Research

Heat Stress Laboratory

Director: Dr. Candi Ashley

The Heat Stress Laboratory (HS Lab) is located in the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida.  Faculty and graduate students from the College of Education - Exercise Science program, College of Public Health – Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, and College of Medicine – Department of Orthopedic and Sports Medicine conduct research in the HS Lab.  The primary function is the assessment of heat stress and physiological strain in occupational and athletic settings.  The HS Lab houses a climatic chamber and equipment for the collection of physiological variables  such as heart rate, core temperature, skin temperature, urinalysis and oxygen consumption. 

Research Projects in the Heat Stress Lab

• Thermal exposure limit for mine refuge chambers
• Loss of heat acclimation and time to re-establish acclimation
• Heat stress evaluation of personal cooling systems
• Core temperature changes in collegiate football linemen
• Heat stress evaluation of two-layer chemical demilitarization ensembles with a full-face negative pressure respirator.
• Critical heat stress of toxicological agent protective (TAP) apron
• Effects of porosity on critical WBGT and apparent evaporative resistance
• Heat strain at the critical WBGT and the roles of clothing, metabolic rate and gender