Aidan Kits

master's student in the Faculty of Science

Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field

I am a second year Master's student in the Clarke Laboratory for Quantitative Exercise Biology under supervision of Dr. Dave Clarke. Having previously been a varsity athlete, I have seen the value of data-driven training. In using wearable technology and statistical modelling, my research aims to assist athletes in managing their day-to-day training loads for achieving their goals and individual potential.

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

I choose to attend SFU because I wanted to work with Dr. Dave Clarke and had a unique research assistant opportunity with an industry partner specializing in novel wearable technology.

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

My research helps to explain an individual’s change in fitness over time through the calculation of training loads from bouts of exercise using wearable technology. Specifically, my research aims to determine whether training loads calculated from objective measures provide equivalent, supplementary, or superior information compared to those calculated from subjective measures in recreational swimmers using smart swim goggles.

What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?

training load, wearable technology, sport science

How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?

My research assistant experience with an industry partner has been invaluable in the progress of my thesis and my experience as a student. I have been fortunate to see firsthand the development of a promising wearable device for swimming while simultaneously having sufficient resources to complete my data collection.

Have you been the recipient of any major or donor-funded awards? If so, please tell us which ones and a little about how the awards have impacted your studies and/or research

I am a 2023-24 NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship Masters award recipient. I have also completed a Mitacs Accelerate internship. These awards, in addition to receiving Travel & Research awards in the Department of Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology, have allowed for me to focus on my studies and have given me the resources to present and participate in various conferences related to my research interests.

Contact Aidan:akits@sfu.ca

Additional Links

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