Olympic and paralympic Games: THE IMPACT OF ... - Universities UK

At each event visitors were exposed to aseries of interactive pods that allowed themto experience the physical and psychologicalassessments that elite athletes use tohelp prepare for major competition. Theproject ultimately encouraged communityengagement and inspiration from observinghow scientists work with elite athletes, andraised awareness of the links to positivehealth, wellbeing and nutrition research thatcan be of benefit to the nation as a whole.Maths and Sport: Countdown to the Gamesis a free online resource for students fromthe award-winning Millennium MathematicsProject at the University of Cambridge whichinspires students to think about and explorethe maths and science behind the Games.In addition, a Maths of Sport Roadshowhas been developed for schools. Studentscompete in teams in Maths Pentathlon orJenny Platt explaining principles of healthyeating at Liverpool John Moores UniversityMaths Triathlon events. Hands-on activitiesput into practice students’ knowledgeof number, calculation, shape, space andmeasures, data handling and representation,strategy, and teamwork. The teams’ resultsare then discussed and analysed before thebronze, silver and gold winning teams areannounced.Imperial College London is hosting theJapanese Olympic team and has invitedprimary school children from the localcommunity to take part in numerous SankaDays. Sanka is the Japanese word forparticipation and the days aim to give thechildren an appreciation of another culture byproviding opportunities for them to take partin hands-on activities such as playing taikodrums, making sushi, an introduction to judo,and learning some basic Japanese language.Imperial College London’s Sanka Dayscommunity regenerationLondon Metropolitan University has launchedan exciting new project to help regeneratethe area of Aldgate. The Aldgate Projectwill involve over 400 students from theuniversity’s Faculty of Architecture and SpatialDesign (ASD) and the Sir John Cass Facultyof Art, Media and Design (The Cass) carryout creative initiatives to transform the areaby collaborating with local stakeholders. Theproject is the biggest of its kind in the historyof London Metropolitan University, and willinvolve students from disciplines includingarchitecture, design, art and media.Michael Upton, Academic Leader at The Cass,believes the Aldgate Project reflects LondonMet’s ethos. “It is community focused and allthe projects are aimed at benefitting the localarea”, he said.SECTION eight : universities and the community43