Facilities, Equipment and Building Gallery

Facilities and Equipment

The University has invested significantly in Sport and Exercise Science.  Extensive specialist provision has been designed.  On the 28th April 2004 rugby legend Gerald Davies CBE opened the new Carwyn James Sport and Exercise Science building.  The new building is named after the distinguished former student of Aberystwyth who graduated in Welsh in 1951 and became a leading rugby union player and coached the highly successful 1971 British Lions.

Following a major extension completed in 2010, the department now houses 18 specialised laboratories and seminar rooms providing state-of-the-art facilities for physiological, psychological and biomechanical research and teaching.

Physiology

The physiology laboratories house a wide range of equipment for monitoring responses to exercise. This includes high performance treadmills, a number of Monark cycles, electromagnetically-braked cycle ergometers (Lode), Powercranks for road and off-road cycles, rowing ergometers, spirometers, online gas analysis systems etc. There are numerous high-quality on-line systems with 12-lead ECG, in addition to standard Douglas bag off-line collection and analysis facilities. 

Environmental Chamber

An environmental chamber allows the study of human responses in hot, cold or humid environments.

Muscle Function

This houses a Biodex isokinetic dynamometer, Ballistic Measurement System, and a set of standard Olympic Weights and lifting cage for the assessment of muscle function.

Biochemistry and Tissue Analysis

To complement work in all disciplines, especially physiology, this lab includes analysers to assay blood, urine and sweat, and a range of associated equipment. Amongst other things, there are centrifuges, -80°C freezers, an autoclave, an automated haematology analyser, plate readers (absorbance and luminescence), a clinical biochemistry analyser and a photometer. The biochemistry lab is well equipped to allow the measurement of various parameters and metabolites (e.g. lactate, glucose, lipids, hormones) for research into areas such as immunology, nutrition, fatigue, stress responses, health and disease.

Anthropometry

This features fundamental anthropometry equipment in addition to body composition assessment equipment, including bioelectrical impedance and an underwater weighing tank sunk into the floor. A DXA scanner is also available for accurate measurement of body composition and bone mineral density.

Psychology And Psycho-Physiology

Comfortable seminar rooms allow group activities such as the analysis of roles in a team and provide relaxed spaces for athlete interviews. Computer-based psychometric and cognitive function testing equipment (i.e. the Vienna Testing System) is available. This can be used alongside EMG, ECG, heart rate monitoring and respiratory analysis in our Psychophysiology laboratory to study the relationship between body and mind. In addition, one laboratory provides a mirrored exercise environment to examine psychological responses to exercise.

Biomechanics

The biomechanics laboratories house a Motion Analysis Corporation 3D camera system with 8 cameras, two moveable AMTI force plates, and an overhead harness system. The main lab has been specially designed with a high ceiling and an integral running track which exits through a full height opening in one wall to allow athletes to uninhibitedly sprint, throw or kick. A wireless EMG system allows the simultaneous analysis of muscle function. In the second lab, a large Kistler force plate, digital video cameras and computerised image analysis software are available.

Neuromuscular Control

The CODA 3D motion capture system and synchronised EMG provide the ability to study motor control in the upper limb. A 3D haptics robot (Haptic Master) allows the generation of virtual reality environments for studying physical interation.