problems presented. With the cooperation of the riders we were successful – they were fantastic to work with and really showed an interest in what we were doing.

This trip gave us the opportunity to apply the theory learnt at UCLan into a practical setting, where we had to adjust the protocols used to fit in with the unique scenario we experienced.

An example of this is that we had the riders stop as if it was a pit stop every five laps to take results, but the time it took would vary dependent on the smoothness of each lap, the speed of the rider and the other riders on the track.

During testing even if we staggered the start times of the riders there would still be a chance of two coming in at the same time, so we allotted each other jobs and planned how to cope if two did come in at once. This only happened one time and was dealt with fluently causing minimal disruption to the training.

The testing links in well with our course and career opportunities as we were testing elite athletes in an extreme sport where little research has been conducted in these conditions.

We showed the ability to assess the physical demands of the sport and aim to identify areas in which their performance can be improved in the future - both of which are vital components of working in an elite sporting environment.

We'd like to thank John Desoer of Preston Docks MX and the Steve Dixon Racing Team for inviting us along to their training camp and taking good care of us while we were away, and Max, Mel and Reece for allowing us to test on them. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip.

Workshop: Nutrition Policy to Practice in Pakistan - Exploring the Challenges and Research Opportunities

The British Council and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Pakistan has launched a new five-year programme to encourage international research collaboration between ambitious researchers from the UK and eighteen countries around the world.

The programme, 'British Council Researcher Links' provides opportunities for early career researchers from the UK and internationally to interact, learn from each other and explore opportunities for building long-lasting research collaborations.

As part of this programme, a 'call to action' was issued in April 2014 for leading researchers to propose themes for bilateral workshops to be held in one of these countries which will bring together early career researchers to discuss their research and start to build international relationships.

Professor Nicola Lowe is the UK coordinator for this workshop event which will look at nutrition issues in Pakistan.

For further details about the workshop and how to apply, please click here.