Inquisitive minds young and old flocked to the second annual Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) Open Day on Friday, July 4.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Max Clarke, aged 5, from Adamstown, spent some time with Jaegger Olden, from the Priority Research Centre and PhD candidate Lee Ashton.
The pair explained how much exercise Max needed to undertake to burn off unhealthy foods, compared to healthy foods.
Using examples such as strawberries, Mars Bars, apples and red frogs, Max, along with other children who came along, were each given a choice of food and a corresponding exercise to perform.
Mr Aston said he was quite surprised by some of the food choices made by some of the other children, with one choosing to walk 1042 steps in exchange for a packet of Shapes biscuits.
In comparison, another student walked 14 steps and was given a strawberry.
Other activities on the day included a "bugs in your guts" computer game, cardio testing, trying on beer goggles, and interacting with facial recognition software.
Hunter Medical Research Institute's communications manager Mark Rothfield said more than 1000 people walked through the doors, doubling last year's numbers.
