BASES Student Conference 2023

Over 200 students, academics and exhibitors attended the BASES Student Conference 2023 hosted by Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge on 24-25 April 2023. 

The conference theme was “Reflections from the Past Driving the Future in Sport & Exercise Science”. The theme emerged as 2023 marks an historic milestone within exercise science as it represents the centenary of the publication of the seminal work by A.V. Hill on maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), work that was completed in Cambridge.

The conference provided an opportunity for delegates to engage with peers from across the UK through keynote, oral, poster and symposia-based presentations, as well as during social events. Highlights included:

• Three prodigious keynotes:

• Success is not final; failure is not fatal; What can we learn from the successes and the failures of the past in Sport (Dr Anita Biswas)
• AV Hill: The Man, The Myth, The Legacy (Prof Andy Jones FBASES with introduction from Prof Nicholas Humphrey)
• The Psychology of E-Gaming (Dr Phil Birch, University of Chichester)

• Symposia sessions which also included career development workshops, UKAD, Working for the EIS, Scientific support for Team GB Rowing, and climate change agenda.
• 91 outstanding student posters and free communications were presented. Well done to everyone who presented, the awards winners are listed here.

Dr Matthew Timmis and Dr Dan Gordon, conference leads commented "After a four year pause in the face-to-face delivery of the BASES student conference, it was a delight to welcome students back. The two-day conference was filled with enthusiasm and excitement with students sharing their ideas and connecting with new people. We were incredibly impressed with the quality of research being presented and the manner in which the delegates were able to articulate these often-complex ideas in a concise and engaging way. It was a pleasure for the Sport and Exercise Sciences team here at Anglia Ruskin University to welcome delegates from across the UK and we look forward to what Manchester Metropolitan University will be delivering next year." 

Prof Zoe Knowles FBASES, Chair of BASES, said, “The Board appreciates the organisation, attention to detail and time required to make such an event run as smoothly as it did. I am sure the students were inspired by all the keynote speakers and the research being undertaken by their peers. Overall, I have no doubt everyone will have left feeling extremely positive about their future possibilities and what BASES and its members can achieve. Informal feedback from the BASES Board and friends/associates has been very positive.” 

All Keynote lectures and some symposiums will be available to view shorty via the Members’ Area of the BASES website. If you have photos from the day, please share them online using the hashtag #BASESaru23. 

Thank you to the event supporters; Platinum Supporters: Cranlea Human Performance, Equivital and Gait and Motion Technology. Gold Supporters: Sporting Edge, CIMSPA and Para-Monte.Thank you, also, to all exhibitors. 

BASES Student Conference 2024 will be hosted by Manchester Metropolitan University, on 3-4 April 2024. The theme of the conference is “Time for change: Making sport and exercise science more sustainable.” We hope to see you there!