Professor Greg Whyte is among the high profile academics who will speak at the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences annual student conference at the University of Bedfordshire next week (April 3 and 4).

He will open the event with a lecture about 'Applying sport and exercise in the real world.'

Professor Whyte, whose parents and brother still live locally, said: "It's a huge honour to be invited and an exciting opportunity for me to talk about my work.
"The last time I was here - a considerable time ago - I taught at Luton Sixth Form College and part of the course was at the university."

The former Great Britain modern pentathlete has just taken part in two charity challenges for Sport Relief. He swam the Strait of Gibraltar with Little Britain star David Walliams and Olympic medallist James Cracknell, then cycled 365 miles from Newcastle to London with football pundits Alan Shearer and Adrian Chiles.

The conference is aimed at anyone with an interest in sport and exercise sciences who would like to present their research, learn about current issues, take part in interactive workshops and become part of the largest sport and exercise sciences network in the UK.

The university is the largest provider of secondary PE teachers in the country. It has injected £8 million into a new physical education and sport science centre which has been put forward as a training facility for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

- Registration closes on March 27.

For more information visit www.bases.org.uk/newsite/studentconf.asp