From the Amazon to the Sahara without leaving Penrhyn Road
Posted Thursday 15 August 2013
A sophisticated new environmental chamber has been installed in the Sopwith building annex at Penrhyn Road.
The University has invested £100,000 in a piece of kit that benefits our own sport and exercise science students and also provides a training facility for elite athletes. It replicates temperatures, humidity and altitudes from around the world, allowing athletes from any exercise discipline to train in extreme conditions. This could be running in the Sahara (competitors for the Marathon des Sables have already booked in) or trekking in the Amazon, as well as more stable European environments.
Course director for Sport Analysis and Coaching BSc(Hons) James Brouner said: "As well as helping improve teaching and research, it enhances our consultancy offering. We hire out our services out-of-hours to engage the public and to generate revenue. We think the environmental chamber is the highest-spec yniversity facility of its kind within the M25. It is large enough to house whole sports teams and we have already had an enquiry from a premier league football team."
