The conference, which runs annually, is a who’s who of academics and experts in the sport science world and encourages people to share research and best practice - and gain valuable feedback.

Although anyone can apply to present at the two-day conference, a rigorous selection process means that only the best get to showcase their work to the approximately 300 delegates a day, and most tend to be academics and experts rather than students.

The University was well represented with staff members Dr Daniel Bailey, Dr Julia Fruer, and Danny Golding all presenting at the conference.

However Bedfordshire PhD student's Diogo Leal and Ben Maylor also presented their research findings.

Talking about his research Diogo explained: “I am looking at how an athlete’s endocrine and immune systems respond to an infection when in a healthy state compared to when experiencing exercise-induced chronic stress.”

“At the Conference I presented some data from one of my studies. Basically, two newly designed running bouts were shown to induce an elevation in certain plasma hormones.

“The analysis of the exercise-induced responses of these hormones may help in the prevention of chronic stress in athletes” he continued.

Diogo then reflected on his experience at the conference: “When you have been working on a project for so long and you are given the opportunity to finally present it, it is likely that you will be excited for that moment to happen. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the conference.”

PhD student Ben Maylor spoke about his research in investigating the health benefits of breaking up long periods of sitting with short physical activity breaks.

Ben shared: “Too much time spent sitting can be detrimental to your health. I showed data from my first PhD study which found that following an unhealthy breakfast, you can reduce your blood glucose levels by 30% by simply walking for two minutes every twenty minutes. This may be an important lifestyle change for individuals spending long periods of time sat down in front of their computers without getting up.

“The conference was an extremely useful way of presenting my own data to experts in my area. The opportunity for them to ask me questions about my research after my presentation was invaluable.”

“My advice for students would be to get involved in research as soon as possible so that you gain first hand experience of what is required to contribute to scientific knowledge.

“I worked my way up from being a participant to now designing and conducting my own research. Even if you don't want to get involved in research, participating gives you a valuable insight into how scientific evidence is obtained and evaluated before being applied to our every day lives.”

He added: “I love studying at the University. I wouldn't have been here six years and counting otherwise! The facilities are excellent and I have been fortunate to be able to benefit from the ever-improving infrastructure.”