Nottingham’s sports research takes centre court

Ever wanted to know more about how exercise can increase your pain threshold, how sport can be used to improve a child's self-confidence, or why Barrack Obama has an apparent obsession with basketball?. Researchers from The University of Nottingham plan to answer these questions and many more during a free event at Nottingham Tennis Centre on finals day of the AEGON Trophy. Members of the public will be invited to take a break from the tennis to hear nine researchers give eight minute presentations about the impact that work taking place in the city will have on some of the summer's biggest sporting events - including the Olympics. Nottingham at its best Rebecca Dowsett, Researcher Training and Development Manager at the University, believes that both the tennis and the Researcher Sports Relay - starting at 2pm on Saturday 9 June - will showcase Nottingham at its best. She said: "The University of Nottingham produces high quality research in numerous fields and it is something we are proud of as an Institution. As a sports fanatic myself, and with the Olympics just around the corner, I was curious to find out what research was conducted here into the advancement of sport. "I have been fascinated by what I uncovered and would encourage anyone with an interest in sport to come along and attend what promises to be a very exciting afternoon." Pioneering research in Nottingham The presentations cover a wide range of sporting topics from using sport to improve children's self-confidence and reduce obesity to increasing your pain threshold through rowing and the ins and outs of designing Team GB's Olympic kayaks.