The Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE) was delighted to have Dr. Simon Cooper, Associate Professor, and Dr. Ruth Boat, Senior Lecturer, in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, visit the Department from 20 Mar 2023 to 22 March 2023.
 
Dr.  Cooper and Dr. Boat delivered a research seminar on “Using the power of physical activity to enhance cognition, learning, and health in young people” and “Self-control: implications for sports performance and health” respectively on 22 March 2023. Dr. Boat overviewed a number of studies that have explored the effects of self-control exertion on subsequent exercise performance, alongside the attentional and motivational mechanisms that may explain the self-control processes. Dr. Cooper shared his invaluable experience and thoughts on the acute and chronic effects of school-based physical activity interventions on cognitive function in young people, alongside consideration of the importance of these findings for academic achievement and educational policy.
 
The seminar was held in a hybrid format, with around 40 colleagues and students attending and exchanging ideas with Dr. Cooper and Dr. Boat for impactful projects in their research fields. Besides the seminar, Dr. Cooper and Dr. Boat also discussed future research collaborations with colleagues in the HPE department.