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Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences

Teaching and training facilities

Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences is based on the historic St Luke's Campus, in the Richards Building, Haighton and Baring Court (numbers 9, 6 and 5 on the campus map). Our world-class teaching laboratories are based in the Richards Building and Baring Court, alongside our team of technicians, who provide excellent technical support for our staff and students.

The University of Exeter is home to some of the best sports facilities in the South West. Over the last decade we have invested in excess of £20 million in the creation of the highest quality training environments and resources for the development, coaching and playing of sport.

Teaching laboratories

Anatomy and Kinanthropometry and computing lab

Location: Richards Building 115

Equipment:

  • 30 laptops with specialist software for nutritional analysis (Nutritics), physical activity assessment (GeneActiv, Actilife, ActivPAL)
  • Human skeletal and cardiovascular anatomy models
  • Anthropometry equipment e.g. skinfold calipers, anthropometric tape measures, segmometers, bioelectrical impedance
  • Physical activity monitors (GeneActiv, activPAL, Actigraph)

Biomechanics teaching and dissertation laboratory

Location: Richards Building 01

Equipment: 

  • 3D and 2D Motion analysis
  • AMTI Force plates
  • Motion Lab Systems Electromyography
  • Digitimer electrical muscle and nerve stimulator
  • RS Scan plantar pressure plates
  • Witty and Brower timing gates
  • 14 desktop computers with specialist software (Codamotion, Footscan, Spike 2, MaxTraQ)

Exercise Physiology laboratories 

Location: Richards Building 01 and 12

Equipment: 

  • Lode cycle ergometers
  • Monark cycle ergometers
  • Concept 2 rowing ergometer
  • Cortex on-line gas analysers
  • Douglas bags and servomex gas analysers
  • Polar heart rate monitors and team system
  • Capillary blood sampling equipment including analysis of capillary blood for haemoglobin, haematocrit, osmolarity, glucose, lactate, lipid profile, creatine kinase
  • Delsys Electromyography
  • Daray Electrocardiography
  • Automated (Omron) and Manual Blood pressure monitors
  • Galileo Whole body vibration plate
  • Colorado Altitude Training hypoxic generator
  • Microloop Spirometers
  • Oxywatch fingertip pulse oxiometers
  • Woodway and Taurus treadmills
  • Takei Hand grip strength dynamometers

Psychology teaching and dissertation laboratory

Location: Richards Building 19

Equipment: 

  • Eye trackers
  • Virtual reality

Dissertation testing laboratories 

Location: Richards Building 23 and 28

Equipment: 

  • Lode cycle ergometers
  • Monark cycle ergometers
  • Velotron cycle ergometer
  • Cortex on-line gas analysers
  • Capillary blood sampling equipment including analysis of capillary blood for haemoglobin, haematocrit, osmolarity, glucose, lactate, lipid profile, creatine kinase
  • Delsys Electromyography
  • Contact mat and optical jump testing equipment
  • Biodex Isokinetic dynamometer
  • POWER breathe respiratory trainers
  • IntelliSTIM electrical neuromuscular stimulator

Teaching kitchen

Location: Baring Court 23

Equipment:

  • 5 fully equipped kitchen workstations
  • Demonstration workstation with mirror
  • Induction hobs
  • Electric ovens
  • Freeze dryer
  • Food dehydrators
  • Parr bomb calorimeter
  • Merrychef Eikon
  • Sous Vide equipment
  • Water bath
  • Jenway Refractometer (Food Chemistry)
  • pH meter and Brix refractometer

Sensory and tasting laboratories

Location: Baring Court 138

Equipment:

  • 6 Sensory tasting booths with serving hatch
  • Dumbwaiter

Research labs

The department also has dedicated research laboratories used primarily by staff and postgraduates, although undergraduates may use them for dissertation work, or as research assistants or participants.

Sports and training facilities

A student at the gym sits on a bench and smiles at the camera

St Luke's Sports Centre is based in the heart of the St Luke's Campus and is an integral part of university life. The facilities cater for the student and staff population as well as the local community.

St Luke's Sports Centre facilities include:

  • 30-station fitness studio (gym)
  • 3 badminton court sports hall
  • Indoor heated swimming pool
  • Gymnasium/hall.

Other university sports facilities include:

  • Athlete development centre
  • All-weather pitches 
  • Boathouse 
  • Cricket centre 
  • Golf centre 
  • Outdoor pool
  • Performance analysis suite
  • Russell Seal Fitness Centre
  • Squash courts 
  • Tennis centre

For more information about sports facilities on St Luke's and Streatham campuses visit the University Sport website.