Sixth Form student, Yash Shetty, achieved a CREST Gold award over the summer, for his research project entitled ‘The Optimal Diet to Reduce CHD Risk while Enhancing Muscle Hypertrophy’. This looked at the right foods to eat to avoid Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), while hypertrophy refers to an increase in muscular size achieved through exercise.
CREST is a nationally recognised scheme of student-led project work in STEM subjects and Gold awards typically require at least 70 hours of work; immersing students in extensive research to make an original contribution to a STEM field of study, Yash explains.
“My interest in health and fitness burgeoned during the first lockdown,” he says. “The CREST Gold scheme provided the ideal platform for me not only to benefit my own physical progress but also to indulge my interest in writing, to collate my research and have it assessed by qualified professionals.”
Yash admits that the task was initially ‘very daunting’, as it required drawing information from a multitude of different but intertwining medical disciplines to establish his own conclusion. Alongside the CREST project, he was also writing his Sixth Form Project (SFP). “The skills developed from the SFP, and the associated lessons delivered by my Diploma teacher proved invaluable,” he says.
“By the time I had come around to write the final version of my CREST project in July, I possessed a clear model of the intricacies in referencing, scanning academic literature, evaluating evidence, and more, which meant that the writing process was surprisingly swift.”
Great work, Yash!
“I would recommend that any student take the initiative and engage in such processes to pursue their academic inclinations beyond the classroom. The knowledge and understanding gained will stay with me for life.”
Yash Shetty, Upper Sixth Form
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