Sports science student wins prestigious Masters Dissertation of the Year award
A University of Chichester student has won the prestigious Masters Dissertation of the Year award from the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES) for his ‘outstanding’ research.
Marcus Peach, MSc Sports and Exercise Psychology student, was handed the accolade by the professional body for sport and exercise sciences in the UK.
His dissertation was titled The Effect of Cold Environmental Temperature on Physical and Cognitive Performance During Simulated Urban Search and Rescue Tasks, and was completed working alongside MSc Sports and Exercise Physiology student Kamran Ewbank.
Marcus said: “I am hugely honoured to have received this national award. Beyond the great personal pride I feel for my team and I’s hard work designing and carrying out the project, this award recognises the new direction of sport and exercise science research towards more holistic and comprehensive investigations. The University of Chichester is at the forefront of high-quality innovative research; and I am incredibly proud to be Chichester’s first winner of this award.”
“This research is greatly important given the current trends in climates towards more frequent extreme weather, such as cold, and increased natural disasters like flooding and earthquakes,” Marcus explained. “The UK’s Fire & Rescue Service (FRS) are deployed domestically and internationally to conduct fast-paced critical rescues and disaster management. However, nearly all FRS research is focused on performance in extreme heat given their usual working conditions. Nonetheless, search and rescue is a critical job role of our FRS and therefore must be better understood; hence this comprehensive physical, physiological, and cognitive project.”
He used the University’s environmental chamber, which allows researchers to adapt the temperature and altitude in controlled conditions. Participants were tested at a ‘normal’ 5 °C temperature and then at minus 10 °C, to mimic colder climates you might find in northern Scotland, northern Europe, or Asia, where UK firefighters have been previously deployed.
“The environmental chamber has been pivotal in completing all of my extreme environment research. It can reach –25°C, +50°C, 8,000m, and simulate wind and rain, making it an incredibly versatile resource for research and teaching,” Marcus said.
On what’s next, Marcus said: “My immediate next steps are to complete my PhD here at Chichester, working with the RNLI and other maritime search and rescue organisations to improve their performance in adverse extreme environments. I’ll collect biological, psychological, and social data to comprehensively analyse and improve search and rescue performance with the aim of contributing to saving at least one more life at sea.
“After the PhD, I hope to pursue a career in lecturing and research, to help continue pushing the evolution of sport and exercise science with a focus on high-stakes occupational research with groups such as the military, emergency services, and space agencies.”
Marcus’s MSc and PhD has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership.
As a student of the South Coast Doctoral Training programme, Marcus is engaged in opportunities that develop his capacity as a scientist – a significant addition to the research currently being conducted in this field.
The MSc project was supervised by Professor Sam Blacker (Professor of Exercise Physiology and Nutrition), Dr Jenny Smith (Reader in Performance Psychology) and Dr Andy West (Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology). This resulted in an interdisciplinary project to investigate both physical and cognitive performance together.
Professor Sam Blacker said “We are extremely pleased that Marcus has been given this award by CASES for his outstanding dissertation. This award reflects his high-quality academic ability that he has developed through studying his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with us at the University of Chichester.
“Marcus’s research is directly linked to the work we conduct in the Occupational Performance Research Group at the University of Chichester which specialises in delivering multi-disciplinary research and consultancy to enhance the selection, performance, protection and health of personnel working within physically demanding occupations.
“The CASES Masters Dissertation of the Year Award is open to applications from all students studying at universities in the UK and Marcus receiving this award demonstrates the high-quality of student research conducted at the University of Chichester”
Established in 2010, this award is given annually for an outstanding sport and/or exercise sciences dissertation made by a CASES member who has been a UK Masters student and submitted their Masters Dissertation within this calendar year (1 January to 31 December).
Marcus’ achievement has been published in the CASES Hall of Fame and he will be invited to present at the CASES Annual National Conference.
