Category: Student

MSc students Maia Minson and Romany Tune worked together with PhD student Lee Ager to explore the impact of convective airflow on heat balance during exercise in extreme heat (40°C) under dry (30% RH) and humid (50% RH) conditions.

As environmental humidity increases, the water vapour pressure gradient between the skin and the environment is reduced, thereby limiting the potential for evaporative heat loss. Under such conditions, Maia and Romany investigated, as part of Lee’s PhD studies, the effect of convective airflow (15 km·h⁻¹) on body heat storage when ambient temperature exceeds skin temperature. What is currently unknown is how heat storage will be affected when airflow can theoretically increase convective heat gain while enhancing evaporative heat dissipation.

UG students Anna Fitzpatrick, Hannah Topping, & Matt Vallance have been working in the heat chamber this year on a project alongside PhD student Lee Ager. They are exploring the impact of air velocity on physiological and perceptual responses during exercise in extreme heat (45 ^oC). Specifically they were recruiting a fit but lower aerobically trained group to examine sweat responses and the ability to tolerate such extreme conditions. Three excellent students to have in the lab!

MSc student Molly Carruthers has just completed a project working with Ollie (PhD student) examining the accuracy of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in hot environments. They examined a range of temperatures at rest and during light physical activity, data which will feed into future publications and impact public health recommendations particularly for diabetic populations. Molly has been fantastic in the lab and we wish her success in her future ventures.

UG students Vicky Catterall and Holly Youd undertook a project in the environmental chamber this year exploring physiological and metabolic responses to simulated heat wave events. They examined a range of outcome measures in a range of conditions from 21-40 degrees centigrade. The data will feed into a larger project which will inform future public health concerns in a climate that increasingly demonstrates greater instability and increased heat wave intensity, duration and frequency globally. Vicky won the class prize for her written dissertation exploring this question – well done Vicky!

Vicky designed an excellent infographic to visualise the key findings from the project see left.

Projected rises in body core temperature are shown after sedentary and light physical activity in healthy populations.

Issy Davis (BS.c student) and Oliver Milard (MS.c. student) completed a project in the lab this year with two aims. Firstly they explored the effect of temperature on steady state and intermittent exercise, quantifying thermoregulatory, physiological and metabolic responses. Secondly they used new wearable technology to explore reliability in reporting body core temperature when compared to gold-standard invasive thermometry.

Oliver is pursuing his interests by looking for future PhD projects and we wish him good luck!

MSc student Sophie Evans completed her research project (2023) in our environmental lab exploring the effect of dehydration on cardiac function. Sophie was trained to take a number of specific measures using echocardiography by Prof Chris Eggett a clinical echocardiographer. Participants endured an exercise test in hot environmental conditions to achieve the target dehydration. We hope to further expand our insights from this project in the near future.

Good luck to Sophie who starts a PhD at Bath University this October!

Our undergraduate students (2023) explored the effect of convective airflow on body temperature in a range of extreme environmental temperatures. They also trialed wearable technology in these extreme environments that reported core body temperature.

Harriet, James & Jack (pictured below L to R) spent several months in the environmental facilities testing a number of participants in extreme temperatures between 37 and 45 degrees C. The project generated some very interesting insight into how we tolerate extreme fluctuations in temperature.

MRes medical student George Barton joined the laboratory in the beginning of 2022 as an intercalating medical student to explore the biochemical responses to uncompensatable heat stress, with support from PhD student Lee Ager.

International MSc student Godi Jibi exploring how L-menthol mouth-rinsing modulates exercise capacity in a hot environment.