Profile

My name is Neil and I live in a small village called Kirknewton which is quite near Edinburgh. I live with my wife and daughter, who will be turning 3 in April. The picture below is me and my daughter on a winter walk at the start of the year.

I am a big football fan and my favourite team (as you can see from my hat) is Aberdeen. I am also a member of the Tartan Army and go to as many Scotland games as I can. I also love to play football and normally play 1 or 2 times per week. I enjoy running and cycling and when the weather is good, I take my daughter out on bike rides with me.

I love Pizza. I make my own pizzas from scratch most weekends and cook them in my special pizza oven. Pineapple is a must on every pizza I eat!

I am a Sport, Exercise and Health Science Technician. This means that I look after all of the equipment we have in our labs. This includes fixing it when it does not work properly and teaching the students how to use it properly.

We have a lot of very hi tech equipment which can be used for lots of different purposes. We can see how fast you can run, how high you can jump and how hard you can kick a ball. We can also watch the activity of your muscles as they move, measure how much oxygen you breath and see how much energy you are using during different activities.

Below is a picture of me in our Biomechanics Lab (about to kick a football into our full size football goals). Biomechanics is all about how your body moves.

We have 3 other big labs, all interconnected. There is a Research Lab, an Exercise Physiology Lab and a Sports Injuries Lab. Each one has different equipment which can be used for teaching the students about Sport, Exercise and Health Science.

830am – Pre work Coffee! Before we officially start work I normally grab a coffee and have a chat with the other Sport Science Technicians and sometimes some of the lecturers as well.

8:45am – Start Work! Check the calendar and check emails. Answer any emails (student enquiries etc.) that have come in overnight and set up any equipment needed for the morning.

9am – 12noon – This is when morning classes would run. We could have 2 or 3 classes going on at one time. I need to be on hand to help show the students how to use the equipment and also be ready to fix any issues if any equipment does not work properly. We could also have students in working on individual projects so I need to know what they are doing to be able to help them.

12noon – 1pm – Lunch! My favourite part of the day..! There is often classes or students in over lunch time so it can sometimes be a bit stop start. I bring my own, normally soup or a sandwich! We ALWAYS have a cup of tea after lunch. Sometimes with a cake or a biscuit.

1pm-5pm – The afternoon will normally be a continuation of the morning. Classes and individual student projects. When it gets closed to finishing time (5pm), I will check the calendar for the next day and see if there is anything I can prepare so that we get a head start in the morning.

All Day Tasks – Throughout the day I will make sure the labs and equipment are clean and tidy. I will check the emails regularly and answer any queries. We often have students popping in and out to ask questions and to book time in the lab as well.

Below are some pictures of the labs that I work in.

Image 1 – Exercise Physiology Lab (from the bottom)

Image 2 – Exercise Physiology Lab (from the top)

The Exercise Physiology Lab has lots of bikes, treadmills and rowing machines. There is also a room within this lab which is an “Enviromental Chamber.” In here we can change the conditions to be hot, cold or humid and we can also make it so it feels like you are up very high (by making the room have less oxygen like when someone is up a high mountain).

Image 3 – Sports Injuries Lab

In this lab there is bikes, ice baths and a very special rehab chair. It is called an “Isokinetic Dynamometer” !! Very big word. It can control how fast and how far you move different parts of your body and is therefore very good for recovering from injuries.

Image 4 – Biomechanics Lab