SMa School of Management

HE once spent an afternoon throwing a frisbee more than 50 times over four hours.

Another time, he ran on a treadmill for half an hour while his blood was taken seven times.

But it's all in the name of science.

And SMa School of Management (SMa-SOM) student Owen Chong, 22, had no qualms about being a 'guinea pig' for the experiments conducted as part of his BSc in Exercise and Sports Science programme.

It was 'interest and passion', after all, that had led him to pursue the three-year degree, which is awarded by Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth.

He said: 'I didn't see participating in the experiments as a chore. I found it fun. I wanted a practical, hands-on course, and I did a lot of research before deciding on this degree.'

His intensive frisbee session was actually being filmed for a group project for the Biomechanics module, which studies how humans move.

His group was trying to determine the best way to throw a frisbee so it would travel the longest distance.

'We get to apply everything that we've learnt in theory through research projects,' he explained.

OTHER FACILITIES

Besides the SMa-SOM Spring campus along Bukit Merah road, students in the ECU programme also use the facilities at the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and the Singapore Sports School for experiments.

It was at the SSC that Mr Chong ran on the treadmill while having his blood taken for a research project for the Exercise Physiology module.

The blood tests measured the amount of lactate produced by his body as his running speed was increased at three-minute intervals.

He was also hooked up to a machine that measured the volume of oxygen he took in while running to find out how efficiently his body extracts oxygen during exercise.

Mr Chong said his rationale for picking this programme was due, in part, to his experience at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, where he had earned a Diploma in Biotechnology.

He had enrolled in the diploma course as it was the 'in thing' at the time. His father, who had taken the same course part-time, had also recommended it. He recalled: 'I thought I'd like it and that the career prospects would be good.

'But I didn't like the course as there wasn't much human interaction. We studied organisms at the cellular and DNA level, and there was a lot of lab work.'

So he took a different tack when he decided to further his studies after graduating from polytechnic.

'I decided to go for what I love - sports - instead of going for 'safe' options, like business or engineering.'

The avid sportsman used to swim competitively from Primary One to Secondary Four. He also took part in cross-country and gymnastics while in secondary school. In polytechnic, he joined the school's dragonboat team.

It was then that he started reading about physiology and exercise nutrition, and his interest was piqued. He recalled: 'My background in biotechnology made it easy for me to pick up the information I read.'

When his degree programme started last February, he was still serving National Service as a lifeguard at the Changi Naval Base.

He said: 'I spoke to my superior about studying while serving NS and he gave me the go-ahead. I had time to study when I wasn't on duty by the pool.'

His daily working hours from 9.30am to 5pm do not clash with the twice-weekly tutorials from 7pm to 10pm. ECU lecturers fly in from Perth for the weekend and deliver day-long classes for the first three to four weekends at the start of each semester.

Students are assessed by mid-term and final papers as well as research and practical projects.

Mr Chong said: 'If you're consistent with your work, you stand a better chance at scoring well in the course.'

He even has time to visit the gym at least three days a week to 'condition and keep myself in shape'.

Next semester, he will spend two weeks at ECU's Perth campus to use the state-of-the-art equipment contained within The School of Exercise, Biomedical and Sports Science building for the third-year Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology units.

He is thinking of pursuing a Masters in either Dietetics or Strength and Conditioning eventually.

To find out more about the course, watch 'Sports Science in Singapore' online at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht9u3yYsxmI