Students to Research Sports Science in Bath

Seven Westmont kinesiology majors will conduct international research focusing on exercise science in June at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. The students on the Kinesiology Europe Mayterm program, led by Gregg Afman, professor of kinesiology, will assist the ongoing research of James Betts, senior lecturer in nutrition, metabolism and statistics at the University of Bath.

Author of the book “Nutrition for Post-Exercise Recovery,” Betts has taught at Bath since 2005 after earning a doctorate in human muscle metabolism at Loughborough University. Afman first met Betts in 2005 when Afman was on sabbatical at Loughborough. During a sabbatical last spring, Afman conducted research in exercise science with Betts and the two became friends. “An outcome of that research is a paper that has been accepted and will be published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism,” Afman says.

The research involves the effects of sodium bicarbonate and reactive hypoglycemia on basketball skills. “We looked at how nutritional practices (carbohydrate and sodium bicarbonate) may enhance basketball skill during a simulated game,” he says. “We also validated the testing protocol to be a valid measure of the metabolic costs of a basketball game.”

The Westmont students will assist Betts and five doctoral students who are conducting research involving nutritional recovery from exhaustive exercise, the effect of eating or skipping breakfast on daily energy expenditure and the effects of high-intensity interval training on health and performance.

“Our kinesiology students will participate in high-level research projects in their major and with respected researchers while gaining valuable international cultural and educational experiences,” Afman says.